Allies and Enemies
The Taliban, the former governing Muslim extremist group in Afghanistan, is infamously terrible in its treatment of women, giving misogyny a new definition. It was a crime, in Taliban-dominated Afghanistan, for women to receive formal education, for example.
But our allies, or elements of our allies, seem to be as misogynistic as our enemies, it turns out. Here’s the iconic photo from the Situation Room as President Obama and his staff waited for word on the success or failure of the raid that assassinated Osama bin Laden:
Hillary Clinton Present
And here’s the same photo as it appeared in Ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jewish newspaper, Der Tzitung:
Hillary Clinton Gone
You can see the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been photoshopped out (as has an unidentified woman in the upper right hand corner). The official White House photograph has been “fauxtoshopped,” as it were.
Not everyone in Israel thinks this is a great idea, obviously, and it has been criticized. But there has been no official statement from the Israeli government. That may be because Israeli Prime Minister Netenyahu’s fragile coalition government depends upon the presence of the ultra-orthodox minority parties.
What did these folks do when Golda Meir was prime minister of Israel?
WC’s precept: Any religion that has to tamper with reality to preserve its beliefs is so dysfunctional as to qualify for delusional.
Doesn’t surprise me. ONe would think in a Country as ‘great’ as ours we would have the basic level of understanding necessary to see this one issue – When you buy imported oil you are supporting people who treat women as property (saudi and others). And still, every time I see soccer moms in an Expedition I just have to shake my head in disbelief. Mabey things are better now in these Country’s. But I still choose not to support them. Other people, obviously don’t care…
mrderik
May 10, 2011 at 6:41 am
I agree with your sentiment, WC, but it should be noted that the paper Die Zeitung is based in Brooklyn, New York, not Israel. Brooklyn is the cultural center of many of our own American Hasidic Jews. They are more right-wing extreme than the average person in Israel.
pascobill
May 10, 2011 at 9:50 am
Interesting. WC assumed that his source for the publication’s location was correct, and didn’t confirm. Lesson learned.
Wickersham's Conscience
May 10, 2011 at 9:58 am
I’d read that the reason they removed the images of the two women was because of the paper’s policy against running photos of women on the front page because to do so would be “sexually suggestive.”
Do only men read this newspaper? If women read it, you’d think they’d be concerned that their women might be sexually aroused at seeing men on the front page – oh, wait, women don’t have sexual drives or at least can control their urges better than men, right? Wrong. Their medieval thinking is unconscionable in the 21st century, and is particularly odious because the paper is apparently based here.
How do religions decide that men cannot look at images of women because to do so would arouse them?
I guess Sec. Clinton might not feel flattered by the suggestion that her mere image will drive men to distraction because she had a job to do. That police does not protect women; it erases their position of authority.
How sad it is that this ultra-conservative wing of a faith feels as if its male members must be protected from feminine images (at least on the front page) because they lack the power to control themselves.
I really believe this has little to do with their explanation of women’s photos being “sexually suggestive,” but has more to do with wanting to keep women out of circles of power.
kssunflower
May 10, 2011 at 4:01 pm
er – That policy (not police) . . . .
kssunflower
May 10, 2011 at 4:03 pm
>>>”What did these folks do when Golda Meir was prime minister of Israel?”
WC,
Now that we know she used to be their Senator from NY, it would be interesting to know how the newspaper covered her. Perhaps she was the talking asterisk ["*"] as has been rendered by an editorial cartoonist in a different context? How weird.
Paul Eaglin
Fairbanks
paul2eaglin
May 10, 2011 at 4:56 pm