Religious Extremists

There has been a huge amount of press & media discussion of Islamic extremists. I don't doubt that they exist & cause untold death, hardship & destruction. They are a threat to our freedom & way of life. But there is no balance in the information we see & read. What about Jewish extremists & Christian extremists? 

Ultra Orthodox Jewish extremists have grown exponentially over the last decades, not least because they tend to have very large families because they don't practise birth control. 10 children is not uncommon. It is thought that they now represent 74 -75% of all Jews. There are several types of ultra orthodox Jews - Hasidic, Ashkenazi, Haredi & Sephardic for example.

These Jews tend to chose to live in shtetls or ghettos which are patrolled to ensure conformity. Education is predominantly religious so children follow in the parents footsteps. The teachings of the Bible are held to be infallible. The main language spoken is Yiddish. TV is banned & computers can only be used for business purposes. On the Sabbath you are not allowed to drive, work or switch on electricity. Food has to be Kosher, although banned foods differ slightly for each community.

Women who are married or widowed have to wear a wig. Their own hair cannot be seen. They are considered to be impure when menstruating & have to have a ritual bath after menstruation befor they can touch their husbands. Women cannot pray in the same area as men.

Men wear black hats & also have fur hats for special occasions. They also tend to wear long black coats. They don't shave the hair in front of their ears, so grow sidelocks / curls. They may also not shave their beards. Boys are circumsised.

These beliefs are not necessarily threatening to non Jews, but they are certainly narrow & illiberal. Personally I have a problem with anyone who is so dogmatic that they are unable to listen to another point of view, let alone allow any change. If different faiths cannot accept someone else's beliefs & co-exist in reasonable harmony, what hope is there for the complex problems which beset communities & countries the world over?

I am unashamedly liberal. I would defend anyone's right to their beliefs, if those beliefs did no harm. But, I believe that if we are to make informed choices about right & wrong we need to have the broadest perspective & a lot of accurate information before deciding what beliefs we hold dear.

The thing that really worries me about any fundamentalists is that the children are brainwashed into perpetuating the status quo. In the end the biggest & strongest community always seems to get the upper hand.