Extremist Jewish cult requests asylum from Iran
Lev Tahor, a fringe haredi sect, has requested political
asylum from the Iranian government.
In its request, the group “declared their loyalty and
submission to the Supreme Leader and Government of the Islamic Republic of
Iran.” It asks for “asylum, protection and religious freedom of the families of
its loyal members,” and also calls for “cooperation and help to counter Zionist
dominance in order to peacefully liberate the Holy Land and the Jewish nation.”
The request was part of a batch of documents filed in U.S.
Federal Court last week ahead of trials against five Lev Tahor members on
charges of kidnapping, child abuse and identity theft.
The Yeshiva World News first reported the documents
containing the request.
Lev Tahor, which has about 230 members, relocated to
Guatemala from Canada in 2014 following allegations of mistreatment of its
children including abuse and child marriages.
Arranged marriages between teenagers and older cult members
are reported to be common. The group shuns technology and its female members
wear black robes from head to toe, leaving only their faces exposed.
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