In a stand-off between the more secular West Bank government headed by the Fatah faction and the Hamas-run, more Islamist government in the Gaza Strip, the Education Minister of the Palestinian Authority (West Bank) has condemned a dress code described as “Islamic” that is being implemented by Hamas authorities for the coming semester at Al-Aqsa University. PA Education Minister Ali Jarwabi told the Ma’an news agency that Palestinian Basic Law guarantees personal freedoms, thus overruling the decision of the university’s board. But in its defense, Al-Aqsa University President Salam Al-Agha denied anyone would be expelled for violating the dress code which he said does not mandate Islamic dress, but only “dress befitting the university.” According to Ma’an, President Al-Agha said the code will be implemented “by persuasion,” including lectures about appropriate dress delivered by university staff members. Also on Sunday, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate called on Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip to release six journalists arrested there last week. The detained journalists were arrested at their homes during a two-day crackdown last week.
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