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| Gaza University students before the new dress code. |
After
being characterized for more than 20 years by political and intellectual
diversity, female students are now bound to adhere to a strict dress code,
including an abaya (cloak) and hijab (veil) while on campus. The decision has
caused uproar and sparked heated debates.
Dr.
Naaman Ulwan, an independent academic and advisor for cultural affairs at Al
Aqsa University, revealed to Al-Monitor that he did not know about the decision
ahead of its announcement on Jan. 26, 2013. Ulwan affirmed that even if such
decision was approved, it certainly complies with the conservative society of
Gaza that does not tolerate attire showing women’s curves.
Dr. Faiq
al-Naouk, advisor for managerial affairs in Al Aqsa University and the decision
maker, expressly denied the “Taliban” aspect of this decision. He reiterated
that it was unanimously approved two months ago and would be implemented at the
beginning of the next semester, underlining that he was not a representative of
Hamas in the university board.
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| Gaza University students after the new dress code strictly enforced by Hamas gun-men. |
“If we were intransigent, I would not have received you while
you were unveiled, but even though you weren’t veiled, we received you and gave
you an interview. We are not extreme, we are moderate,” declared Naouk, addressing Al-Monitor’s reporter.
The Gaza
government has taken some decisions that have been seen as sexist, religiously
irrelevant, and merely related to personal interpretations. Women have been
prohibited from riding bicycles and smoking water-pipes, it is not allowed to
display lingerie in storefronts, and females are required to wear hijab in
public schools and courts. This is all part of a national campaign to restore
virtue implemented under the auspices of the police force.
Secret endorsement of decisions
Ismail
contends that whenever women call for change and an improvement in their social
situation, they are asked to put their demands on hold under the pretext that
it is not the right time; the people are fighting the Israeli occupation.
Ismail, however, notes dangerous changes being made by the government
pertaining to the endorsement of the penal code without informing the feminist
movement. Causes like gender equality are seen as a western product and
feminist movements are thought to contradict Islamic feminism.
“Accusations are heaped upon the feminist movement, even
though the struggle it led — on the level of amending laws and imposing quotas
for women — has ushered in the participation of Hamas’ women in the legislative
council,” she added.
Islamic speech
Amira
Haron, under-secretary for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, says that the
ministry aims to enhance the situation of Palestinian women and reinforce their
roles on all levels. The strategic plans are focused on different areas such as
laws, economy, studies and raising awareness.
Haron
says that the ministry is playing a positive role in changing the situation of
women in Gaza through many achievements, such as acknowledging the right of
widows to have full and permanent custody over their children. She stressed
that the ministry does not simply wait for the laws to be amended, rather it
exerts pressures on the government to take decisions that do women justice.
Article 18 of the 1936 penal code, applicable in the Gaza
Strip and used by judges to mitigate the sentence of a murderer who kills his
daughter, wife, mother, sister or relative in the name of “honor” states the
following: “Any person who commits a crime to defend himself or another person
or their money, honor or pride shall benefit from a reduced sentence.”
Haroun
says that the issue with the penal code is not limited to this article alone,
but also includes several articles and provisions that should be amended.
Several articles have been suspended because their modification requires a lot
of effort. They are based on an old and hackneyed law and should be replaced by
a unified Palestinian law in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Regarding
the opinion of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs on gender, Haroun stated, “We are not fighting gender, but we are
addressing women’s issues from an Islamic perspective. We are also
investigating women’s real needs in Gaza, and we do not have to put up with
anything that does not suit their situation and role. We have our own agenda
and we are not infected with a Western phobia. We just take what is convenient
for us and leave out what opposes our religion and Sharia.”
Traditional society
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| Palestinian beach attire on the Gaza Beach. |
In 2011, the unemployment
rate among women reached 28.4% in the Palestinian lands compared to 13.8% in
2001. The highest and lowest rates of violence were reported in the Gaza Strip
and Rafah district, south of the strip, and were respectively 58.1% and 23.1%.
Director
of the Women’s Affairs Technical Committee, Nadia Abou Nahla, mentioned in a
meeting with Al-Monitor, held at the committee’s headquarters that the
statistics of the Palestinian system show a slow but clear increase in the
participation of Palestinian women in the overall workforce. The numbers show a
rise from a maximum of 12% in 2006 to 16% in 2011, as opposed to over 85% male
participation.
It is
noteworthy that Palestinian society has the highest rates of female graduates
and higher education in the Arab world. However, these rates contradict those
showing the presence of women in the workforce, which can be attributed to the
traditional mindset of Palestinian society regarding women and their role.
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| Typical beach attire next door on Israeli beaches. (With guns ready to defend their freedom) |
Abou
Nahla clarified that, obviously, there was a decline in honor crimes in Gaza
Strip in 2012. Only three cases were reported, relative to many more in the
previous years. She believes that this is due to the police affirming their
presence as the sole body entitled to implement the law. Moreover, there is now
a safe shelter for women in danger — the “Aman” governmental center. She added,
“Even if we disagree with the way this
center deals with battered or abused women and with its religious orientation,
we cannot deny that it is protecting women from violence and murder.”
Abou
Nahla said, “The Hamas government took
more than 200 decisions and issued legislative laws that were approved by the
members, such as the amendment of the Law of Associations, including women’s
associations. Granting permanent child custody for a widow was another
amendment that mainly benefits Hamas women. As for the right of custody for
divorced women, judges are dealing with it temperamentally. Other decisions
include those of the virtue campaign related to wearing the veil and smoking
water-pipes — an activity which hasn’t improved the situation of women but has
influenced the idea of public liberties negatively.”
Abou
Nahla added, “It is true that unveiled
women are a minority in Gazan society, but their rights should be protected in
a pluralistic society. Consequently, any decision that violates the articles of
the basic Palestinian law will be deemed illegitimate.”
Moreover,
she considered that the Islamic women’s discourse stems from the idea of doing
good and religious forgiveness; whereas the national pluralistic women’s
discourse is issued by feminist movements in the Gaza Strip and is based on
partisanship, change of concepts and spreading values of gender equality and
justice. The first type trains women to memorize the Quran and the principles
of obedience to men, while the second empowers them and teaches them
self-defense and gender values.
(This article’s author Asmaa al-Ghoul is a journalist and
writer from the Rafah refugee camp based in Gaza.)
(A Muslim girl getting flogged for not wearing compulsory niqab in public.)
