Hamas bans women on motorbikes

[The Straight Story]

Hamas bans women on motorbikes

GAZA, Oct. 7 (UPI) --

Women can no longer ride motorbikes in Gaza, the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas has decreed.

The ban was posted on Hamas' interior ministry Web site, which said the government was seeking to "preserve citizen safety and the stability of Palestinian society's customs and traditions," The Guardian reported Wednesday.

The newspaper said the ban probably wouldn't have much practical effect since few women now ride motorbikes in Gaza. But analysts said it has raised alarms of a new "Islamization" campaign in the territory. Hamasuntil recently had shown few signs of trying to Islamize Gaza society since taking full security control over the area after a battle with its rival Palestinian faction, Fatah, but that may be changing.

The Guardian said a senior judge this summer imposed a dress code requiring female lawyers to wear robes and headscarves in court -- a move that has been denounced by human rights groups. Islamic patrols also reportedly tried to prevent unmarried couples from mixing in public and have banned mannequins from store windows.

http://www.timesoftheinternet.com/117135.html

[Hannah Bell]

1. bomb them!!!

[get the red out]

3. Cultural criticism isn't equal to bombing

Cultures come and go, thousands have existed, the ones we have now won't last. Criticizing a "culture" isn't the same as calling for human beings to be bombed.

Unfortunately Bush left us with this idea. The changes in perception of common ideas and words that stem from the right during that hideous administration is disgusting. I don't know if our thinking will ever recover from it. Now we liberals are left will feeling any and all criticism of another culture is the same as calling for the people to be killed. We have the Republicans to thank for this.

[Hannah Bell]

7. it often is, though. & not just with bush.

[get the red out]

12. So we have to be silent?

A voice against injustice is to be shot down and assumed of murderous intent if the injustice is against women, because there are people in the world prejudiced against Muslims?

That is over-kill IMO. Just something else the media has pushed on us to shut up liberals who believe in equality.

[GodlessBiker]

2. Yes, the tradition that women can't drive motorbikes must be at least 1,000 years old. Idiots.

[Taverner]

4. Of course not - the men wouldn't want their slaves escaping now would they?

[proteus_lives]

5. No surprise.

Hamas are fundie thugs.

[Quantess]

6. Probably becaue their robes blow in the wind, exposing their ankles.

If I were a woman in Gaza, I'd probably steal a motorcycle and escape the country. ;)

[FiveGoodMen]

8. The Israelis wouldn't let you

[Behind the Aegis]

10. Nor Hamas, nor Egypt

[mamaleah]

11. I was waiting for someone

to link this to Israel.

I was in fact going to comment that it is clearly Israel's fault that these women cannot ride motorbikes.

[Lance_Boyle]

9. They don't have any more pressing issues to worry about in Gaza?

Are these "Islamic patrols" sanctioned by Hamas or are they some sort of SuperMuslim teabaggers?