Monday, September 22, 2008



Getting medieval

A Middle Eastern city. "Modesty police" roam the neighbourhood, harassing "indecently dressed" women and enforcing the religious ban on MP3 players. Women are required to sit at the back of public buses, and forbidden to board unless "properly" dressed. Women who leave their husbands or who pursue unapproved relationships are beaten in their homes by religious gangs and threatened with murder. Tehran? Cairo? Baghdad? Nope - Jerusalem, where Israel's ultra-orthodox Jews are attempting to impose their religion on everyone else by force and create their very own theocracy. What is it with religious extremism and misogyny?