Picture her

Irrationalities of belief, hey. Here's the story. It concerns the now famous picture of Barack Obama and his security team in the Situation Room, watching the operation to kill Osama bin Laden. A Hasidic newspaper in the US, Der Tzitung, printed an 'amended' version of this photograph. Hillary Clinton and Audrey Tomason had been edited out - this apparently because pictures of women could be considered sexually suggestive. The paper has since issued an apology. From which:

Our photo editor realized the significance of this historic moment, and published the picture, but in his haste he did not read the "fine print" that accompanied the picture, forbidding any changes. 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 allegations that religious Jews denigrate women or do not respect women in public office, is a malicious slander and libel. The current Secretary of State, the Honorable Hillary R. Clinton, was a Senator representing New York State with great distinction 8 years. She won overwhelming majorities in the Orthodox Jewish communities in her initial campaign in '00, and when she was re-elected in '06, because the religious community appreciated her unique capabilities and compassion to all communities. The Jewish religion does not allow for discrimination based on gender, race, etc.

We respect all government officials. We even have special prayers for the welfare of our Government and the government leaders, and there is no mention of gender in such prayers.

All Government employees are sworn into office, promising adherence to the Constitution, and our Constitution attests to our greatness as a nation that is a light beacon to the entire world. The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. That has precedence even to our cherished freedom of the press! In accord with our religious beliefs, we do not publish photos of women, which in no way relegates them to a lower status... Because of laws of modesty, we are not allowed to publish pictures of women, and we regret if this gives an impression... disparaging to women, which is certainly never our intention. We apologize if this was seen as offensive. [Italics added.]

The claim that not publishing photos of women in no way relegates them to a lower status is itself hugely implausible, given how big a role is played in public life by photographic imagery. But the nonsense at the heart of the reasoning behind this taboo is what's really staggering. It's considerations of modesty that forbid publication of pictures of women. I mean, why not just forbid that actual women be seen by anyone? They (women), after all, are what the pictures depict. If pictures of them could be suggestive, so could the people pictured. Indeed, many a time it must happen that someone sees a woman and, whizzeroo, they are seized by admiration and even desire. Whatcha gonna do?

No one, incidentally, need write and tell me that it isn't only religious beliefs that are marked by such rank irrationality.