Hamas's Gaza – Four Years Later Chapter 5: Islamization in Gaza

• Islamization in Gaza. "The Biggest Open Air Prison"Hamas holds the keys? (Memri).By: C. Jacob.

Introduction

One of the outcomes of the 2007 Hamas coup has been increased Islamization in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has turned a blind eye to the activity of extremist Islamist groups, and in many cases has taken steps of its own to impose an Islamic lifestyle upon the populace. Hamas's actions and statements reflect its desire to impose a religious way of life in Gaza. However, Hamas is aware that its ability to instate shari'a law and establish an Islamic emirate is limited, since this is likely to meet with strong opposition from both Palestinian society and the international community. Therefore, Hamas has introduced Islamization measures gradually, pulling back whenever public reaction has been too severe. Most of the steps towards Islamization were taken in 2007-2009, but the tendency persisted, to some degree, in 2010 and in the beginning of 2011.

Adoption of Islamic Penal Code

In 2008, Hamas's parliament in Gaza approved at second reading a bill to adopt an Islamic penal code, which included such punishments as flogging, chopping off hands, and hanging.[1] Hamas also took steps towards the Islamization of the PA's penal code. The deputy-speaker of the Hamas-dominated Palestinian Legislative Council, Ahmad Bahr of Hamas, said that the council had made amendments to several articles of law that contravened shari'a, e.g. regarding drugs. "The Legislative Council is working to gradually implement Islamic shari'a, he said."[2]

Establishment of Islamic Public Prosecution

In 2007, Hamas's Executive Force announced the establishment of a shari'a-based prosecution committee to replace the Gaza Public Prosecution.[3] Former PA minister Hassan Asfour said in response that Hamas's first official step toward establishing an Islamic emirate in Gaza was "taking over municipalities and announcing the instatement of an Islamic shari'a[-based] prosecution to replace the official judicial system. The administration of [Hamas's] emirate used its executive branch to establish a [new Islamic] judiciary. This has no precedent in any [other] regime in the world."[4]

Establishment of Islamic Institutions

Hamas's program of Islamization was also manifest in the establishment of Islamic institutions. In April 2009, an Islamic bank was opened in Gaza,[5] and in July 2010, Hamas's Ministry of Religious Endowments announced plans to build an Islamic hospital in the center of Gaza City.(With the help of Turkey).

The "Yes to Modesty" Campaign

Perhaps the most prominent manifestation of Islamization in Gaza has been the ongoing attempt to enforce an Islamic dress code and what is perceived as modest, or "traditional," conduct among women and girls, as well as attempts to segregate men and women in public places. On June 12, 2009, the mosque imams of the Hamas Endowments Ministry announced the launch of the "Yes to Modesty" campaign. Deputy Endowments Minister Dr. 'Abdallah Abu Jarbu' explained that the campaign was a response to an increase in "immoral phenomena" in Gaza.[7] The director of the Da'wa and Guidance Administration, Sheikh Yousuf Farahat, explained that the "Yes to Modesty" campaign would be an information campaign in which fliers, stickers and audio tapes with religious messages would be distributed. He called on Gazans to "avoid licentiousness and activities contrary to shari'a, and to avoid the free mixing of males and females in wedding halls, at parties and on school trips." He also warned against Internet cafes where customers could access pornographic sites and chew aphrodisiac substances, and called on Gazans to avoid immoral behavior and immodest dress in public places and beaches.[8]The Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar described the experiences of Gazan journalist Asma Al-Ghoul, winner of the Dubai Award for Arab Journalism, who had been harassed by Hamas policemen: "The officers seized her passport and made a series of absurd allegations against her, accusing her, for example, of 'laughing too loudly while bathing with her girlfriend in the sea' and 'failing to dress in compliance with shari'a.' They also asked why she was not chaperoned by a family member, implying that this too was a violation... Asma rejected their accusations and pointed out that, in deference to Gazan norms, she had not worn a bathing suit but a shirt and trousers, and added that she did not need a chaperone to attend a public beach. Asma and her friend May avoided arrest only thanks to the intervention of Hamas official [Taher] Al-Nounou. However, May's three brothers – 'Abd Al-'Aziz, Na'im and Adham – were detained for three hours, interrogated and beaten at the [Gaza] Beach police station."[9]Citing Gaza residents, Asma related that Gaza has a religious police force, apparently charged with enforcing the "Yes to Modesty" campaign, which patrols markets and women's clothing shops: "They encourage shop owners not to display female mannequins or women's lingerie in their windows. Some of the young [policemen] carry out the orders themselves: they place black sacks over the heads of the mannequins, and tear pictures of 'naked' models off packages of women's lingerie."[10] The editor of the PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Hafez Al-Barghouti, wrote a sarcastic article about Asma's experiences with the Hamas police: "Asma was accused of laughing and treating herself [to some fun] – one of the 1,007 sins in Hamas's lexicon [of offenses] punishable under the War Commanders' Laws. Laughing is forbidden; only frowning is allowed. Nobody may laugh in Gaza except [senior officials] and the emirs of the tunnels. A woman's laughter is an abomination. A woman is forbidden to laugh, because that is an act of rebellion against the [male] curmudgeons. Why, her voice may expose the location of the mujahideen's hideouts and the missile caches! Laughing can only be done in secret, preferably inside a tunnel, far from the eyes and ears of the populace..."Even while laughing [a woman's] voice must be restrained, muffled, so that nobody will hear it but her husband – for her duty is not to go frolicking on the beach but rather to guard her honor and stay at home along with [her husband's three other] wives, because having four wives is one of the hallmarks of a [true] mujahid. They go from woman to woman just like they go from one breach in the enemy's border to another."[11]The modesty campaigns continued in 2010. Police spokesman Ayman Al-Butaniji said that regulations were being formulated for women's clothing stores: their front doors must always remain open (to prevent customers from being secluded with the proprietor), there may be no secluded areas within them and the use of cameras within the stores is forbidden.[12]

Islamization in Schools

The Islamization of Gaza was also reflected in the schools, manifest in the enforcement of an Islamic dress code and also in the segregation of the sexes, including a directive that banned male teachers from working at girls' schools. Hamas director of education Mahmoud Abu Hasira declared: "Our society is Islamic, and Islam instructs us to separate boys from girls from the age of seven, especially in the schools."[13] A Christian schoolgirl named Samar (17) said, in response to the ban on male teachers: "This is a decision that harms the female pupils rather than helping them. There is no religious text that prohibits male teachers from [working] in a girls' school."[14] The Hamas Education Ministry informally instructed school principals to enforce Islamic dress in girls' schools. A senior staff member in one the schools confirmed: "The Islamic dress code is mandatory for all schoolgirls, and must be obeyed... The principal of the high school [where I work] announced during the morning assembly that any girl who arrived at school not wearing a long dark green gown and a head scarf would be sent away..."Hamas Education Minister Muhammad 'Asqoul denied that schoolgirls were required to wear a hijab. He explained that "the Palestinians are committed [to Islamic customs] by nature, so there is no need to impose [them] by decree," and called the uproar over this issue "a storm in a teacup." However, at the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year, posters signed by the school administration were put up at the entrance to a girls' high school in western Gaza informing the pupils of the mandatory school dress code: a long gown of dark blue, a white head scarf, and shoes of black or white

Attempt to Impose Islamic Dress on Women Lawyers

The Islamization of Gaza was further reflected in a July 9, 2009 decision by Hamas's High Judicial Council, which is subordinate to Hamas's Ministry of Justice, requiring women lawyers to dress in compliance with shari'a when appearing in court.[22] 'Abd Al-Raouf Al-Halabi, chairman of the High Judicial Council, denied that there had been any intention of coercing the women lawyers: "We want [people] to respect the court. We have the right to choose the [dress code as] we see fit. 95% of the women lawyers in the Gaza Strip wear a hijab and dress [in accordance with] shari'a in any case. There was no intention of imposing [a certain] ideology on them."[23]The council's decision sparked fierce criticism against Hamas. 'Issa Abu Sharar, president of the PA's High Judicial Council, called the decision "unlawful," and added: "The so-called 'head of the High Judicial Council' on behalf of Hamas's deposed government cannot obligate the women lawyers to wear a gown or a head scarf, but only to wear the garb of a lawyer. [Any other requirement] stands opposed to individual freedoms." The chairman of the PA Bar Association, 'Ali Muhanna, said: "The decision was made by an illegitimate [body]... [since] only the Bar Association is authorized to deal with matters concerning lawyers." Muhanna called on the Bar Association's general assembly to reject any such decision made by unauthorized bodies.[24]

Gender Segregation in Public Places

Hamas also took steps to prevent men and women from mixing in public places. In March 2010, Hamas's police force, on orders from Hamas Interior and National Security Minister Fathi Hammad, banned men from working as shampooers in women's hair salons.[28] 'Adel 'Abd Al-Rahman, a columnist for the PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, wrote in response: "Has the Hamas leadership promise [these men] alternative employment, in light of the stifling blockade? On what basis has one of the occupations been abolished? Will this put an end to gender mixing? If so, why not designate special markets for women and others for men, and [do] the same with schools, hospitals, streets and taxicabs? Hamas has once more proved its obtuseness in social, moral, legal and occupational [matters], and is striving to ruin the lives of the Gaza residents even further. The coup leaders are not concerned with the interests of the people or with their employment. All that interests them are abominable fatwas that are hostile to Islam, to the Muslims and to members of all faiths."[29]A year later, in September 2011, the Hamas authorities ordered all owners of women's hair salons in Gaza to report to the police stations. One such owner, Nael Ris, said that when he arrived at the police headquarters, he was told that he was forbidden from entering his own salon and from working in his profession of 30 years.[30]Other public facilities and places of entertainment also came under pressure. In May 2010, the Hamas police arrested the owner of a Gaza cafeteria and interrogated him using violent means for alleged moral infractions. At another cafeteria, a security officer harassed a couple, making rude and provocative remarks to them and ordering them to present their IDs in order to prove they were married.[31] In August 2010, Hamas shut down a resort for three days for holding mixed parties, and warned the owners that if they did not mend their ways, the resort would be closed for good.[32] The Orient House café was likewise shut down for three days for failing to comply with police directives regarding dancing and mixed parties. This incident and others were condemned by the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights, which accused Hamas's security apparatus of violating public freedoms and impeding the operation of tourist facilities.[33] Hamas, for its part, welcomed the spread of gender segregation. In October 2010, its newsletter, Al-Risala, reported on the growing trend of providing separate areas for men and women in places of business, clubs, swimming pools, gyms, offices and even taxis, adding that this trend greatly pleased the women of Gaza.[34]

Promoting Religious Culture and Discourse

Hamas has also been promoting cultural activity with a religious emphasis. A month after its takeover of Gaza, Hamas formed a religious choir under the auspices of its Interior Ministry. During Ramadan, the choir gave evening concerts of Islamic songs to Executive Force officers and to prisoners held by Hamas. A choir member said: "We choose songs that inspire the youth and strengthen [their] resolve, and songs that remind them of Allah and the Islamic faith."[44]Palestinian journalist Muhammad Al-As'ad described the graduation ceremony of a Koran memorization course, held September 1, 2007, at the Al-Rahman Mosque in Gaza: "I was surprised by the garb of the graduates and some of those who gave speeches... The graduates' headdresses were of the sort worn by Muslims in Afghanistan or East Asia."[45]There were even attempts to encourage Koran and religious studies by offering benefits to criminals. The administration of the Gaza Central Prison announced that it would take a year off the sentence of any prisoner who memorized five passages of Koran.[46] There were astonishing tales of Gazan traffic officers who offered to cancel traffic tickets if the offender promised to beg Allah's forgiveness 1,000 times.[47]

The PA Response to the Islamization of Gaza

As expected, the PA censured Hamas's Islamization campaign in Gaza. In an interview with Voice of Palestine Radio, Fatah spokesman Ahmad 'Abd Al-Rahman said: "As [Hamas official Mahmoud] Al-Zahhar has said, Hamas wants to turn back [Palestinian] society hundreds of years, and to impose upon it what Hamas thinks is Islam."[65]Muhammad Horani, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and of Fatah's Revolutionary Council, said: "Whether one calls Gaza an 'Islamic emirate' or 'Hamastan,' [clearly] harm is being done to social values that have been [cherished by] the Palestinians for hundreds of years, and Hamas is working to eradicate them... There is a new totalitarian culture [in Gaza], which, if it could, would put an end to dialogue in all of Palestine. That is the nature of any fundamentalist power anywhere in the world."[66]'Omar Hilmi Al-Ghoul, an advisor to President 'Abbas and a columnist for Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, wrote: "The conduct of the heads of the bloody coup in Gaza, and the political, security and social measures they have taken in their daily management [of the Gaza Strip], reflect a readymade plan for instating an Islamic emirate there. This was confirmed by a commander of the Executive Forces, who said: 'You do not know Hamas. We started the coup, and we will stick to it until a caliphate is established."[67]Al-Hayat Al-Jadida editor Hafez Al-Barghouti wrote: "Youths who have not yet grown a beard have started issuing severely [flawed] religious rulings... They permit murder, accuse [other Muslims] of apostasy, and sanction deceit. These are grave matters, and these jurisprudents will be punished on Judgment Day. They will not be granted the [same] mercy [they are now being shown] by their parties and sheikhs, who downplay [the severity] of [these youths'] recklessness toward the faith."[68]Hmmmm........The 'peacepartners' of the Obama regime.Read the full story here.