The Difference Between Jews and Muslims on American Idol
In many ways, very religious Jews are not that much different than very religious Muslims. For example, both condemn women who appear on shows like American Idol even though there is nothing in either the Qur'an or Torah that forbids women singing in public.
Consider the following:
The Huffington Post, 25 Feb 2013, Singing On 'Idol,' And Facing Wrath Of Religious Traditionalists
Photo: Latifa 'Azizi, teen, faces death threats for participating in the Afghan talent show 'Afghan Star'.
In Afghanistan, a modestly dressed woman who placed third on "Afghan Star" received multiple death threats. Fearing for her life, she fled to Pakistan. Another woman, who placed eighth on the show, also went into hiding after she made a music video without wearing a headscarf.
In Israel, though an Orthodox Jewish teenager does not worry for her safety, her recent performance on Israel's "The Voice" prompted the principal of her religious school to suspend her for two weeks.
What happened in Afghanistan is repeated in dozens of Muslim countries. It doesn't matter that most Muslims don't care if a Muslim girl appears on these shows, they might even enjoy them. What matters is that Islamic radicals control the debate and if they threaten a girl's life then the rest stay quiet.
I started this article by saying that in many ways, very religious Jews are not that much different than very religious Muslims. There is one difference of how they treat disrespectful young women who appear on talent shows. Strict Muslims try to kill these women while strict Jews want to give them two weeks suspension in school.
And what a beautiful difference that is. It makes one want to sing.
