Gazans are adjusting to Hamas rule

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Men are growing beards to show devotion to Islam; women are lowering hemlines; coffee shop debates on politics have fallen silent - Gazans are adjusting to Hamas rule.

The changes are largely preemptive, since Hamas has avoided a heavy-handed religious crackdown and assured Gazans the movement is not setting up a harsh Islamic regime akin to the Taliban's former rule in Afghanistan.

Still, many people are apprehensive, their fears stoked by Hamas hard-liners such as Mahmoud Zahar, who said last week that he envisioned a time when "with God's help, Islam will be in every home."

Not making enemies is a preferred survival tactic two weeks after Hamas militiamen defeated Fatah fighters loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

"It's not safe to say anything," said Samir Filfel, 42, a school guard who spent Friday with his wife and 10 children at Gaza City's beach. Reflecting his caution, he erected a tent made of Hamas, Fatah and PLO flags for shade. "I don't know which group to support," he said, pointing to what he called his "national unity tent."

Emad, captain of a small pleasure boat, said he stopped talking politics with his customers.

"When we go home, we can talk about Hamas and Fatah," said the skipper, who would give only his first name for fear of angering Hamas.

At the Miami Studio barbershop, the most popular shave allows the wearer to mingle with any crowd. Known as "the sword," it's a thin beard running from the sideburns along the jaw. It's trendy, and while not strictly in line with the bushy beard favored by Islamic hard-liners, it covers enough chin to be accepted by Hamas supporters, barber Nael Abu Bakr said.

At Gaza City's PLO flag shop, owner Tarek Abu Dayya is also avoiding commitment. He ordered coffee mugs with a picture of Ismail Haniyeh, who Hamas insists is still the Palestinian prime minister, even though he was fired by Abbas after the Gaza takeover. For now, the mugs will have only Haniyeh's picture, not his title.

"Maybe in a month, we will have elections, and he [Haniyeh] would be president," Abu Dayya said.

Large posters of Haniyeh and the late PLO leader Yasir Arafat, a perennial favorite at the shop, take up the main wall. Abbas posters have been relegated to a corner, and the folded-up yellow flags of Fatah are on backroom shelves.

In a week, Abu Dayya has sold almost 1,000 green Hamas flags and has run out of Hamas T-shirts and car banners. Hamas' militia, the Executive Force, which flies black-on-white flags, has put in an order for 100 banners for its new posts, some of them seized from Fatah during the fighting.

The fierce-looking militiamen in black uniforms have turned from menace to helper for some Gazans. By dialing 109, women can quickly summon help if they feel harassed on the streets. Shoppers have been known to fight price-gouging by threatening to call the Executive Force, which advertises the emergency number on car stickers. During Fatah rule, police rarely showed up to settle disputes.

For many Gazans, a sense of personal safety after a year of factional fighting is the upside of Hamas rule. There is no more fear of stumbling into a street battle or getting hit by a stray bullet.

Citing security, Hamas has also banned a beloved custom - firing in the air at weddings. Halima, 35, a guest at a recent wedding, said the bridegroom was taken away by Hamas men until his family handed over the weapons they had been shooting during the celebration.

There are no signs yet of Hamas trying to impose strict Islamic rule.

Even before the takeover, Gaza had become increasingly conservative, a response to poverty, isolation and fighting with Israel. The vast majority of women wear head scarves, and a growing number wear face veils, which were unheard of in the Palestinian territories a generation ago.

Ibrahim Ibrach, a political analyst, said Hamas wanted to cement its rule, not alienate Gazans with draconian measures. This could change, he said, if Gaza's isolation continues for a long time.

Tens of thousands of Palestinian civil servants will be paid in full this week for the first time in more than a year after Israel released millions of dollars in tax funds frozen during the Hamas-led government, officials said yesterday.

The transfer of the funds was Israel's first concrete gesture of support for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in his battle with Hamas, which violently seized control of the Gaza Strip last month.

Abbas expelled Hamas from the Palestinian government after the Gaza seizure.

Under Hamas, the 165,000 government employees had only received irregular, partial payments because of an international aid boycott imposed over the group's refusal to renounce violence and recognize Israel.

The Israeli government said $119 million was transferred yesterday, and Palestinian officials confirmed they had received it.

- Associated PressEndText