Haredi Jews and Salafi Muslims--A Comparison

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I heard about the Haredi Jews (The Haredim) for the first time while I was living in Morocco (Fés) in the 1970s. Since then my interest in their history, beliefs, current communities and conduct has never faded. During this relatively long journey, it was natural to get curious about the similarities between the Haredim and some Salafi Islamic groups, particularly with regard to women. I was privileged to learn quite a lot about the Haredim from a number of scholars/friends around the world, especially in The Netherlands which was my second home during my two decades of association with the Royal Dutch Shell Group.

It was most stimulating to read about the pre-Islamic Yathrib/Madina (in today’s KSA) that was partially or mostly Jewish. Many scholars think that the word “Madina” is a derivative from the Aramaic word “Medinta”. From 16.2 million Jews in today’s world, 1.8 million are Haredim. Due to their high birth rate, the Haredi Jews are rapidly increasing. Despite the fact that the Haredim were opponents to the Zionist project which worked hard for a half century (1897-1947) to establish the State of Israel, one million Haredi Jews currently live in Israel.

Though the similarities between The Haredim and the Salafi-Muslims are numerous, there are differences, the most important of them is the fact that while spreading Islam by all means (including wars) is a prime objective for all Salafi Muslims, the Haredim (to the contrary) do not AT ALL endeavor to spread Judaism. The consequences of this crucial difference are in no need of elaboration.