Hamas Bans Women Dancers, Scooter Riders in Gaza Push

[oberliner]

Nov. 30 (Bloomberg) -- The Islamic Hamas movement banned girls last month from riding behind men on motor scooters and forbade women from dancing at the opening of a folk museum. Girls in some public schools must wear headscarves and cloaks.

Signs of Hamas’s creeping Islamization are everywhere in Gaza, the Mediterranean coastal enclave that Hamas has run by itself since 2007. Gaza is already politically divided from the West Bank, the Palestinian territory administered by the secular Fatah movement.

“Ruling by itself, Hamas can stamp its ideas on everyone,” said Mkhaimar Abusada, a political science professor at Gaza’s al-Azhar University. “Islamizing society has always been part of Hamas strategy.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aB2RfynNbLmk&pos=9

[Turbineguy]

1. There comes a point

where reverting to the tenth century doesn't make things worse.

[imdjh]

2. Is that like Quentin Crisp saying that if you don't clean your house...

.... at some point it doesn't get any dirtier?

[Vegasaurus]

3. Wonder why people think Hamas is such a swell governing body

since they take such good care of the people and all

[LeftishBrit]

4. 17.7% of Palestinians still supported them in the last poll...

Even lower than Bush went, I believe.

No wonder they don't seem in a hurry to hold elections.

[pelsar]

5. theres no way hamas is going to hold real elections...

its pretty obvious that god put them in power.......why would they risk gods wrath by letting the unenlightened vote them out..that would be blasphemous.

[oberliner]

6. Ever?

Do you think there will ever be any kind of agreement between Hamas and Fatah that would lead to future elections?