Belly Dancing out, Cinema In

[cbd2cai 0]

I hope this isn't considered off-topic, but I thought it was an interesting blurb about what Hamas is going to do . . . let's see what really happens.

Article in Guardian

[jordanianprincess 0]

This is just plain ignornat

[cbd2cai 0]

This is just plain ignornat

I thought it was funny!

Ignorant yes . .. particularly regarding belly dancing .. . . OK, OK, I know that I am a bit biased on that side (why would they even target it in their comments???), but when you consider what they might do, this might even be considered rather mild.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

This is a complicated subject.

Most Palestinians voted for Hamas candidates because they are fed up with Fatah (the party of Mahmoud Abbas and Yasser Arafat) that has held most of the power in the Palestinian Authority since its inception. The public perception of Fatah is simply "corruption" -- that their officials have used their positions mostly to divert money and influence to enrich themselves and their families and their friends, at the expense of the Palestinian people, even to the point of "selling out" their national interests to Israel.

In contrast, Hamas has a fairly good repuation for honesty and being genuinely concerned with the welfare of the people. Many Americans do not realize that in addition to their well-publicized "terror" activities, Hamas also has social and humanitarian projects. Hamas is one of the few organizations that routinely provides food, clothing, educational support and medical supplies to the impoverished population of Gaza, and that's where their strongest base is.

Also, Hamas is known for honoring their agreements. They have largely abided by the truce they agreed to with Israel last year. Hamas has killed exactly ONE Israeli since that date. In contrast, Israel has assassinated dozens of Hamas members since then.

Now with that said, most Palestinians are not comfortable with the idea of Hamas instituting an Islamic government system. They want a secular system which is based on Qur'an and also on British law, like the one they have now. Most people on the street there will tell you "We don't need Hamas to tell us what Qur'an means; we know it by heart." They voted for Hamas because they are tired of the corruption and the status quo's inability to end the occupation. But that doesn't mean they agree with everything Hamas has to say.

I think you will see Hamas go through quite a few changes as it makes the transition from revolutionary/resistance group to elected political party. They now have to deal with international politics, especially aid money that comes with strings attached. These are issues they didn't have to recognize before. They will obviously have to rely more on diplomacy and negotiation on the international level, rather than military tactics. But if Yitzhak Shamir, Menachim Begin and Ariel Sharon can make the transition from terrorists and war criminals to statesmen, then why not Hamas ?

-MK

[cbd2cai 0]

I was waiting for you to weigh in with your thoughts, MK. I know that what you are saying about Hamas holds value for me since you are a thoughtful person . I think that now they are elected, they will start to learn a bit more about what it takes to be the ruling party.

It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few months . . . and I hope for the best for the people in Palestine.

Catherine

Edited April 12, 2006 by cbarrosmostafa

[jordanianprincess 0]

I agree with you MK, Its not a question of if they can make a transition, they defintly can and will.

I think some of their actions are ignorant...ban the sale of alcohol? Bellydancing? Segregation of men and women?

That is plain riduculous and a not just one step backwards but many! I am not saying this because it is Hamas, I have the same opinion for any ME government that does this. Bellydancing is done in the privacy of peoples own homes...and they want to ban that too?? That is taliban like!

[Jasman0717 9]