There is hopeful talk of defections from the Taliban's hard core of religious scholars, but no real sign of it.

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If this is what religious holidays are like, I decided, sign me up.

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According to some religious texts, the solar phenomenon is a sign of the Sun's anger and is followed by widespread destruction.

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Without a "sign of repentance before death, a religious burial can be refused, " the decree states.

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Uri Bank, an aide to MK Benny Elon of the right-wing, religious National Unity Party, says the shift is a sign of modernisation.

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But he is still refusing to sign the bill, on the grounds that it will offend religious sensibilities and divide opinion at a time when the government needs to preserve a consensus to push through economic measures.

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It may also be a good sign that Mrs Tuksal and her friends have begun a joint education project with secular feminists and the Religious Affairs Directorate, a state agency.

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