In 1997, the Israeli Labor Party tried to outlaw the "unjustified printing, distribution, and possession of missionary material" and make the act punishable by one-year imprisonment. The motion failed, ostensibly because the Israelis were concerned about reprisals, namely boycotts and lost tourist revenue from Christians. In 1998, Israel's third-strongest political party, the Shas Party, tried to introduce even more draconian legislation; their bill would have made preaching the Christian gospel or distributing Christian literature to a Jew a criminal act punishable by a three-year prison sentence or a fine of $13,700.
An article (original in Hebrew) in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz notes that it is illegal for a Christian, or a Muslim, to marry a Jew in Israel. Before a wedding can happen, a religious conversion must take place. However, a conversion requires special documentation from the Interior Ministry and Ministry of Religious Affairs, and these offices are influenced by the Shas Party. The party has been known to deny requests and put up barriers of "red tape" to discourage couples from proceeding. Above all else, these officials want to limit the spread of Islam in Israel and promote Orthodox Judaism. In fact, the organization only awards government funding to Orthodox Jewish organizations."We are a Jewish state," explained Israeli parliament member, Niffim Zilli. "We want to remain a Jewish state."
So if this flies, and the multiculturalists are not protesting what the Israelis are doing, why is it such a big deal for a European state to protect its Christian heritage and discourage the spread of Islam (or Judaism) into its domain?
