Hamas Official: 'Islamization' A Western Media Smear
Hamas government official Ihab al-Ghussein denies in an interview that his movement is imposing Islamic law on the Gaza Strip.
In recent months the Hamas-led government in Gaza has seen heavy criticism for imposing practices and policies of "Islamization." Human rights organizations have reported that young men have been forcefully detained and had their heads shaved or their low-rise skinny jeans cut off on the basis of their appearance being too "Western." Other reports abound of men and women being stopped in the streets and asked to present papers documenting that they are in a formal relationship.
According to human rights activist Mustafa Ibrahim, who spoke to Al-Monitor in Gaza, people are currently feeling more watched and limited in their personal freedom. This observation was echoed by Heba Zayyan from UN Women, who said that the main issue was the lack of clarity regarding Hamas' policies.
“It’s very alarming that these things keep happening, but they are not acknowledged by the government. So it is carried out by officials on the ground, but there is no official position on the matter,” she said.
The latest incident to catch the attention of Gaza’s Palestinians, as reported by Al-Monitor on May 10, was the proposal of a new penal code introducing sharia law, including punishing drinking or adultery with whipping, and petty theft with severing the right hand.
