Hamas Enforces “Manliness” in the Gaza Strip

The Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip are cracking down on young men displaying signs that call their “manliness” into question. In an April statement, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights charged that young men with long hair are being rounded up and forced to get “appropriate” hair styles; and that there have been cases of young men being beaten by mobs for wearing low-cut or hip-hugging jeans. On Tuesday, Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad, speaking to security force graduates, said Gaza security forces have been instructed to “keep an eye on those reducing standards of manliness.” According to the Palestinian Ma’an news agency, Hammad admonished his new troops that, “there is a big difference between those who support a godly cause and those who serve as slaves for the Americans and Israelis.”