'If you walk away from Iraq, the jihadis will follow you wherever you go. You may think you've left them behind, but they will pursue you.'

Slick Willy, you hearing this? Nine dwarves? Hello? Is this thing on? *tap* *tap* Ahhh sh*t...

Describing Al-Qaeda-style terrorism as 'new and unique', he noted that an event in faraway Morocco was capable of provoking extremist groups in Indonesia

And the senior minister of Indonesia had to say this because the Europeans are too close to see it.

Whattaya know. A guy from southeast Asia who's more qualified to be running for president than 9/10 of the guys who are running for president.

'The Europeans underestimate the problem of Al-Qaeda-style terrorism,' he said. 'They compare it to their own many experiences with terror - the IRA, the Red Brigade, the Baader-Meinhof, ETA. But they are wrong.'

Spot on.

He's right. Europeans in general are absolutely clueless about what's going on. Reality is going to hit this Continent in the face pretty soon. Hard.

[Link: www.faithfreedom.org...] Islam is the Matrix. We hand out red pills.

#2 Gary O'Brien --Make that the Senior Minister of Singapore not Indonesia. Many Indonesian government officials were still denying they even HAD terrorists after Bali and despite the fact that they have been attacking Christians there for years and years.

This is why Singapore --semi-censorship-dictatorship that it is --is safe, clean, prosperous and thriving.

They could be compared to Israel in the geographical sense --they are tiny compared to Indonesia and Malaysia and the Phillipines--nothing more than really a large city. Their advantage is --except for being connected by land to Malaysia --they are separated from the other Muslim countries by lots of water. Their own "natural" fence.

Waiting to see Lee Kuan Yew quoted at length in the NYT

Lee Kwan Yu the antidote ot Mahathir Mohamad.

I still have a modified joke about Singapore:

Singapore believe in the system of one man, one vote. Lee Kun Yew is the man, and he got the vote.

When Singapore (with its population of ethnic Christian Chinese) was kicked out of both Malayasia and Indonesia, he basically saved the city-state from the turmoil around South East Asia. Yes, Singapore is surrounded by two muslim nations, and prospered despite of that.

He stepped down as Prime Minister a couple of years ago, and not doing any of the day-to-day administration. But he is still the man with the vote.

A little background. I was impressed with his insight many, many years ago. Because even though he implimented some rather strict laws and censorship --one only has to see the difference between Singapore and the rest of Southeast Asia to know that he knew what he was doing.

I have always remembered his saying something like the population were basically "villagers" and it would take years before they learned personal responsiblity and in order for that to occur there had to be rules to follow for a civilized society and eventually they would not all be necessary.

[Link: www.who2.com...]

Educated in England, Lee Kuan Yew led Singapore to independence and served as its first prime minister. He was regularly re-elected from 1959 until he stepped down in 1990. Under his guidance, Singapore became a financial and industrial powerhouse, despite a lack of abundant natural resources. Lee ruled with ultimate authority, and his zeal for law and order was legendary. In 1990 he stepped down (though he remained in the cabinet as senior minister) and was succeeded as prime minister by Goh Chok Tong.

# 10 Big Fire

Singapore had been a British colony. It was never a part of Indonesia --and it had been a part of Malaysia which also was a British colony. When the British left, it was Singapore that broke itself off from Malaysia --not the other way around.

LKY sounds like a man with a grasp on reality.

But, isn't 'moderate Muslims' an oxymoron?

Lee Kuan Yew is a remarkable character in many respects, largely responsible for Singapore's growth into an economic super-power.
He was also well-known for his edicts on public morality and cleanliness. Men with long hair were once denied entry into the country (and may still be for all I know), and either had to leave or get sheared in a special barber shop at the airport.
Back in the 70s, Lee a visiting American singer as "a long-haired hippy." The singer was Wayne Newton.

Could we get Lee Kuan Yew to take over for Kofi Annan, y'think?

Sez our-friends-the-saudis™

"A true Muslim does not carry out corruption on earth and does not seek destruction," the Saudi royals said in a statement carried by the state news agency SPA.

"Islam is innocent of the terrorist acts which took place here and there by groups claiming to be Muslims and which are a result of erroneous beliefs and deviant behavior."

"Efforts must be intensified and people united to rectify defects and distortions, correct erroneous understandings and lead delinquents to the right path," they added...

"We must work together to combat the roots of deviation and implement the teachings of true Islam," King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah said.

*choke*

Saudi Royals Urge Muslims to Unite Against Terror

Finally a person in a position of authority who gets it AND has the nerve to say it in public. Ignoring them, paying them off, running away, redefining the problem out of existence doesn't fix it. There is but one way to put an end to the Jihad and that is to put an end to the Jihadis in an unmistakable, unarguably permanent fashion.

If there really are "moderates", muslims that value a continued earthly existence and have dreams for their children that aren't diseased fantasies of murder and mayhem, what will it take for them to realize the Jihad is every bit a menace to them as it is to a Jew, Christian or Hindu?

Re: #14

Every other year, they execute one or two moronic tourist who despite rather stringent warning, insist on bringing in their recreational drugs. Most of these tourists are either English or Australian.

Re: #10

I knew. I'm just making a joke.

14 Shiplord Kirel

Yes, the censorship was legendary. I spent some time there years ago. It is against the law to chew gum in public --because people were spitting it out on the street.

There were signs in the elavators that banned "urinating" --again --because it had proven to be a problem. Signs prohibing people from "standing" up on porcelin toilets --again --the more typical facility was the "hole in the ground" and apparently people were standing up on the toilet. There were rules for just about everything.

Yet, it was one of the safest and cleanest cities and most orderly cities I have ever been in.

One word.

Tiger Balm Gardens!

OK, that is three words. Singapore is a touch autocratic for my tastes, but I got the impression that it was pretty safe. The people were happy and friendly. Nice malls.

Really cool covered bird farm. For the history buff, "The Museum of the Japanese Surrender" at Sentosa is a must.

Beer in the bars is quite expensive, but at the street markets beer is quite reasonable.

I think it was in the restaurant at the Hotel Dai Ichi that I saw "salted fish guts" on the menu. I never did work up the nerve to order it, but when I see the commentators on "Iron Chef" talk about the qualities of fish innards, sometimes I think I was too timid.

#17 BigFire --No question --it is wise to not break the law in Singapore. Don't even jaywalk much less bring in drugs.

The more forceful American approach had its shortcomings too. 'You must use force. But force will only deal with the tip of the problem. In killing the terrorists, you will only kill the worker bees.'

What is needed, he said, is to get at the 'queen bees' - the clerics who spread their twisted ideas of Islam, poisoning the minds of the young.

Good point - seems to me that very little is being done to get the 'queen bees.'

#12 Nancy ~ It was always my understanding that Singapore was expelled from Malaysia because of the ethnic malay's bigotry against the chinese majority in Singapore, no? ~~~Basically the Chinese occupy a social role similar to Diaspora Jews, namely they have culture that honors hard work & scholarship & they do the what"s necessary to provide the great social service of running all the little shops that a society needs. ~ What's the real story?

Re: #18 Nancy

AFAIK, the chewing gum ban stemmed from the time when Singapore debute their subway system (which they're very proud of). Being in the tropical region with high humity, the high tech subway door are very vulnerable to a chewing gum sticking it, and melting. Since just banning chewing gum around the subway won't do any good, they just wen ahead and banned it period.

Another story about LKY goes like this... In the late '80s, his doctor recommanded the prime minister to cut back on his 2-3 pack a day cigerette habbit. Yep, the nation wide smoking reduction campaign was born.

19 Ed Moran:Abu Celebrating Eid al Fitr

I agree. That's about the same as my impression. It is a bit autocratic for the westerner's taste.

However, after leaving there and spending a couple months in Indonesia where it was pushing, shoving, intimidating, extorting and general chaos, I was quite happy to go back to "rigid Singapore" for awhile just to not have the constant intrusiveness.

I never hear much about LKY.

Unlike Thailand, where it seems every establishment had pictures of the King.

Kenya was really bad. President Daniel T. Arap Moi's photo hung in every home and business I went into.

22 IHSoter

OK, now you have me questioning my memory. I wouldn't be able to say that your version was wrong.

THe impression I had was that Singapore wanted their own independence from the British and from Malaysia but you and Big Fire may be "historically" correct. I'll see what I can find.

25

The verb "to hear" should be in the past tense.

Thanks.

23 BigFire

Yeah, I do remember the gum was because of the subway. As soon as I glanced at your note --that's exactly the story I heard as well.

Re: #25

LKY still lived in the same house in a middle class neighborhood when he became prime minister in the '60s. If the tourist guide didn't point it out to you, you probably won't know a autocratic style ruler lived in that.

Pheww...another of these non-European "simplists" who refuse to understand that violence can only be fought by appeasement.
/sarcasm

So this guy automatically disqualified himself to take over from Kofi Anantisemite.

By the way, he obviously MUST have Jewish blood, no?

I don’t see anything that suggests that they ever wanted to be a part of Malayasia. What it might be it that the other settlements, Penang and Malaka ended up not being included in Singapore.

Some info on Singapore Independence

The Evolution of Singapore
[Link: www.thinkquest.org...]

Singapore, with Penang and Malaka, formed the Straits Settlements in 1826. A Governor was in charge of the Straits Settlements. It was still under British Control --
Building A Nation
Describes Singapore's struggle to become independent from the British rule of 123 years.

Time Chart: [Link: library.thinkquest.org...]

#30 Andre SNo, Chinese but as i pointed out earlier, in that part of Asia it's the same thing. :-/ ~~~ ~~~By the way, we should pay more attention to the South Asian Moslem persecution of the ethnic Chinese. ~ It is frequently discussed in terms of persecution of Christians, which many chinese are now, but it is also an anti-Chinese problem. ~ Maybe if the West made a fuss on this score it would arouse the Great Dragon to the North to raddle its claws at the two Moslem pipsqueaks (Malaysia & Indonesia) to the South.

LKY is right about terrorism. But people need to bear in mind that Singapore is an autocratic state, and they hang and flog (cane) people there at a rate that probably rivals the Saudis. It's mainly for offences against public order and crimes of violence, but Singapore is not a fun place to get in trouble with the law. Opposition politicians are routinely bankrupted for criticising the government.

One thing LKY knows about is slapping down people who don't respec' his authorit-ah! Which probably explains his approach to Al-Quaeda.

reaganite #1

That is too funny!!

I think I love this site.

#32 IHSoter

Discrimination and persecution against the Chinese --as well as Christians in Indonesia (they don't have enough Jews left to bother with) is rampant.

Even though the Chinese Indonesians have been there for hundreds and hundreds of years they are not considered "natives" because they are not Malay. Which you probably know.

Yet the Muslims who came from the ME were not Malay either and their descendants have not experienced the discrimination that the Chinese STILL get.

#34 Dr. Dweeble
Welcome to our world, the anti-idiotarian universe!

Re: #35 Nancy ~~ Bat Ye'or says, "Can you all say dhimmitude? Not you France we already know you got it down pat"

Well, somebody gets it. Too bad he isn't European - the Europeans won't pay any attention to a non-European. Of course, if he were European, he wouldn't get it. Sad.

Addendum *** ~I first learned about the Indonesian persecution of the ethnic chinese while reading Thomas Sowell's books on these subjects. ~ He is always a good way to learn something worth while.

reaganite #36

Thank you much. It is truly my pleasure.

IHS #39

If they could only multi-clone Thomas Sowell and place him in every college classroom, I would consider going back to school.

#34 Dr. Dweeble

I think I love this site.

Just as long as you are not like the others who say that, then in the morning leave only taxi fare on the bedside table and never return our calls...

41 RIP Ford

you got taxi fare?

#42 ploome

LMAO!

i love it when a strict christian takes on the salafi/wahabbi jihadis--they want a holy war--so bring it on--i nominate lee kuan hew as leader of the fifth crusade--who knows maybe he's got some mongol blood too--from no smoking/no gumchewing to jdamn the kaaba in 10 years--if there are no moderate muslims i suggest we do a janissary corps in reverse--take their children and indoctrinate them in the values of western civilization--then let them rule their conquered lands under guidance from the capitol of hegimonic cultural imperialism--las vegas--fantasy rant/on

RIP Ford (#41)

LOL!!

43 RIP Ford

:-P

LOL

Laurie Mylroie's take on the car bombing murders in Turkey:

...This division between "secular" and "fundamentalist" is not meaningful. Princeton's learned Bernard Lewis has cautioned that this is a Western distinction that does not exist in Islam. Nonetheless, many analysts persist in making it.

Moreover, such analysts habitually invert the relationship between states and groups, as the latter, particularly al Qaeda, is their focus. Yet states are the primary actors in international affairs. They control territory and have the power to tax and otherwise raise revenues. The nastiest of them have multiple intelligence services and major unconventional-weapons programs — biological, chemical, and nuclear. Indeed, senior administration officials have repeatedly warned that the threat is terrorist states working with and hiding behind terrorist groups to commit acts of unconventional terrorism.

Most probably, the Istanbul bombings were the work of Iraqi intelligence, in concert with Islamic militants. As I have written — at length, throughout the 1990s — Iraqi intelligence worked with and hid behind Islamic militants to attack the United States. Now it appears that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, was, in fact, an Iraqi-intelligence agent. Most recently, The Weekly Standard has reported the extensive contacts between al Qaeda and Iraqi intelligence, while author Ed Epstein has provided fascinating new details on the Czech claim that Mohammed Atta met with an Iraqi-intelligence agent five months before the 9/11 attacks.

Al Qaeda on its own — if it still exists in any meaningful form — would not have had the capability to carry out the attacks in Istanbul. Moreover, one indication of a "false flag" operation is that the investigation is too easy. Authorities are immediately led down one track, away from the real culprits. Thus, the passport of one suicide bomber in the first set of attacks, on the synagogues, was found amid the wreckage. He was easily identified and the link to al Qaeda quickly established. Perhaps, Turkish authorities are aware of this trap. The prime minister has cautioned that they are "not 100-percent sure" al Qaeda was responsible...

“Al Qaeda Dunnit!” Think again.

All right. Where is that LGF singles bar again? :P

RIP Ford #41

Sounds like 'Fatal Attraction.'

Ah hell. . .I'll take my chances.

#48 rip ford--i suggest we all get together and slaughter a sheep for eid washed down with some pre-paradise pinot grigio ;-]

#49 Dr. Dweeble

LOL!
Who me, bitter?
No worries, I love this site as well.

#50 HULUGU

LOL!!

Dr. Dweeble (#49)

As long as you don't own a bunny it should be alright.

#52 zulubaby

LOL!

Thank for the laughs y'all, I needed it tonight. Good night.

Hey, I suggested yesterday that we all get together to celebrate Saturnalia (which is not a party thrown by Saturn owners). Fabio from Italy filled us in on it: an ancient Roman festival characterized by chaos, booze, feasting, orgies. (Sounds like my old dorm parties, except for the orgies part:-)

David wrote:

But people need to bear in mind that Singapore is an autocratic state, and they hang and flog (cane) people there at a rate that probably rivals the Saudis.

I am no fan of autocratic states of any stripe, but I can't help wishing that a big al-Q cell would get arrested in Singapore. I doubt that their big problem in a Singapore (or a Turkish) jail would be gaining weight. And the world wouldn't care - it only screams about terrorists held by the Israelis and the big bad USA.

Lee is an old foe of Moonbat Mahathir. He used to be quite the European liberal in his younger, pre-power days, but got a harsh dose of reality dealing with the anti-Chinese Malay Muslim racists in the run-up to the creation of Singapore as an independent state. Now, he's dedicated to kicking ass and chewing gum, and he's banned all gum chewing...

#33

No public flogging and beheadings in Singapore though. Singapore is pragmatic, not fanatic.

In the 60's, the communists employed the same tactics as the terrorists to attempt to seize power in Singapore.
Lee Kuan Yew tried reasoning with them, but to no avail.

Lessons learnt: Appeasement did not work, naivete led to more violence.

LKY won by outsmarting them. He infiltrated their organization, learned their tactics, studied their leaders and when the opportunity presented itself, arrested them all.

Dr. Dweeble ;

You can not be a TRUE LGF'er until you understand the great Zen like implications of globular cluster !!!

Singapore recently "decriminalized" chewing gum, but you need a doctor's perscription to buy it. And recently, for the first time, they've allowed the Rocky Horror Picture Show to be screened. IIRC they've also allowed Cosmopolitan into the country for the first time

Singapore has come a long way from the malarial backwater that it was 40 years ago, but its economy is in trouble because large chunks of it continue to be state run or state directed. And, with a strong emphasis on Confucian values in schools, they've produced a society that's heavy on foot soldiers and very light on generals.

The interview in Newsweek by Fareed Zakaria from which these quotes by Lee Kuan Yew were taken is here and is worth reading in full:

"We Need To Get The Queen Bees"

[Link: www.msnbc.com...]

Lee Kuan Yew's premise is that only moderate Muslims can deal with these jihadists and that we must go after the 'Queen Bees', the imams who are the ones stuffing the moderate Islamics heads full of this stuff. They turn a moderate into a fanatic.

Yew has also written for Forbes on this subject and here a a few of his recent pieces. They are fairly short but insightful.

"Only Muslims Can Stop Suicide Bombers"

[Link: www.forbes.com...]

"Iraq: A Watershed in Post-9/11 World Order"

[Link: www.forbes.com...]

A further article at Forbes by Mr. Yew is:

"Anti-Americanism is Racist Envy"

Sorry, didn't get the URL but when you're on the Forbes site you'll see it--just click on a read it. It's not specific to this thread but is of interest.

His whole premise is that while Europe is divided against the US and Japan is reluctant to be involved in Iraq there is not much we can do except maintain; as far as suicide bombers and these attacks, the moderates in Islam are the only ones who can get the extremists to temper their behavior. The US and its allies can go after the "Queen Bees" (the fanatical imams) and eradicate them; they are the ones doing the real damage--the jihadis are just the 'worker bees'.

But Islam must change and can only change by being led out of this fanaticism by the moderates. If the moderates can't or won't help, then the West will just have to keep weeding out the fanatical imams who incite the others until such time as change takes place. The West cannot storm the mosques to force change; that will only create animosity and chaos.

He drew a very salient point about the Bali bomber trial. He pointed out that Amrozi, one of the bombers, got a life sentence yet the imam who had trained him as teacher and mentor and groomed him for jihad (a "Queen Bee") was given only four years, yet he was the one who had caused most of the harm by training that and many other bombers, including those at the Marriott Hotel.

Mr. E Train #57

What the heck is 'globular cluster?' Warning: I am hoarding whatever Zen-like moments I have left, so don't trifle with me. ;o)

THERE ARE NO GLOBULAR CLUSTERS!!!

THERE ARE NO GLOBULAR CLUSTERS!!!

SOYLENT CLUSTERS IS PHOTOSHOPPED!!!

ITS PHOTOSHOPPED!!!

sorry. Couldn't resist.

#60 Dr. Dweeble 11/24/2003 11:18PM PST

globular clusters are from a thread a few months ago whith a hubble picture [i think] and the thread got into five or six hundred posts whether it was photoshopped or not because the globular clusters where missing which turned into an inside joke its a funny read please someone post the doc a link also check out the faq page its helpful and humorous remember this blog is over two years old

oh yeah i forgot

THE GLOBULAR CLUSTERS WHERE NUKED

Is this the same country called "Singapore" where they set up a Shariah Court?

Oh the irony...

It's like Gaddafi preaching about Turkey being an "Islamic Trojan Horse". Or Omar Bakri "warning" that Britain has let too many Jihadis in. All people who put their money where their mouth is, for sure...

[Link: www.tpclaw.com.sg...]

An important feature of the Singapore legal system is the Shariah Court. It was set up under the Administration of Muslim Law Act. The Shariah Court which has jurisdiction throughout Singapore is presided over by a President who is appointed by the President of Singapore. One preliminary requirement for such jurisdiction is that all the parties to the actions must be Muslim or they must be married under the provisions of the Muslim law. The dispute to be heard or determined by the Court are those relating to:

marriages;

divorces;

betrothal, nullity of marriage or separation;

the disposition or division of property on divorce; or

the payment of mas-kahwin (wedding gift for the wife), maintenance and consolatory gifts or muta'ah (one-off lumpsum compensation for the divorced wife).

The law to be applied in such disputes would be the Muslim law, as variedwhere applicable by Malay custom. The "where applicable" qualification is important as not all Muslims in Singapore are Malays to whom Malay custom would apply. There are Muslims living here from India, Pakistan and the Middle East and Malay custom may not be relevant.

... what next, Chirac lecturing the world about democracy?

(oh wait, doh...)

#4 hans: I have to disagree there. Only those on the fringe draw that comparison between AL Qaeda and the IRA or ETA or Red Brigades, because they're those who would subscribe or apologise for ALL those terrorist groups in one go! but no one is that idiotically naive to consider them comparable, esp. when it comes to
authorities and intelligence and police and military and so on. It's a ridiculous theory.

message from headquarters:

>The Globular Cluster forms at midnight.

/pass it on

Charles,

due to its infamy, you might want to include the dreaded Globular Cluster debate thread as part of the FAQ.

IT'S PHOTOSHOPPED!!!

#66 zaza - incompatible with fatwas

From your link:

The law to be applied in such disputes would be the Muslim law, as varied where applicable by Malay custom. The "where applicable" qualification is important as not all Muslims in Singapore are Malays to whom Malay custom would apply. There are Muslims living here from India, Pakistan and the Middle East and Malay custom may not be relevant.

Comment: The SIngapore Shariah Court is very limited and it is only for those who WANT it --primarily for "customs" such as the wedding price, counseling in a divorce, etc.

It is not comparable to Shariah LAW which applies to everything and everyone --it is a Shariah COURT primarily for family matters.

Wow, I had never read the entire Sombrero thread before.

I had read parts of it before, but somehow missed Yair being banned.

Can we have a "Real World" style LGF reunion day, where all the banned posters (excluding total asshats like 88 and "The Duke") are allowed back for just one day? The way Puck was back.

Just one day of nostalgia, as Conventbabe and HWSNBN and Voice of Iceland and Yair remind us why they aren't here anymore.

/You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one...

Then again, maybe I am.

#71 Nancy: ok, I understand that court is not meant to supercede ordinary existing law in all other areas.

Still, it is officially established by the Singapore authoritites. Even if it's limited to family matters (and that's not such a small area either) it is still a legal acknowledgment of a non-secular legal system for one group only, right?

The link I found says they do have competence in marriages and divorces. That's a very crucial area.

I don't know much about this and about the situation in Singapore of course. But as a principle, it seems to me that if you accept that one group may legislate and pass sentences about family law in ways different from those of the main legal system valid for every other group, then you're creating a state-within-the-state system.

Even if it's voluntary to go to the Shariah court (I wonder how voluntary it'd be for women?), it's still a very wrong move to officially establish one with legal approval from central authorities.

hans ze beeman, servus

have you seen this article in "Tagesspiegel" about terrorism and the european?

#33

Opposition politicians are routinely bankrupted for criticising the government.

Wouldn't it be 'nice' if you could 'somehow' take back the money the rich leftists have made to shut them the hell up? Sneer, chortle, chortle! Say for instance the hollywood types.

They deserve to lose.

#73 zaza,

IIRC, a few months ago when folks sent me a link to information about the Israeli legal system (discussion about death penalty), I was shocked to find that Israel allows "family law" Sharia courts also.

Lee Kuan Yew, ex Prime Minister of Singapore and Mahathir Mohamed, ex Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Please compare and discuss. Should be interesting.

Sarcasm: did Prime Minister Lee blame the chewing gum problem on the Jews?

Kragar, Rayra, and Jimmytheclaw:

Found the globular cluster thread. That's rich!

This is certainly an education. Have to break for breakfast now and see if I can find a way to work 'trifle' into another post.

Dr. Dweeble,

Are you going to have trifle for breakfast?

trifle... "A cold dessert made with sherry, fruit juice or liqueur-soaked sponge cake in the base of a large or individual dish, covered with layers of fruit, jelly, custard and whipped cream in various combinations and usually elaborately decorated"

Tell me the truth. Don't trifle with me, young man!

Okay, I'll stop now.

#76 Honorary Jewish Atomic Redneck :

I was shocked to find that Israel allows "family law" Sharia courts also.

Oh ooops.

But hang on a sec.

Allows as in, officially legitimised by the government? Or allows as in, tolerates and does not ban as illegal, but simply ignores them?

Cos see I'm sure there's thousands of shariah mini-courts all over the globe, in any country, where there's a mosque or Islamic centre I guess they also have "courts" to decide about marriage and such matters, applying shariah in family law, of their own choice.

There's still a big difference IMHO between that and giving that system legal approval and establishing - or approving the establishment - of a central Shariah court. Seems to me Singapore has taken the latter route. They passed an act specifically on this.

I would reckon Israel took the other approach instead, or am I wrong?

#80 zaza: Here is the link that SoCalJustice provided back in July when we were discussing Israeli courts and the death penalty.

Israeli Legal System

The Religious Court system was established mainly by the Palestine Order-in-Council 1922-1947, sections 47, 51-56. Following the establishment of the State of Israel, specific laws were enacted for some of the recognized religious communities, including the Moslems, the Druze, the Jews and the Christian communities. The religious court system is financed by the State. The jurisdiction of the Rabbinical courts is restricted to matters of marriage and divorce concerning Jewish Israeli citizens or Jewish residents in Israel. In other personal matters, the Rabbinical courts can accept jurisdiction with consent of both parties. The jurisdiction for the Sharia (Moslem) courts is broader in scope in that it encompasses all personal status matters, not merely marriage and divorce. The Christian and the Druze religious courts have jurisdiction similar to that of the Rabbinical courts.

#81 Honorary Jewish Atomic Redneck - thanks for that.

I don't know what to make of that. Religious courts... umm... I understand one submits to their jurisdiction voluntarily but esp. in regards to shariah I find it very puzzling it should be legitimised in any form.

With the shariah court, does it mean that if a Muslim man divorces his wife according to the shariah way, that is officially acknowledged as legitimate by Israeli law?

Rights over children according to Islamic law, ie. the father's only, are they accepted too?

And what does it mean the "jurisdiction is broader in scope in that it encompasses all personal status matters, not merely marriage and divorce" - which matters?

Spent seven years in Singapore back in the 80's. After two I thought I wanted to be a permant resident, after six I couldn't wait to get out. LKY is probably the best geo-politician you will ever see. One time he went on TV to quell some spontaneous anti-American protests. In 15 minutes he calmly, and clearly, explained why the Americans were, and would continue to be, allies as well as some basic differences between the American and Singapore style of governments. Next day, to no surprise, no protests. In twenty years overseas I've not seen another speech like it. OK, there is the iron fist, but you have to admire the guy.