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Since the founding of the State of Israel, more than 3,000 Jewish girls have converted to Islam and married Arab men via the Muslim courts, Shtigletz says. Additionally, some 2-3,000 women are married to their Arab counterparts by common-law marriage, while another 10-20,000 girls are dating Arabs at any given time.

When Israeli Women Marry Arab Men: Third in a Series/ INN

Esther, for example, escaped from her Arab husband two months ago. An immigrant from the former Soviet Union, she met her Arab husband of seven years while working in a factory just one year after moving to Israel. She says while they were dating he treated her like a queen, and despite the warnings from her parents and friends she saw nothing wrong in their relationship. But it was all a guise…

The beatings, abuse and humiliation she was forced to undergo are detailed here.

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“I once was told about a girl from Ramat HaSharon who was dating an Arab boy and considering marriage,” says Shtigletz. “Her family had tried to convince her to break it off, but nothing would work. I went to visit her, we spoke, but she seemed distant. Suddenly G-d sent me the idea that I should call an Arab woman to prove my point…

“I asked the Jewish girl where her boyfriend was from, and she said Taibe. I opened the Taibe phonebook and called a number at random… A woman answered. I told her that I was Jewish and that I wanted to ask her a few questions. She agreed. I asked her how old she was and she answered 25. I asked her how many kids she had, she said six… I told her, ‘I have my sister on the other line. She is listening to us. She is thinking of marrying her Arab boyfriend. Tell me: should she do this?’

“The woman said, ‘Do not let her make this mistake. No way!’”

Shtigletz asked her why she so strongly opposed the match, and the woman responded with a question: “‘What, she would like to be beaten?’”

Playing the devil’s advocate, Shtigletz replied, “Are there no decent Arabs?” She said no.

“‘All Arabs hit! All Arabs hit! They don’t always call what they are doing beating their wives. They say they are just giving us a spanking. But what is a spanking for? Because the coffee wasn’t hot enough, or I didn’t put in enough sugar, or his friend made him angry – this or that, it’s all worth a spanking.’”

The young woman heard her Arab counterpart and promptly broke off her engagement. Lev L’Achim helped her to find a new group of friends, and later a Jewish spouse.

Other testimonials:

“I was married to an Arab man for 12 years, and every day I plotted how to escape. I wanted to leave, but I was scared to leave. I was afraid of what he would do to me or to my children if we left him. I lived in fear all of my married life.”

Are Arab women who intermarry in a similar situation? Dr. Nasser says as of 1991, only 18 Arab women had married Jewish men since the founding of the State. “Why? Because she will be hunted down and killed by her family. The family would rather have her dead than married to a Jew.”

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