Muslim religious freedom curtailed - by Hamas

We can only imagine the protests and condemnations that would issue from the UN, Arab states and EU terror groupies if Israel were to stop Hajj pilgrims and beat them up. But because Hamas did it, there is no problem.

 

 

Hamas beat Muslim pilgrims trying to reach Mecca
Islamist group sets up checkpoints throughout Gaza Strip to stop pilgrims from leaving for Saudi Arabia in revenge for having made travel arrangements with rival faction Fatah

 

Associated Press
Published:  11.30.08, 09:15 / Israel News

 

Hamas police set up checkpoints across Gaza on Saturday to prevent pilgrims from leaving for a holy Muslim ritual in Saudi Arabia, beating some who tried to dodge barriers, witnesses said.

The Islamic militants who rule Gaza were upset that the pilgrims coordinated their journey with Hamas' rival, the Palestinian Authority. The authority, based in the West Bank, is run by Hamas' bitter rival, the Fatah movement. The crackdown on the pilgrims highlights the depth of the bitterness between the two groups.

Egypt criticized Hamas' actions as unbecoming of an Islamic movement.

 

The pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia is meant to be undertaken by Muslims at least once in a lifetime, and is considered a great event for believers.

Hamas seized control of Gaza from Fatah-allied forces last year, and animosity between the rivals has growing in recent months.

The Western-backed Palestinian Authority and the Hamas rulers of Gaza submitted separate lists of Gaza pilgrims to the Saudi authorities for visa approvals in the weeks leading to the pilgrimage, which will take place in December.

 

The rival Palestinian governments each claim to be legitimate, and their wrangle over who has the authority to send Gaza pilgrims to Mecca is a measure of sovereignty. So far Saudi Arabia has rebuffed the Hamas list. Different regions are given quotas for the number of pilgrims they can send to Saudi Arabia, and Gaza was allowed to dispatch about 3,000.

On Friday, the Palestinian Authority announced that pilgrims should report to the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt the following day.

The Gaza pilgrims were to cross into Egypt and travel from there to Mecca. But after the Palestinian Authority announcement, Hamas police set up 16 checkpoints on roads leading to the passage.

Witnesses said police sent back cars that appeared to carry pilgrims.

"They called us traitor pilgrims," said a man who identified himself as a pilgrim to a Gaza television station.

 

 A woman called in, saying her mother, a pilgrim, was beaten on her hand and needed treatment. Witnesses would not give their names, for fear of retribution by Hamas police. Hamas police did not allow reporters into the area close to the border crossing.

Hamas spokesman Taher Nunu said nobody was beaten and said the press were not banned from the area.