Islamism in the Gaza Strip: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:Hijab.jpg|thumb|right|190px|Hamas campaigned for the wearing of the hijab alongside other measures, including insisting women stay at home, segregation from men and the promotion of polygamy.<ref name="Ruben"/> ]] |
[[Image:Hijab.jpg|thumb|right|190px|Hamas campaigned for the wearing of the hijab alongside other measures, including insisting women stay at home, segregation from men and the promotion of polygamy.<ref name="Ruben"/> ]] |
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'''Islamization of the Gaza Strip''' refers to the efforts to [[Islamization|impose Islamic laws and traditions]] in the [[Gaza Strip]]. The influence of Islamic groups in the Gaza Strip has grown |
'''Islamization of the Gaza Strip''' refers to the efforts to [[Islamization|impose Islamic laws and traditions]] in the [[Gaza Strip]]. The influence of Islamic groups in the Gaza Strip has grown since the 1980's, especially as poverty has risen and fighting with Israel began in 2000.<ref name=hadid/> The efforts to impose Islamic law and traditions continued when [[Hamas]] forcefully seized control of the area in June 2007 and displaced security forces loyal to the secular President [[Mahmoud Abbas]].<ref name=hatorch>[http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/gaza-water-park-vandalized-by-armed-men-1.314603 Militants torch Gaza water park shut down by Hamas], Haaretz 19-09-2010</ref><ref name=afptorch>[http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jDblV3atUSJnUtMzkDDINQ_QWltQ Gunmen torch Gaza beach club shuttered by Hamas], AFP 19-09-2010</ref><ref>http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp490.htm</ref> After the [[Battle of Gaza (2007)|civil war]] ended, Hamas declared the “end of secularism and heresy in the Gaza Strip.”<ref>Khaled Abu Toameh, “Haniyeh Calls for Palestinian Unity,” Jerusalem Post, June 15, 2007</ref> For the first time since the Sudanese coup of 1989 that brought [[Omar al-Bashir]] to power, a [[Muslim Brotherhood]] group ruled a significant geographic territory.<ref name="Schanzer">[http://www.currenttrends.org/research/detail/the-talibanization-of-gaza-a-liability-for-the-muslim-brotherhood The Talibanization of Gaza: A Liability for the Muslim Brotherhood]. by Jonathan Schanzer. August 19, 2009. Current Trends in Islamist Ideology vol. 9</ref> Gaza human rights groups accuse Hamas of restricting many freedoms in the course of these attempts.<ref name=afptorch/> |
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According to [[Human Rights Watch]], the Hamas-controlled government of Gaza stepped up its efforts to "Islamize" Gaza in 2010, efforts that included the "repression" of civil society and "severe violations of personal freedom."<ref name=Esveld>[http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/27/opinion/la-oe-vanesveld-gaza-20100627 "In Gaza, prisoners twice over; Palestinians are being squeezed by the Israeli blockade and Hamas' 'Islamizing' actions,"] Bill Van Esveld, Bill Van Esveld is a Middle East researcher for Human Rights Watch, June 27, 201o, Los Angelies Times.</ref> The [[Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Gaza Strip)|Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice]] is an active part of this effort. |
According to [[Human Rights Watch]], the Hamas-controlled government of Gaza stepped up its efforts to "Islamize" Gaza in 2010, efforts that included the "repression" of civil society and "severe violations of personal freedom."<ref name=Esveld>[http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/27/opinion/la-oe-vanesveld-gaza-20100627 "In Gaza, prisoners twice over; Palestinians are being squeezed by the Israeli blockade and Hamas' 'Islamizing' actions,"] Bill Van Esveld, Bill Van Esveld is a Middle East researcher for Human Rights Watch, June 27, 201o, Los Angelies Times.</ref> The [[Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Gaza Strip)|Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice]] is an active part of this effort. |
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Revision as of 11:12, 30 September 2010
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Islamization of the Gaza Strip refers to the efforts to impose Islamic laws and traditions in the Gaza Strip. The influence of Islamic groups in the Gaza Strip has grown since the 1980's, especially as poverty has risen and fighting with Israel began in 2000.[2] The efforts to impose Islamic law and traditions continued when Hamas forcefully seized control of the area in June 2007 and displaced security forces loyal to the secular President Mahmoud Abbas.[3][4][5] After the civil war ended, Hamas declared the “end of secularism and heresy in the Gaza Strip.”[6] For the first time since the Sudanese coup of 1989 that brought Omar al-Bashir to power, a Muslim Brotherhood group ruled a significant geographic territory.[7] Gaza human rights groups accuse Hamas of restricting many freedoms in the course of these attempts.[4]
According to Human Rights Watch, the Hamas-controlled government of Gaza stepped up its efforts to "Islamize" Gaza in 2010, efforts that included the "repression" of civil society and "severe violations of personal freedom."[8] The Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice is an active part of this effort.
Implementation of Islamic Law and Islamic dress
Successful informal coercion of women by sectors of society to wear Islamic dress or Hijab has been reported in Gaza where Mujama' al-Islami, the predecessor of Hamas, reportedly used a mixture of consent and coercion to "'restore' hijab" on urban educated women in Gaza in the late 1970s and 1980s.[9] Similar behavior was displayed by Hamas during the first intifada. [10] Hamas campaigned for the wearing of the hijab alongside other measures, including insisting women stay at home, segregation from men and the promotion of polygamy. In the course of this campaign women who chose not to wear the hijab were verbally and physically harassed, with the result that the hijab was being worn 'just to avoid problems on the streets'.[1]
Following the takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, Hamas has attempted to implement Islamic law in the Gaza Strip, mainly at schools, institutions and courts by imposing the Islamic dress or Hijab on women. [11]
While Ismael Haniyeh officially denied accusations that Hamas intended to establish an Islamic emirate[7], in the two years since the 2007 coup, the Gaza Strip has exhibited the characteristics of Talibanization[7], a process whereby the Islamist organization imposed strict rules on women, discouraged activities commonly associated with Western or Christian culture, oppressed non-Muslim minorities, imposed sharia law, and deployed religious police to enforce these laws.[7]
The campaign of Islamic virtue carried out by officials following the takeover of the Gaza Strip drew concerns among residents over the Islamization of Gaza.[11] The government’s "Islamic Endowment Ministry" has deployed Virtue Committee members to warn citizens of the "dangers" of immodest dress, card playing and dating.[12] The Hamas-led briefly implemented, then revoked, a ban on women smoking in public.[13] The government has also imposed temporary closures on facilities like the cafes of the Crazy Water Park and the Faisal Equestrian Club where men and women were mingling socially.[14][15]
In 2008, Hamas has instructed the main Palestinian telecoms company, Paltel to block access to pornographic Internet sites. "Palestinian society suffers because of such immoral sites. We have therefore taken the decision to protect morality, and this remains our policy," said Hamas telecommunications minister Yussef al-Mansi.[16][17]
In 2009, Hamas banned girls from riding behind men on motor scooters and forbade women from dancing. According to Mkhaimar Abusada, a political science professor at Gaza’s al-Azhar University, “Ruling by itself, Hamas can stamp its ideas on everyone (...) Islamizing society has always been part of Hamas strategy.”[12]
In 2010, Human rights activists said that Hamas stepped up its efforts to impose strict Islamic teachings in the Gaza Strip. Crazy Water Park, one of the Gaza Strip's most popular entertainment sites, was closed down by Hamas for allowing mixed bathing. Two weeks later, the site was set on fire by a group of unknown gunmen. The Hamas government issued a strong condemnation and promised to pursue the perpetrators.[18]
On the same year, Hamas banned the smoking of hookah by women in public, stating that it was to reduce the increasing amount of divorces.[19]
Some of the Islamization efforts met resistance. When Palestinian Supreme Court Justice Abdel Raouf Al-Halabi ordered women lawyers to wear headscarves and caftans in court, attorneys contacted satellite television stations including Al-Arabiya to protest, causing Hamas’s Justice Ministry to cancel the directive.[12]
Hamas officials denied having plans to impose Islamic law, saying “We want Islamic law to be the standard, but we believe in persuasion.”.[12] Moussa Abu Marzuq, of Hamas' political bureau, denied that the Hamas government was planning to turn the Gaza Strip into an Islamic emirate. [20]
Although it is not clear which Islamist group was behind the action, Islamist militants who objected to mixed-gender socializing destroyed Gaza's water park.[21][4][22][3]
Detention of Asma al-Ghul
In 2009, Asma al-Ghul, a woman Palestinian journalist, stated that Hamas policemen attempted to arrest her under the pretext that she came to a Gaza beach dressed immodestly and was seen laughing in public. "They accused me of laughing loudly while swimming with my friend and failing to wear a hijab," Ghul told a human rights organization in the Gaza Strip. "They also wanted to know the identity of the people who were with me at the beach and whether they were relatives of mine." Al-Ghul added that the officers confiscated her passport, and that she had received death threats from anonymous callers following the incident.[23] Regarding the incident, Hamas security commanders initially said that al-Ghul and her friends were stopped because they were having a mixed party at the beach. Later, one of the commanders said that al-Ghul was stopped for not wearing a hijab while swimming. Another commander said that the offense was smoking nargilas and partying in a public place.[23] Islam Shahwan, the Hamas police spokesman, denied the detention of al-Ghul.[24]
Threats by Islamist groups
In 2007, the Islamist group Swords of Truth based in the Gaza Strip threatened to behead female TV broadcasters who don't wear strict Islamic dress.[2] The threat was sent by e-mail to news organizations: "We will cut throats, and from vein to vein, if needed to protect the spirit and moral of this nation."[2] The group has previously claimed responsibility for bombing Internet cafes, music shops and pool halls, which they considered places of vice.[2] The assailants used to detonate small bombs outside businesses at night, causing damage but no injuries. Hamas spokesman Ismail Ridwan denied any connection with the group. [2]
Position of Christians
The Islamization of Gaza has put increasing pressure on the tiny Christian minority.[25] Following the Hamas takeover of Gaza in 2007, Sheik Abu Saqer, leader of Jihadia Salafiya, an Islamic outreach movement that recently announced the opening of a "military wing" to enforce Muslim law in Gaza. "I expect our Christian neighbors to understand the new Hamas rule means real changes. They must be ready for Islamic rule if they want to live in peace in Gaza." [26] Sheik Saqer has asserted that there is "no need" for Christians in Gaza to maintain Christian institutions and demanded that Hamas "must work to impose an Islamic rule or it will lose the authority it has and the will of the people."[27]
Islamist militants have also attacked Christian institutions; in 2007 the manager of Gaza's only Christian bookstore was kidnapped, beaten, stabbed and shot to death by militant Islamists. The Christian bookstore has not reopened.[28][29][30][31]
See also
References
- ^ a b Rubenberg, C., Palestinian Women: Patriarchy and Resistance in the West Bank (USA, 2001) p.231
- ^ a b c d e Diaa, Hadid, Islamic Group Targets Women Newscasters, Associated Press, 2 June, 2007.
- ^ a b Militants torch Gaza water park shut down by Hamas, Haaretz 19-09-2010
- ^ a b c Gunmen torch Gaza beach club shuttered by Hamas, AFP 19-09-2010
- ^ http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp490.htm
- ^ Khaled Abu Toameh, “Haniyeh Calls for Palestinian Unity,” Jerusalem Post, June 15, 2007
- ^ a b c d The Talibanization of Gaza: A Liability for the Muslim Brotherhood. by Jonathan Schanzer. August 19, 2009. Current Trends in Islamist Ideology vol. 9
- ^ "In Gaza, prisoners twice over; Palestinians are being squeezed by the Israeli blockade and Hamas' 'Islamizing' actions," Bill Van Esveld, Bill Van Esveld is a Middle East researcher for Human Rights Watch, June 27, 201o, Los Angelies Times.
- ^ "Women and the Hijab in the Intifada", Rema Hammami Middle East Report, May-August 1990
- ^ Rubenberg, C., Palestinian Women: Patriarchy and Resistance in the West Bank (USA, 2001) p.230
- ^ a b [1] Xinhua, 2010-01-03
- ^ a b c d Hamas Bans Women Dancers, Scooter Riders in Gaza Push By Daniel Williams, Bloomberg, November 30, 2009
- ^ Gaza ban on women smoking pipes, Reuters, 19 July 2010, The Independent.
- ^ [2]" Report: Gaza water park closed due to gender-mixed parties," 08/22/2010, Jerusalem Post.
- ^ Gunmen torch Gaza resort, 19-09-2010
- ^ [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jAeMv4kCXS8A4xxLx2TFTeWttQ8A AFP: Hamas takes aim at Internet porn in Gaza
- ^ Hamas bans pornographic websites in Gaza Strip | Reuters
- ^ Gaza water park burned down after shut down by Hamas, Jerusalem Post, By Khaled Abu Toameh, 09/19/2010
- ^ "Women banned from smoking hookah pipes in Gaza". Daily Telgraph. 18 July 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2010.
- ^ Moussa Abu Marzuq Interview to Al-Masr al-Yawm, June 25
- ^ Gaza water park torched after shuttered by Hamas, Associated Press 19-09-2010 (reprinted in the Jerusalem Post)
- ^ Gaza: Assailants set fire to water park, Ma'an News Agency 19-09-2010
- ^ a b Khaled Abu Toameh, 'They accused me of laughing in public', Jerusalem Post 04-08-2009
- ^ Hamas tries to detain woman walking with man, July 8, 2009, Diaa Hadid, The Guardian
- ^ "'I know how to make you a Muslim'; The murder of a young Baptist bookseller has Gaza's small Christian community on edge," Catrin Ormestad, November 1, 2007, Haaretz.
- ^ 'Christians must accept Islamic rule' - Israel News, Ynetnews
- ^ "Christian Bookstore Owner Was Tortured Before His Death," Aaron Klein, October 11, 2007, New York Sun.
- ^ Sudilovsky, Judith (2007-10-11). "Gaza Christians express unease after killing of prominent Christian". Catholic News Service. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ Hendricks, Shawn (2007-10-09). "Slain Baptist in Gaza had gentle but bold witness". Baptist Press. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ "Palestinian Christian activist found dead in Gaza City". The Jerusalem Post. 2007-10-07. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ "After murder, Gaza's Christians keep low profile". Associated Press. MSNBC. 2007-12-23. Retrieved 2010-09-20.