Two ultra-Orthodox Jew have been charged over the brutal beating of a woman by a self-styled religious modesty squad who considered her behavior indecent, Israeli police said on Monday.
The charge sheet says the two were among seven members of the vigilante group who barged into the home of a 31-year-old divorcee in Occupied Jerusalem after neighbors complained of her "indecent" lifestyle. The gang allegedly gagged her, hit her, kicked her and said she would be killed if she did not leave the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood where she lived.
Court documents say the men believed the victim had "improper relations" with other men.
A third member of the group was also arrested for allegedly setting fire to a clothing store in an ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
Religious modesty squads have been active in Israel for the past decade, particularly in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods. Ultra-Orthodox Jews, known as Haredim -- Hebrew for God-fearing -- make up eight to 10 percent of Israel's population. They follow strict interpretations of Jewish religious laws. |