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Kissing cousins? Commonalities between uber-Orthodox Jews and Wahabi Islamists

Published December 24th, 2016 - 03:16 GMT

Is there a Jewish equivalent to the Wahhabi school of Islam? 

Wahhabism is an ultraconservative branch of Islam that seeks to restore pure monotheistic worship among its devotees. Critics view it as a radical distortion of Islam. It may have met its match in ultra-orthodox Judaism.

Both are extremely averse to secular society, relentlessly intolerant of other sects, and hold rigid views on women’s roles and rights, and share a disdain of the modern state of Israel. Orthodox Jews in the Palestinian Territories dream of restoring the Biblical borders of their “homeland” and reconstructing an ancient Jerusalem temple - despite the fact that it’s now the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Similarly, many Wahhabis dream of resurrecting an Islamic Caliphate and expanding Islamic rule to previous areas of Islamic rule such as Spain.

Christmas craziness puts a Christian stranglehold on December, but let’s take a break from baby Jesus and look at two misogynistic sects.in the other Abrahamic faiths. The antics of both groups help to poison the entire atmosphere of the Middle East.

 

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conservative muslim attire

Wahhabi believe that outward appearances are connected to one's inward state. This is best seen in Saudi Arabia in the pristine, white thobe worn by men, and black abaya, face veils and gloves that completely cover women’s bodies while in public. Pants are considered clothing designed for men, and women are not to wear them.

conservative jewish attire

Married Orthodox women are required to cover their hair. It stems from biblical law, which considers hair as a talisman of a woman’s beauty, not be shown in public after marriage. After puberty, Wahhbi women don the veil, although increasingly, prepubescent girls are veiled.

jewish wigs

Some extreme ultra-orthodox Jewish women shave off their hair and cover their head with a kerchief (tichel), but most opt for wigs. Shaved heads were also an established tradition in Wahhabism, once mandatory for all their followers including women.

gender segregation

Both belief systems enforce strict gender segregation in markets, public transport and places of worship. Handshaking and money exchange between genders is not allowed. Children are educated separately, with little interaction with the opposite sex until their marriage night. Activities open to men are off-limits to women – such as sports.

saudi woman driver

Jewish law doesn’t forbid women from driving, but Hasidic group Belz, a London-based ultra-Orthodox sect, opted to be “more pious” and banned female drivers. Bristling at the comparison to Wahhabism, a group spokesman told a reporter, “This isn’t Saudi Arabia, no one’s going to be punished, or whipped or whatever.”

pork eaters

A 2015 Pew Study showed 54% of US Jews are pork-eaters, it’s the most widely eaten meat in the world, accounting for about 38% of global meat production. But Jewish kosher and Islamic halal dietary rules both tag the meat as taboo. Pork is banned outright in Saudi Arabia and in some Kosher communities, although not illegal across Israel.

jewish man in a bag

Rigid beliefs don’t travel well, with disputes most visible on commercial transport. Last year, several flights from NYC to Israel were disrupted over conflicts between ultra-Orthodox men refusing to sit next to female passengers. Social media hopped aboard, spawning online petitions and a spoof safety video suggesting full-body safety armor.

virtue police

Saudi’s Islamic virtue police and Jewish ‘modesty patrols’ terrify the faithful, as a simple perception of impropriety could ruin their lives. In both cultures, the rule of law sometimes takes a back seat to the rule of God, with zealots are on a mission to stamp out behavior they consider unchaste.

saudi censorship

Wahabbis censor all school textbooks and imported magazines for exposed flesh, often including bare hands, and comely faces. Billboards erected in Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods are commonly defaced by residents is the imagery is deemed provocative.

orthodox marriage

Both groups micro-manage sexuality. Nudity and suggestive imagery is banned, and sex outside of marriage is taboo. In some communities, the genders are separated at an early age, sex education hardly exists, and - if you’ve never seen a movie, read a book, or talked about sex, how are you supposed to know what to do on your wedding night?

conservative muslim attire
conservative jewish attire
jewish wigs
gender segregation
saudi woman driver
pork eaters
jewish man in a bag
virtue police
saudi censorship
orthodox marriage
conservative muslim attire
Wahhabi believe that outward appearances are connected to one's inward state. This is best seen in Saudi Arabia in the pristine, white thobe worn by men, and black abaya, face veils and gloves that completely cover women’s bodies while in public. Pants are considered clothing designed for men, and women are not to wear them.
conservative jewish attire
Married Orthodox women are required to cover their hair. It stems from biblical law, which considers hair as a talisman of a woman’s beauty, not be shown in public after marriage. After puberty, Wahhbi women don the veil, although increasingly, prepubescent girls are veiled.
jewish wigs
Some extreme ultra-orthodox Jewish women shave off their hair and cover their head with a kerchief (tichel), but most opt for wigs. Shaved heads were also an established tradition in Wahhabism, once mandatory for all their followers including women.
gender segregation
Both belief systems enforce strict gender segregation in markets, public transport and places of worship. Handshaking and money exchange between genders is not allowed. Children are educated separately, with little interaction with the opposite sex until their marriage night. Activities open to men are off-limits to women – such as sports.
saudi woman driver
Jewish law doesn’t forbid women from driving, but Hasidic group Belz, a London-based ultra-Orthodox sect, opted to be “more pious” and banned female drivers. Bristling at the comparison to Wahhabism, a group spokesman told a reporter, “This isn’t Saudi Arabia, no one’s going to be punished, or whipped or whatever.”
pork eaters
A 2015 Pew Study showed 54% of US Jews are pork-eaters, it’s the most widely eaten meat in the world, accounting for about 38% of global meat production. But Jewish kosher and Islamic halal dietary rules both tag the meat as taboo. Pork is banned outright in Saudi Arabia and in some Kosher communities, although not illegal across Israel.
jewish man in a bag
Rigid beliefs don’t travel well, with disputes most visible on commercial transport. Last year, several flights from NYC to Israel were disrupted over conflicts between ultra-Orthodox men refusing to sit next to female passengers. Social media hopped aboard, spawning online petitions and a spoof safety video suggesting full-body safety armor.
virtue police
Saudi’s Islamic virtue police and Jewish ‘modesty patrols’ terrify the faithful, as a simple perception of impropriety could ruin their lives. In both cultures, the rule of law sometimes takes a back seat to the rule of God, with zealots are on a mission to stamp out behavior they consider unchaste.
saudi censorship
Wahabbis censor all school textbooks and imported magazines for exposed flesh, often including bare hands, and comely faces. Billboards erected in Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods are commonly defaced by residents is the imagery is deemed provocative.
orthodox marriage
Both groups micro-manage sexuality. Nudity and suggestive imagery is banned, and sex outside of marriage is taboo. In some communities, the genders are separated at an early age, sex education hardly exists, and - if you’ve never seen a movie, read a book, or talked about sex, how are you supposed to know what to do on your wedding night?

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