Posted on 01/29/2006 3:09:08 PM PST by SJackson
RAMALLAH, West Bank — 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.
As one goes, all police stations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have been ordered shut because all complaints must now be filed directly to God.
Invoking God and Islamic tradition is the mainstay of all the quips that have been spreading by word of mouth and mobile phone text messages in the past few days.
Until elections 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 program.
But 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 force 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."
Many Palestinians were not reassured.
One newly elected legislator has said she plans to submit a bill requiring girls and women to wear the hijab, a headdress covering the hair.
At a Hamas rally in Ramallah this week, an organizer tried contain his members from clashing with Fatah supporters by shouting, "Sons, it is time to pray. To the mosque." They all dispersed.
Mobile phones are abuzz with text messaged jokes prophesying a new police uniform mirroring the short dress and baggy pants worn by the former hardline Taliban rulers of Afghanistan, and a discount on taxes for Christians who convert to Islam within a week.
Speeding ticket? Pay for it with extra prayers.
The jokes in the West Bank reflect the rawest nerves because Palestinians there tend to be less traditional than in Gaza, where the militant Hamas is strongest.
In Gaza in the early 1990s, after the first Palestinian uprising in Israel, Hamas 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."
Those jokes aren't funny at all. The Palestinians should come here and read the comments about their "country". Then they'd see real humor.
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a discount on taxes for Christians who convert to Islam within a week
Not a joke, that would earn an exemption from the dhimmi tax.
"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."
A muslim's right to choose, acceptance or death!
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World ?
"New Hamastan"...
Casa de Nuevo Taliban y muchos fatwas.
LOL!!!!!
Voyage + Handbasket = Hell.
Is that movie worth renting ?
Yep. Sad and funny at the same time. Kind of like Sweet and Salty.
I like Islamic humor.
"As one goes, all police stations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have been ordered shut because all complaints must now be filed directly to God."
ROFL
I happen to like Albert Brooks, but I wouldn't pay ten dollars to watch it in a theater.
Then again, I wouldn't pay that amount to watch any movie for that matter.
Albert Brooks though is a fantastic comedian.
We just kill them.
That would probably be good. Let the Palestinians taste the coffee for a while. Maybe they'll prefer tea or booze after they've had enough.
Somehow a joke that begins, "A priest, a rabbi and a Hamas leader walked into a bar. . ." doesn't predict a funny outcome.
Prediction: The left in this country and other western nations will use Hamas-run Gaza as an example of what would happen if "neo-cons" took complete control.
Actually, I believe imposing their thoughts on others is the Islamic way of life. Here's a link to a example right here in the USA.
...our way or die."
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