Who ever said the Islamic fundamentalists that lead Hamas opposed equal rights for women? Mindful of the coming Palestinian elections, Hamas has begun to encourage Palestinian women to carry the banner of jihad and participate in terrorist attacks, according to the Daily Telegraph: (thanks to Sr. Soph)
They wear the long skirts and head coverings of modest Muslim women, but their draped robes are camouflage khaki and their scarves the distinctive lime green colour of the Palestinian militant group, Hamas.Their shoulders bear the weight not of bags or babies carried by their more traditional peers, but rifles and rocket-propelled grenades.
This is Hamas's armed women's wing, newly formed in the Gaza Strip and trained to use explosives and light arms for the "love of jihad".
"We joined with only one single aim: jihad and resistance," a veiled spokeswoman told the official Hamas newspaper, Al Risala, as the troop paraded at a secret location in the territory recently re-occupied after Israel's disengagement.
The female wing of Hamas is being led by Rasha Rantisi, wife of Hamas leader Abdelaziz Rantisi who was assassinated by the Israelis last year. Her words echo the fanaticism of her late husband:
"The role of women in jihad is to encourage their sons and husbands to participate. But women also have the right to wage jihad," Mrs. Rantisi said.Mrs. Rantisi is animated as she describes the growing opportunities for Hamas women. "I speak for my sisters. Hamas has always honoured women, but now the time has come for Hamas to give a role to women," she said. "We can participate in health and education, and politics too."
Mrs. Rantisi is inflexible about the need for religious law in the Palestinian territories. Any Hamas bloc in the 132-seat legislative council will press for sharia law. "I will not accept secularism," she said.
On Israel, too, Mrs. Rantisi is unwavering. "I refuse any compromise," she said. "The liberation struggle will continue until we liberate all our land. Even if we enter elections our weapons will not grow dusty against Israel."
On Israel, too, Mrs. Rantisi is unwavering. "I refuse any compromise," she said. "The liberation struggle will continue until we liberate all our land. Even if we enter elections our weapons will not grow dusty against Israel."
I wonder if Mrs. Ranttisi would like to taste a little "Hell Fire"?
http://www.strategypage.com/gallery/articles/default.asp?target=hslide3.htm&source=docs2
"I speak for my sisters. Hamas has always honoured women, but now the time has come for Hamas to give a role to women" . . . Rantisi
A curious statement, this. Honoured, but no role? What then would be Rantisi's definition of "honour"?
If there were no previous role for women in Hamas, but women were nonetheless honoured by Hamas, what does that tell us about the state of this "honour"?
Rantisi needs to take the blinkers off.
After reading the book, Burned Alive,
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0446533467/qid=1128275598/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-7987897-2187048?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
written by a Palestinian woman who had gasoline poured on her for an honor killing and survived to tell the tale of life as a Muslim woman in Palestine, I completely discount anything Palestinian women do or say. They are saying things like this and doing it because if they do not, they will be beaten repeatedly and severely and possiblly killed. Women there are beaten all the time and absolutely must toe the line or die or be maimed.
Apparently, in an Islamist's mind gender equality should be encouraged only when it comes to supplying the cannon fodder for jihad fee sabeel Allah. Isn't that convenient?
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dolphin, CAGE co-founder.
http://www.acage.org
They must be getting desperate if they are willing to start using up their little jihadi breeding factories.
AKA Palestinian birth control.
Forgive the sick humor, I have been reading the sword of the prophet this am, and am in a sour mood about all things Islamic.
Calling all female suicide bombers.....
"Their shoulders bear the weight not of bags or babies carried by their more traditional peers, but rifles and rocket-propelled grenades."
Now Hamas wants to use their mothers, sisters and daughters as pack mules when they are no longer fit to breed. I'm sure women's rights groups around the world will applaud this enlightened position of equality among the sexes by Islam.
One surprise benefit of putting this ghastly idea into practice (which may happen) on a demographically significant number of Muslim females: a loss of women of child-bearing age that could cause a negative impact on populations in the Islamic nations. Wouldn't that be a shame.
Does the United Nations push birth control in these Muslim Countries? If not....maybe they should.