israelis facing a seismic rift over role of women

[bcbm]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/world/middleeast/israel-faces-crisis-over-role-of-ultra-orthodox-in-society.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&hp

[Ocean Seal]

Wow Israel really is a theocracy. I always thought that they constantly went on about how civilized western democracies didn't have this kind of crap unlike the fundamentalist regimes of the Middle East. America and Israel down there with the rest of them.

[Princess Luna]

Wow Israel really is a theocracy. I always thought that they constantly went on about how civilized western democracies didn't have this kind of crap unlike the fundamentalist regimes of the Middle East. America and Israel down there with the rest of them.
I wouldn't say Israel is a theocracy just yet. In fact I think the whole point of the article is how a massive power struggle is brewing in Israel between those who want Israel to remain secular and those who want a theocracy. And I don't think it fair to say America is extremely fundamentalist , in comparsion to a place like Yemen. In Yemen blasphemy and homosexuality carry the death penalty, in America the prohibition on homosexuals in the military was just removed and even small fines for blasphemy have long been done away with.