For all of those people who think that women's rights in the Middle East are abysmal (which they are in some areas) here's a news story courtesy of the BBC: "West Bank rabbi bans women from local election." Apparently a woman wanted to run for the position of community secretary, so she wrote her local rabbi to ask permission. He then wrote a letter in their local newsletter saying that women could not run for election, because that would give a woman authority, and women cannot have authority! In marriage, men have the authority.
As you can imagine, a number of Israeli women are upset by his comments. Personally, I found this slightly amusing. I'm completely for women's rights, let me state that first. But considering how many times Israel is held up as a modern state in the backwards Middle East, it's ironic when a rabbi starts acting like one of those "backward imams." Pot, meet kettle.
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