Special to WorldTribune.com

GAZA CITY — Hamas has launched another crackdown in an effort to
force Gazans to observe Islamic mores.

Security sources said the Hamas Interior Ministry has ordered police to
raid businesses deemed in violation of Islamic law. They said the ministry
targeted lingerie shops, fortune-tellers and cigarette vendors.

“Some of these businesses were behaving in a way unbefitting to Muslim society while others were engaged in smuggling,” a security source said.

So far, about 150 fortune-tellers were forced to sign a pledge that they would no longer practice their profession. Many Gazans frequent fortune-tellers, who also sell amulets and beads, either to help resolve crises or for entertainment.

The crackdown took place only weeks after the Interior Ministry said it would not use the police to enforce Islamic law in the Gaza Strip. In late 2011, lingerie stores and cafes were also reported to have been operating freely in Gaza City.

But the sources said an Islamic vice squad from Hamas police raided several women clothing stores in Gaza City, Khan Yunis and Rafah in January 2012. They said store owners were warned not to display lingerie or naked mannequins.

Hamas has also targeted smuggling in the Gaza Strip. The sources said cigarette vendors were interrogated in the latest crackdown on suspicion of purchasing and selling tobacco smuggled from neighboring Egypt.

Police have also renewed checks on automobiles in the Gaza Strip. The
sources said cars and motorcycles were being stopped and drivers asked for
registration before the data was checked against a new data base of stolen
vehicles.

  cigarette vendors, etc. as ‘unbefitting of Muslim society’, fortune-tellers, Gaza City, Hamas cracks down on lingerie shops, Hamas Interior Ministry, Islamic law, Khan Yunis, lingerie shops