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Israel Does Not Have an Official Religion, But Britain Does

(Gatestone Institute) Denis MacEoin - Once word got out that the Israeli parliament had dared to enact a Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People, it was, for many, as if they had never known that, since the time of the Bible, the land now called Israel was home to the Jews. In Iran, the large Baha'i minority suffers massive persecution, including imprisonment and execution, while in Israel, the Baha'i have their international governing body and their holiest shrines, and bring in pilgrims from round the world. Israel is being wrongly condemned for something that not one Muslim state has ever been condemned for: identifying its nationality with its religion. Iran, Pakistan, Mauritania, and Afghanistan officially identify as Islamic Republics. All are dangerous places for non-Muslims to live, with laws against apostasy and blasphemy. Islam is the official religion of the Palestinian Authority, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, the UAE, Kuwait, Iran, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Somalia, Djibouti, Sudan, Nigeria, the Maldives, Brunei, and Malaysia. Even Britain officially exists as an Anglican state, without mistreating any of its minorities. Israel, though a Jewish state, does not have an official religion - not even Judaism - and members of all religions and ethnic groups are full citizens. The writer is a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute.
2018-08-27 00:00:00
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