AMMAN — Two members of the
Israeli Knesset have introduced a bill that would ban all efforts to spread
Christianity in the land where the Jesus Christ was born, Jo24 reported.
اضافة اعلان
The bill, introduced just before
Palm Sunday and Passover, two important holidays in the Christian calendar,
threatens violators with imprisonment, according to the All Israel News outlet.
The proposed legislation would ban
"all efforts by persons of one faith who wish in any way to discuss or
attempt to persuade adherents of other faiths to consider changing their
current religious beliefs", according to the outlet.
The proposed legislation would ban "all efforts by persons of one faith who wish in any way to discuss or attempt to persuade adherents of other faiths to consider changing their current religious beliefs"
The bill applies to people who have
spiritual conversations with Israelis of any religion, and the penalty for
violating this law would one year in prison, and, if the conversation is with a
minor, two years in prison.
The bill was presented last week by
Representatives
Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Asher, ultra-orthodox Jewish members of
United Torah Judaism party, which has seven seats out of 120 in the current
Knesset.
The two deputies are part of
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, consisting of 64 seats.
Warning against ChristiansIn their official explanation of the bill,
the two lawmakers emphasized a warning against Christians, in particular.
The bill could cause widespread international condemnation of Netanyahu’s far-right government, as well as a “serious clash” with evangelical Christians in the US and around the world
Apparently, the primary goal of the bill,
according to All Israel News, is to make it illegal for followers of
Christianity to encourage Jews to follow their religion, according to All
Israel News.
The production and dissemination of videos
online explaining the Bible to Jews or Muslims in Israel would be illegal under
the bill.
The outlet stated that the draft law
considers "books, other printed literature, online articles, podcasts, or
other forms of media that explains the life and ministry of Jesus and his
message found in the New Testament" to be illegal.
Current political realityThe outlet said Evangelical and Messianic
Jewish leaders are “concerned” that the bill presented by Gafni and Asher could
become law in the current Israeli political environment.
They stated that in the 120-seat Knesset,
the current government coalition is made up of a large number of Orthodox and
ultra-Orthodox members, who are “far more aggressive in this legislative
session than ever before in pushing for legislations to be passed that advance
their theological worldview”.
Potential criticism from global voicesThe bill could cause widespread
international condemnation of Netanyahu’s far-right government, as well as a
“serious clash” with evangelical Christians in the US and around the world, who
are among Israel’s biggest supporters.
"Free and democratic countries simply do not outlaw the free exchange of ideas, and that includes religious beliefs and convictions."
The number of evangelical Christians around
the world is estimated at about 600 million, of which 60 million are in the US,
according to the World Evangelical Alliance.
The bill may also spark sharp criticism
from both Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress, as an attempt to
silence the followers of Jesus Christ in the Holy Land.
The former US ambassador for international
religious freedom, Sam Brownback, said that the new bill poses “a massive
threat to free speech, human rights, and religious freedom”.
"Free and democratic countries simply
do not outlaw the free exchange of ideas, and that includes religious beliefs
and convictions," Brownback said.
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