UrbanSwirl.com - Lifestyles of Color

Religion - the JOKE that keeps on giving! If you thought Islam was a wacked-out religion, take a look at ultra-orthodox Judaism. A Brooklyn-based Hasidic newspaper photoshopped the famous White House Situation Room photo - removing Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton and Audrey Tomason, director of counterterrorism, for their publication. Why? Because they are women.

Faith has outweighed fact at Di Tzeitung, a Hasidic newspaper based in Brooklyn, New York.

The ultra-Orthodox Jewish publication ran a doctored copy of the iconic “Situation Room Photo” last Friday – you know, the one taken of President Barack Obama and his national security team during the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound.

Scrubbed from the picture: the two women in the room.

It’s as if Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, with her hand clasped over her mouth, and Audrey Tomason, director of counterterrorism, weren’t there and weren’t part of history.

The newspaper later apologized for violating White House instructions against altering photos.

"We should not have published the altered picture, and we have conveyed our regrets and apologies to the White House and to the State Department," the newspaper said in a statement Monday.

But in a written statement issued Monday afternoon by Di Tzeitung, the newspaper said that its decision to leave women out of photos is religiously mandated and that the right to do so is protected by the U.S. Constitution.

"The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. That has precedence even to our cherished freedom of the press," the statement said. "Publishing a newspaper is a big responsibility, and our policies are guided by a Rabbinical Board."

"Because of laws of modesty, we are not allowed to publish pictures of women, and we regret if this gives an impression of disparaging women, which is certainly never our intention," it continued. "We apologize if this was seen as offensive." Link

Here is the iconic photograph provided by the White House.

And this disclaimer: 
This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.

How in the world is this picture of Hillary Clinton and the woman way in the back, Audrey Tomason, be considered immodest, provocative or suggestive? 

This religion is ridiculous. Again, like all other religion, it is man-made, male-dominated and quite frankly, ignorant and repugnant! Their basic tenet teaches that a certain population (in this case, women) have absolutely no equality and must always be subjectified and controlled by the majority (usually the straight-male dominated society). 

This just shows that Judaism (and many other religions) can be as conservative and removed from reality as Islam. This is an example of how religion will alter facts just to reinterpret history the way they feel should be presented. This is why any Theocratic government is dangerous and evil.

Religious fanatics! <pffft!> Unreal!

I'm definitely having pork for dinner tonight!