Orthodox Jews vs. Fundamentalist (Salafist) Muslims

I am writing this because of comments made to me by a friend.  Unfortunately, the friend, a Jew, apparently knew little of Jewish history.  If she did, it was not apparent when she lumped Orthodox Jews with Fundamentalist Muslims.

I know that a considerable number of ordinary, non-Orthodox Jews have a problem with Orthodox Jews.  In the U.S., when Orthodox Jews, who generally have little appreciation for a well rounded curriculum,  grow to sizable numbers in a town or community and are able to dominate that town's school system, they ruin it for non-Orthodox Jews and people of other beliefs.  They want their money to go to Orthodox religious schools and will generally do what they can to starve the public school system of funds.  That is a real problem for people of diverse backgrounds.

These ultra Orthodox Jews of whom I now speak, have been known to pray such words as, thank G-d for having made me a man.  They see little point in educating women beyond high school, unless it is to go to some sort of religious finishing school.  Marriages are often arranged.  The men will not shake hands with a woman.  Unless there has been a written prenuptial agreement, it is exceedingly difficult for a woman to obtain a divorce.

And, then too, they dress funny.  The men will wear  shtreimels (circular fur hats), or black fedoras, and always a kippah.  Under their shirts, they will wear a rectangular fabric with a hole to put one's head through.  At the corners of this garment will hang strings (tzitzit).  Some men will wear knickers and white knee socks.  They won't shave with a razor and some will let the hair in front of their ears go uncut (payes).

My friend, suggested that they were trying to dress like ancient Jews.   And, in that, she is mostly  wrong, except for the beard, the payes, and the tzitzit.  The shtreimel and the knickers (worn by some) are in honor of their their teachers in Lithuania.  Lithuania, next to Poland, was once a seat of Jewish learning and scholarship.  To honor the learned teachers of that long-ago time and place, they continue to dress as their teachers did.  (Why else wear a fur had in Israel?)

As to Orthodox women, they are to keep covered beyond their elbows.  They skirts should reach their calf or lower.  And, once married they are to keep their hair covered; generally, with a wig (sheitel).

There is more that distinguishes ultra Orthodox Jews, but you get the idea.

Muslim men who hold fundamentalist beliefs will, nevertheless, dress like most men of today.  However, they do avoid shaking hands with women.  Some will wear what resembles plain white pajamas.  But, they generally do this in places they feel comfortable.  It is not required.  They do it only because they imagine that this is how Mohammed dressed and so they too want to dress in this manner.

But it's not a particular dress that is the meaningful difference between Orthodox Jews and fundamentalist Muslims.  Rather, it is how each group has modified it's beliefs since ancient times.  A basic change that came about for Jews at the time of their Babylonian exile was the development of the rabbinic class and the decline of the priestly class.  Prayers to G-d began replacing animal sacrifice.

It is true that in ancient times, Jews practiced polygamy.  However, in about the year 1000, Rabbi Gershom ben Judah issued an edict forbidding multiple marriages.  That edict, however, applied only to Jews under his jurisdiction; namely, Ashkenazi Jews (most European Jews).  Those Jews not covered were the Sephardic Jews, the Jews who at one point lived in Spain and who, after their expulsion, continued to live in Arab countries.  For the Sephardic Jews, polygamy ended in 1948 with the establishment of the State of Israel.

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth was replaced early on as monetary value for an eye if you took another's eye and monetary value for a tooth if you took someone's tooth.  Unfortunately, those not religious seem unaware of this.

For a fundamentalist Muslim, history has been quite different.  Yes, Turkish Muslims were expelled from Greece and Greek Christians were expelled from Turkey.  Hindus were expelled from Pakistan and Muslims were driven from their homes in India.  However, in the case of India, there is today a population of Muslims of about 20% whose people avoided expulsion.  The obverse is not true of Pakistan.

Muslims spread from Saudi Arabia throughout the Middle East and along the northern reaches of Africa.  They spread east to Iran, Afghanistan and parts of India and China.  They were never scattered in the manner of the Jews, and they never found the need to adjust to modernity other than in matters of commerce.  Their understanding of shariah taken form the Quran, the Hadith and the Sunnah has remained the same since the time of Mohammed.  This is not a problem for Muslims only  when they enter in large numbers a country and a culture that does not follow shariah or shares the cultural values of Muslims such as honor killings, polygamy, a loathing of gays, and the approval of death for apostates.

You may not like certain, or a great number, of the characteristics of Orthodox Jews, but their values are far more compatible with America's secular culture.