Gaza: shades of Calvinism

Harriet Sherwood of The Guardian Newspaper has just reported (24th February) on Hamas’ continuing freezing of social life in Gaza. Their basic premise is that if it feels good, it can't be right. This latest manifestation of their ‘purification’ effort is typically unyielding: a Mr Hatem Ghoul found a police message at the hairdresser’s where he works - his presence was requested at the local station.

He was called into a room where another detainee happened to be chained to a wall by his wrists, and told to sign a pledge that he would cease cutting women’s hair or face a 20,000 shekel (£3,400) fine.

Hamas not only have it in for hairdressers; they believe that men and women must dance in separate rooms (I'm not making this up), female lawyers must wear scarves and women must not smoke. Okay for that last one, but also there is a ban on men selling women’s underwear. Hamas is seriously into treating women as fetish objects.

Writing as an expatriate who is old enough to remember how Scotland was before the 1970s, when the law forced on us by the Scottish Church, the veto poll, allowing just one party-pooper to keep a whole borough pub-free, was abolished, I find the build-up of evidence against the ‘boring men in beards with guns’ sadly familiar.

The Free Church of Scotland was often laughingly described as the nearest thing the Christians could get in modern times to the Taliban. Another throwback we could thank the Men In Black for was a by-law in Glasgow forbidding standing up in pubs where music was played - in case perhaps that foot-tapping would lead to dancing. John Knox and his inspiration, Calvin, would be well at home in Gaza today.

According to the Associated Press at http://www.hometownstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=14139396 the secular life of Gaza as far as it constitutes a ‘community’ has been chopped away by ten per cent. On my one successful attempt to reach Gaza, when I told my hosts that I would vote for Hamas if I was living with them, I was a little surprised at their reaction: a politely disguised distain; a distain of the kind you might use when someone gave you a teaset instead of a turntable for your birthday. Now I understand why my young friends felt that way, and why they preferred the Palestine Peoples’ Party although it was unlikely to rise to power.
Their recent manifesto demanding change and freedom within Gaza finished with this address for further information: http://www.blogger.com/freegazayouth@hotmail.com - Scotland has changed; Gaza could, too.