Tainted Liberalism: Israel's Millets
56 Pages Posted: 13 May 2015
Date Written: May 12, 2015
Abstract
Accommodation of religious minorities in non-western states, especially in states identified with the religion of the majority group, is generally considered to be in line with liberalism rather than in conflict with it. This is the case since the state’s official bias towards the majority religion makes the minority religion, on the group level, the beneficiary of liberal policy. But is this always true? Taking the Palestinian-Arab religious communities in Israel as a case study, the article will show that much of the accommodation granted to these communities was done so in order to serve the interests of State of Israel rather than the Palestinian-Arab community itself. The accommodations assisted Israel in gaining international legitimacy and support, helped its establishment better control a minority considered to be a threat, and also aided in preserving Jewish identity by helping to prevent mixed marriages. Moreover, an attendant outcome f of the jurisdictional authority granted to the minority religious group is the perpetuation of internal norms that uphold patriarchy, often at the expense of women’s and children’s rights and freedoms.
Keywords: religious minorities, liberalism, Palestinian-Arab minority in Israel, millet system
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