Palestinians try to laugh off concerns

RAMALLAH, West Bank – Have you heard the one about the ‘Ramallah Club’, a popular West Bank watering hole, being re-christened ‘Kandahar’, after the Taliban stronghold? Or that Ramallah’s sister town, El-Bireh – “beer” in Arabic – has been renamed ‘zamzam’, the name of the holy water in Saudi Arabia? Or that all police stations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have been ordered shut down – because all complaints must now be filed directly to God? A slew of jokes circulating among Palestinians following Hamas’ landslide election victory reflects concerns that the fundamentalist group will impose Islamic law and social codes across the West Bank and Gaza.

Invoking God and Islamic tradition is the mainstay of all the quips that have been travelling by word of mouth and mobile phone text messages in the past few days. Until elections on Wednesday, Hamas’ goal of installing an Islamic state in the West Bank, Gaza – and Israel – was held in check by the ruling Fatah, which had no religious programme.With voters handing Hamas 74 of parliament’s 132 seats, in a protest against the long-dominant Fatah, that check has weakened, if not evaporated.Hamas officials rushed to deny that they will impose any of their beliefs on Palestinians.”Rest assured we don’t impose our thoughts on anyone,” Hamas leader Khaled Maashal said Saturday in the Syrian capital, Damascus.”We will present our thoughts to our people and they have the right to choose.”But many Palestinians are not assured.One newly elected Palestinian legislator has said she plans to submit a bill requiring girls and women to wear the hijab, a head-dress covering the hair.At a Hamas rally in Ramallah last week, an organiser tried contain his members from clashing with Fatah supporters by shouting, “Sons, it is time to pray.To the mosque.”They all dispersed.Quipsters say Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will now meet his ministers under a tree, in line with early Islamic tradition.Mobile phones are abuzz with text message jokes prophesying a new police uniform mirroring Taliban’s short dress and baggy pants, and a discount on religious taxes for Christians who convert to Islam within a week.Speeding ticket? Pay for it with extra prayers.Going to the movies? Plan to have your viewing interrupted by a call to prayer.In one text message, Gazans joke about Hamas rulers detaining a Fatah strongman for praising a suicide bombing – an ironic turnabout, considering that Hamas has carried out dozens of suicide operations, killing hundreds of Israelis.The jokes in the West Bank reflect the rawest nerves because Palestinians there tend to be less traditional than in Gaza, where Hamas is strongest.In Gaza in the early 1990s, after the first Palestinian uprising in Israel, the Islamic group used a quasi-police force to shut down restaurants serving alcohol and to impose a conservative dress code.While an overwhelming majority of people chose Hamas on election day, the wide circulation of the jokes reflects how conflicted people are over their choice, said Nadia Najjab, a social psychology professor in the West Bank Birzeit University.”The jokes are really expressive of our fears,” said Anis Barioush, a 50-year old teacher, in the West Bank town of Ramallah.”The new rulers will change our traditions, and impose a Taliban rule.”- Nampa-APUntil elections on Wednesday, Hamas’ goal of installing an Islamic state in the West Bank, Gaza – and Israel – was held in check by the ruling Fatah, which had no religious programme.With voters handing Hamas 74 of parliament’s 132 seats, in a protest against the long-dominant Fatah, that check has weakened, if not evaporated.Hamas officials rushed to deny that they will impose any of their beliefs on Palestinians.”Rest assured we don’t impose our thoughts on anyone,” Hamas leader Khaled Maashal said Saturday in the Syrian capital, Damascus.”We will present our thoughts to our people and they have the right to choose.”But many Palestinians are not assured.One newly elected Palestinian legislator has said she plans to submit a bill requiring girls and women to wear the hijab, a head-dress covering the hair.At a Hamas rally in Ramallah last week, an organiser tried contain his members from clashing with Fatah supporters by shouting, “Sons, it is time to pray.To the mosque.”They all dispersed.Quipsters say Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will now meet his ministers under a tree, in line with early Islamic tradition.Mobile phones are abuzz with text message jokes prophesying a new police uniform mirroring Taliban’s short dress and baggy pants, and a discount on religious taxes for Christians who convert to Islam within a week.Speeding ticket? Pay for it with extra prayers.Going to the movies? Plan to have your viewing interrupted by a call to prayer.In one text message, Gazans joke about Hamas rulers detaining a Fatah strongman for praising a suicide bombing – an ironic turnabout, considering that Hamas has carried out dozens of suicide operations, killing hundreds of Israelis.The jokes in the West Bank reflect the rawest nerves because Palestinians there tend to be less traditional than in Gaza, where Hamas is strongest.In Gaza in the early 1990s, after the first Palestinian uprising in Israel, the Islamic group used a quasi-police force to shut down restaurants serving alcohol and to impose a conservative dress code.While an overwhelming majority of people chose Hamas on election day, the wide circulation of the jokes reflects how conflicted people are over their choice, said Nadia Najjab, a social psychology professor in the West Bank Birzeit University.”The jokes are really expressive of our fears,” said Anis Barioush, a 50-year old teacher, in the West Bank town of Ramallah.”The new rulers will change our traditions, and impose a Taliban rule.”- Nampa-AP