Jerusalem – The biometric database finds another adversary: New opposition to the biometric database bill had formed recently, this time from religious elements.
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The biometric database bill, which passed its first Knesset reading in October, suggests the use of smart IDs and passports, based on fingerprints and visual scans in order to prevent forgery of state documents.
The controversial decision has so far encountered vast opposition from many Knesset members, human right groups and even the Public Defender’s Office, as all claim it would be detrimental to the citizens’ right to privacy and as such, it has no place in a democracy.
The main concern expressed by religious elements is that the database’s requirements may infringe on women’s modesty.
Knesset Member Zevulun Orlev (Habayit Hayehudi) asked the Knesset’s Science and Technology Committee to review the proposed requirements in order to prevent a situation in which observant women would be obligated to remove their headdress, which is forbidden according to the Halacha, in order to be scanned into the system.
Article 34 of the bill – “Operational procedures, guidelines and regulations” – notes that the interior minister would be endorsed by the future ministerial committee for biometric applications and the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee to decide on the manner in which biometric data would be collected from the general population, and would have sole discretion as to the manner in which the information is taken from minors, the elderly and the handicapped.
One of the article’s subsection notes that as far as Muslim and Druze women are concerned the data would be collected “with consideration and respect to religious and traditional customs,” but it makes no similar notation about Jewish women.
In a letter to MK Meir Sheetrit (Kadima), who heads the Science and Technology Committee, Orlev writes that “Article 34a may infringe on religious sentiments and may even cause a breach of halachic rule, which requires women… to wear a headdress at all times.
“The law must avoid a situation in which a woman in forced to remove her headdress for the sake of the identifying procedure,” he wrote.
It also states that those who do not comply with the scan could face jail time.
This scene has become the norm in Israel, they are more concerned about hurting religous muslims feelings than those of religious Jews…
no where in halacah does it say that a women has to have her hair covered at all times.
there is absolutely no halacha,that forbids a woman to uncover her hair in front of another woman,
i guess the ignorant savages out there,will use this as another excuse to start rioting,burning garbage cans and destroying their own neighborhoods
the whole inyan of a woman covering her hair is a Da’at Moshe, which is not outright halacha.
#13 Really has her head on right! Let’s begin accepting and admiring people even if we are not yet on the same high religious level as they are. Stop the Sinas Chinom!
Modesty is the hallmark of the Jewish woman and no one can play that down. At the same time, the strength of the argument here sounds a bit out of proportion in light of the news in recent weeks. Nothing comes before ehrlichkeit, and we have a serious problem with that one…
My understanding is tha the most highly-devleoped biometric technologies use fingerprints, palm prints, and iris (eye) scans. I am unaware of any orthodox women that are makpid to keep their fingers and eyes covered.