GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — On Oct. 21, the women’s preaching and guidance department of the Hamas-run Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs in Gaza began a campaign called “Be Different” targeting high school and university students who do not wear the veil. It started in Gaza City and will expand to other cities in an effort to convince girls to wear the headscarf, which is considered an Islamic religious obligation. The project is set to run until May 2019.
Nadia al-Ghoul, head of the preaching and guidance department, said in an Oct. 21 statement published on the ministry’s website, “One of the campaign’s objectives is to promote the correct concepts of women's dress based on Sharia.” She noted that some girls might choose to go unveiled for “lack of Islamic awareness, or disadvantages in family upbringing.”
