Madonna, the famous singer and collector of small African children, has caused a major religious row during her visit to the Middle East.
Originally a Roman Catholic, Madonna has turned towards Kabbalah, an ancient and mystical form of Judaism. The singer has even changed her name to Esther, although she is yet to release an album under her new name.
Recently Madonna/Esther claimed that Kabbalah had "answered all my questions" and the singer has been seen reading the Zohar, Kabbalah's holy book.
True believers are dismissive of her religious beliefs. They argue that Kabbalah is a powerful form of mysticism and should only be practised by elderly men, alone, in a dark room under the stairs on Wednesday afternoons, unless they are called Colin.
Further, true followers of Kabbalah abstain from material desires, such as buying all the children in Africa. Madonna/Esther is viewed as simply an outsider, a practitioner of Kabbalah-lite.
Next week Madonna flies to Nepal to become a Buddhist after reading an article in OK.
