Recently, an ultra-Orthodox woman from Israel’s Jerusalem District so perplexed the local religious authorities that they ordered her and her husband to divorce. Her offense? Insisting on wearing a burka.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that a group of ultra-Orthodox women in the city of Ramat Beit Shemesh have started wearing burkas, the enveloping outer garment often associated with Islam, whenever they leave home. (A summary and excerpt of the article are available in English at The Muqata blog.) No known rabbi has advocated the practice.
One of the women is quoted in the article saying: “I don’t want men to look at me. I’m happy being modest. In the past, I felt uncomfortable to walk around [sans-burka], in such a wanton fashion.”
(Thanks, Lilith blog.)
