Editing Silk (section)

===Middle East===
In the [[Torah]], a scarlet cloth item called in Hebrew "sheni tola'at" שני תולעת – literally "crimson of the worm" – is described as being used in purification ceremonies, such as those following a leprosy outbreak (Leviticus 14), alongside [[cedar wood]] and [[hyssop]] ([[za'atar]]). Eminent scholar and leading medieval translator of [[Jewish]] sources and books of the [[Bible]] into [[Arabic]], Rabbi [[Saadia Gaon]], translates this phrase explicitly as "crimson silk" – חריר קרמז حرير قرمز.

In [[Islamic]] teachings, Muslim men are forbidden to wear silk. Many religious jurists believe the reasoning behind the prohibition lies in avoiding clothing for men that can be considered feminine or extravagant.<ref>{{cite web
|title=Silk: Why It Is Haram for Men
|date=23 September 2003
|url=http://www.islamonline.net/fatwa/english/FatwaDisplay.asp?hFatwaID=61261
|access-date=6 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302204114/http://www.islamonline.net/fatwa/english/FatwaDisplay.asp?hFatwaID=61261 |archive-date=2 March 2007}}</ref> There are disputes regarding the amount of silk a fabric can consist of (e.g., whether a small decorative silk piece on a cotton caftan is permissible or not) for it to be lawful for men to wear, but the dominant opinion of most Muslim scholars is that the wearing of silk by men is forbidden. Modern attire has raised a number of issues, including, for instance, the permissibility of wearing silk [[necktie]]s, which are masculine articles of clothing.