It will be interesting to note if the pro-Gaza brigade will equally rebuke Hamas for supporting anti-female edicts in Gaza? Of all the problems facing the Palestinians it appears that Hamas believes that forcing females into the “shadows” is a major priority. Therefore, from the next school year all schools irrespective of religion must follow the path of gender segregation and of course this is part and parcel of a slippery road. Christian Palestinians in Gaza are now dhimmis because they have no say in the matter. Therefore, the Gulf paranoia of Saudi Arabia and aspects of Taliban logic are seeping into the Palestinian cause. Of course, the majority of schools in Gaza are already based on gender segregation but private and Christian schools could decide for themselves. However, now this right will be taken away from them unlike in the West Bank. In secular Syria this nation is facing a civilizational war whereby radical Salafists want to turn this nation into “year zero.” Alawites, Christians, the Shia, and mainstream Sunni Muslim leaders, all face the wrath of Islamist terrorism, indoctrination and enforced “year zero.” Despite this, major Western nations like America, France and the United Kingdom are closing their eyes to the “civilizational war” in Syria – in order to fulfill their geopolitical ambitions. This is nothing new because political elites in London and Washington supported Islamist terrorism and Islamization in Afghanistan along with their friends in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and others throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. The result of this shortsighted policy was the enforcement of women being put into the shadows. Nothing was learnt because today many of the same nations are involved in supporting the Islamization of Syria. Therefore, the mosaic of civilization in Syria faces the wrath of Salafi Islamist hatred whereby this nation could be turned into another fundamentalist state. Not surprisingly, leaders within Hamas have turned against Syria and clearly you have a correlation between Gulf nations supporting Hamas and greater “year zero” policies. Also, just like the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, it is clear that Hamas is worried about even more fundamentalist groups in Gaza. This reality means that Hamas is seeking to show their Islamist credentials in order to crush future Islamist competition. Islamists will also be pleased that Christian dhimmis have been firmly put into their place. Syria is a nation where women have freedom in government controlled areas and mosques and churches dot the landscape. Yet in areas where strongholds of Islamists exist then indoctrination, putting females in the shadows and crushing all alternative thought patterns is being put into place. In the last few weeks it is known that two Sunni Muslim clerics were killed in Syria for speaking out against terrorism, sectarianism and the new civilizational threat emanating from the Gulf. Turning back to Gaza then Waleed Mezher (Gaza Ministry of Education legal advisor) stated to Reuters that“We are a Muslim people. We do not need to make people Muslims and we are doing what serves our people and their culture.” Hala Qishawa from the Women’s Affairs Center in Gaza comments that “They are fundamentalists who believe Islam says women should stay at home and not go out without a hijab. They are a fundamentalist party who want every section of society under their control, including civil society, the young and women.” In Libya and Mali many Sufi shrines have been attacked just like in Somalia. Christians also face growing persecution in Libya and Islamists in Tunisia recently killed a major secular leader called Chokri Belaid. Meanwhile in Egypt the Coptic Christian community faces growing hostility and within this nation you have major anti-Shia rhetoric. Likewise, in Pakistan the Shia, Christians and all religious minorities reside in fear in many parts of this nation. Also, Islamists in Pakistan have killed health workers just like in Northern Nigeria and recently they shot a young girl for demanding female education in this country. Therefore, it is perverse that major Western nations are once more on the side of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey whereby they support sectarianism, terrorism and sedition against secular Syria. Either, the nations of America, France and the United Kingdom are sleepwalking into “the Islamist year zero” brigade in Syria; or they care zilch about religious pluralism and the rights of women when it comes to foreign policy objectives; or the political elites in these Western nations have “sold their collective soul” to draconian feudal monarchies; or they are collectively blinded by their own rhetoric whereby the same nations keep on supporting draconian dark forces? Of course, it could be a mixture of the above but clearly the rich civilization of Syria is under threat. The Washington Post stated about Gaza that “Other edicts include bans on women smoking water pipes in public, riding on the backs of motorcycles or getting their hair done by male stylists. Last month, it barred girls and women from participating in a U.N.-sponsored marathon, prompting a U.N. aid agency to cancel the race.” It must be stated that several conservative nations separate children from a certain age but just like the above it is clear that the agenda is much more. Also, if individuals want to freely separate children based on religious beliefs then this happens all over the world. Yet in other societies individuals have choices and clearly banning women from running and how they dress is all part and parcel of creating a fundamentalist state whereby no choices are available to individuals. It is also noted that Christians have to follow suit and the reality of what is happening in Gaza today is following in the footsteps of Saudi Arabia and the Taliban. If Hamas in the future stretches further into the West Bank then one day you will have many Palestinians yearning to move from Palestinian held areas in the future. The Muslim Brotherhood and various Salafi groups are on the march because of the petrodollars of the Gulf; the indoctrination rat lines; open manipulation of Islamist charities; and of course the connivance of major Western nations. Therefore, what is happening in Gaza could one day be a reality in Syria if the central government is overthrown by various Islamist factions. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/palestinianauthority/9965274/Hamas-orders-schools-in-Gaza-to-be-segregated-by-gender.html leejay@moderntokyotimes.com http://moderntokyotimes.com