JERUSALEM POST EDITORIAL USES MORAL EQUIVALENCE FOR ISLAM WHILE DISCUSSING MORDECHAI ELON'S SENTENCE FOR CHILD ABUSE

The Jerusalem Post editorial wrote about the conviction - and unfortunately light sentence with no jail time - given to rabbi Mordechai Elon for molesting a student years ago. But in the same article, they also choose to put their heads in the sand about Islam, saying:

There is much that is appealing in faith-based, conservative- minded communities, particularly in this age of post-modernism that has brought with it a crisis of faith and untethered value-relativism. In Israel, haredim, Muslims, Druse, Beduin and others are interested in conserving their unique identities and values. Often religion is the primary source of values and identity. For many, life is inconceivable outside their respective community.

Oh, thanks a lot for normalizing Islam and all its associated atrocities. Beduin adhere to the same sick faith, so they've done no favors there either.

The Takana Forum was created within the religious-Zionist community to combat this self-destructive dynamic. Similar bodies have been created in haredi, Muslim and Catholic communities. Only by providing a discreet alternative to a standard police complaint could sexual scandals be properly treated, believe the creators of these bodies. While the Takana Forum and similar bodies are an improvement to a situation in which almost all complaints are suppressed, they tend to prefer settling matters quietly, behind closed doors, even if sex offenders go unpunished.

While there have been outfits set up to deal with sex offenses in Haredi and Catholic communities, have there really been any set up in Muslim communities? Not by a longshot. Several months ago, The Toronto Star told how child abuse is tolerated in Muslim societies like Afghanistan. There's more on the issue at Info on Islam and the BBC spoke about this too. While the case of "rabbi" Elon does tell that even in the national-religious community of Israel, these kind of problems exist too, Islamic double-standards on homosexuality with children should not be whitewashed.

The Jerusalem Post got a letter about the case of Elon and the appalling lenience the court meted out, telling that:

Regarding “The Elon lesson” (Editorial, December 22), when determining appropriate criminal sentences, courts must take into account punishment for harm caused, prevention of repeat offenses by the same person, deterring others from committing similar crimes, and reinforcement of societal norms against intolerable conduct. If the conviction of Rabbi Mordechai Elon was correct, then his sentence fails on all of these.

One doubts whether Elon will be sufficiently punished for actions that may well negatively impact his victims for years to come. Certainly, there is no guarantee that he will not commit them again. An evaluation presented in court concluded that he was a “low-to-medium risk to society.”

Why must we accept a “medium risk” that other children might be assaulted? The relatively lenient sentence – community service with no jail time – is unlikely to deter others with similar predilections.

Instead, it demonstrates that the court (and, by extension, society) does not view this as a serious crime.

Elon’s role as a religious leader only exacerbated the crime.

Charges involving a second minor were dropped because the victim refused to testify. This suggests the possibility that the victim might have been subjected to outside pressure.

Until we are willing to punish wrong-doers adequately, no matter what their status, many more crimes of this type will be committed, and defenseless victims will be afraid to come forward.

The sad thing is that the court's past hostilities to Zionists may have led to some people in the religious Zionist community unfortunately overlooking the seriousness of the subject, in much the same way as Jews in the 50s thought the Rosenbergs were being persecuted, but as later turned out, the Rosenberg husband was guilty. The fortunate thing is that there are people in the national-religious community who're as disgusted by this as any other sane person, and I'm sure some of them will do what they can to keep a vile turd like Elon turned out to be away from their families. Druckman should be ashamed of himself for siding with Elon, and defrocked just like Elon will hopefully end up being.

That told, it's terrible that the Jerusalem Post is taking such a naive view of Islamic sex crimes and how they're dealt with.