Hamas bans women dancers - and scooters too

Some of the efforts are meeting resistance. When Supreme Court Justice Abdel Raouf Al-Halabi ordered women lawyers on July 26 to wear headscarves and caftans in court, attorneys contacted satellite television stations including Al-Arabiya to protest. On Sept. 6, Hamas's Justice Ministry rescinded the directive.

Hamas officials say they have no plans to impose Islamic law. "What you are seeing are incidents, not policy," said Younis al-Astal, a Hamas legislator. "We want Islamic law to be the standard, but we believe in persuasion."

In an Oct. 13 speech, Abbas said Hamas was establishing an "emirate of darkness" in Gaza. Abbas's Fatah movement has long viewed itself as a secular nationalist movement open to Muslims and Christians.

At the immigration office at Gaza's border with Israel, a sign warns that alcoholic beverages, forbidden under Islam, will be poured out "in front of the owner."

The government's Islamic Endowment Ministry has deployed Virtue Committee members to preach at public places to warn of the dangers of immodest dress, card playing and dating.

Dancing Ban

The opening of the Palestinian Heritage Museum on Oct.7 was meant to include a rendition of the dabke, a line dance performed by girls and boys. Except that no girls were allowed.

Black-shirted men from Hamas carrying AK-47s appeared at the gates of the museum, on Gaza's waterfront, said Jamal Salem, the curator. They said girls shouldn't dance because it wasn't religiously proper. Nor could they share the stage for the inaugural speeches, said Salem.

Do you know how bad it's getting in Gaza? Even Abbas thinks Hamas is going to far with this sharia thing. An "emirate of darkness" pretty much describes these thugs to a "T." 

The "dabke" is a dance you see at a lot of Arab weddings and is meant as an expression of community. Evidently, an AK-47 trumps "community" every time in Gaza.

Perhaps some day, the Palestinians will make some radical social progress and move into the 8th century. Until then, the Israelis are wise to be extremely cautious of people who treat women the same way they treat their goats.