This is not the first attempt and probably won’t be the last. But I think it worth reading anyway. From Arutz-7:
A record number of Jews converting to Islam last year prompted the Shas Knesset faction Tuesday to propose a bill that would jail missionaries who proselytize to individuals in Israel….
The existing law mandates six months ‘ imprisonment for those who attempt to persuade Israeli minors to leave their faith or who perform a conversion ceremony on the children and teens.
The current legislation also imposes a five-year jail term and/or a fine on anyone who offers money or other goods to persuade an individual under age 18 to convert to another faith.
It does not, however, outlaw missionizing towards adults, a deficiency that would be corrected by the new law.
Some 70 Jews left the faith of their fathers to join the Muslim community, up from 33 converts to Islam in 2005 and 27 such conversions in 2004. The number of Muslims who convert to Judaism was dramatically lower, with only 7 conversions registered with the government by July 2006.
Many of the Jews who converted to Islam were women who married Arab men, a process made considerably easier than conversion to Judaism because it involves only a declaration of faith in Allah.
The numbers have been even higher in conversions to Christianity. Statistics reported by the Interior Ministry indicated that 437 Jews abandoned their faith to “accept Jesus” in 2003, rising to 884 converts to Christianity in 2004 and 733 in 2005….
“We do not mean to violate freedom of religion, or freedom from religion,” said a source in the Shas party quoted by the Ynet news service. “We mean to allow everyone to believe in their own religion and prevent harassment by any source trying to harm the basic democratic right according to which ‘every man may live in his religion. ‘” Such activity is also forbidden by Jewish law, note rabbinical scholars.
“Whether it is Christians coming from abroad or Jewish converts working in Israel, they all have the same agenda – to destroy every trace and memory of the people of Israel,” reads the proposed bill.
This JPost article talks about this to some degree:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1173700689036&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
“…to destroy every trace and memory of the people of Israel”?
Maybe 1,000 years ago…
I’m pretty sure most Christians, especially Messianic Jews would vehemently disagree.
I think a bigger problem is the ammount of Jewish women marrying Muslim men. Why would they be doing this? I am not opposed to inter-cultural marriage, but I think inter-faith marriage is something to be avoided. Especially in a country who’s neighbors are willing to do anything to “destroy every trace and memory of the people of Israel.”
That last quote is timely with the current blog debate over premill/amill positions.