Gee,Those Wacky Palestinians Really Know How to Treat a Lady

Maybe if Jews threatened to execute women on Israeli TV who didn't dress modestly the British would stop boycotting Israel. After all they never censure the Palestinians--besides killing Jews all they do is abuse their children and now they are threatening to kill female TV presenters because they leave their faces exposed. Come to think of of it maybe we can do that with Rosie O'Donnell. Covering her face would certainly make American TV more pleasant. Now if we could only duct tape her mouth.

Gaza: 'Immodest' women to be killed

Khaled Abu Toameh, THE JERUSALEM POST

A radical Islamic group in the Gaza Strip issued over the weekend a death threat against Palestinian women working for the official Palestinian Authority television station, accusing them of dressing immodestly and behaving in a way that violates the teachings of Islam.

The threat, the first of its kind against female employees of Palestine TV, was made by the Righteous Swords of Islam, a relatively new group that is believed to have links with al-Qaida.

The group has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on Internet cafes and restaurants in the Gaza Strip over the past year.

Members of the group are also responsible for splashing acid in the face of a number of young women who had been accused of "immoral behavior."

The Righteous Swords of Islam is one of three al-Qaida-affiliated groups that have popped up in the Gaza Strip over the past two years.

PA officials in Ramallah told The Jerusalem Post that the presence of the extremist groups in the Gaza Strip would "eventually lead to the transformation of the Palestinian territories into a Taliban-style entity."

According to one official, "The day will come when we will miss Hamas. These are extremely dangerous groups that are trying to take Palestinian society back to the Dark Ages."

A leaflet distributed by the Righteous Swords of Islam specifically referred to the women who appear on Palestine TV. "The saying these days is that the enemy has withdrawn from the Gaza Strip and so have our morals," it read. "It's indeed disgraceful that the women working for the official Palestinian media are competing between each other to display their charms."

Referring to the fact that most of the female presenters do not wear the niqab - a veil covering the face of Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijab - the leaflet asked: "Where are the decision-makers in this regard? Have we lost our conscience? Have the brothers, fathers and husbands stopped caring about their women?"

The group warned that its members would strike with an "iron fist and swords" against the women who are refusing to cover their faces. "We will destroy their homes," it announced. "We will blow up their work places. We have a lot of information about their addresses and we are following their movements."

The leaflet concluded by threatening to "slaughter" the women for allegedly spreading corruption in Palestinian society by appearing on the screen with their faces uncovered. "The administration and workers at Palestine TV should know that we are much closer to them than they think," it added. "If necessary, we will behead and slaughter to preserve the spirit and morals of our people."

Fatah's armed wing, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, strongly condemned the threats against the women and pledged to protect them.

"We reject the lies made by the so-called Righteous Swords of Islam," said a statement issued by the Aksa Martyrs Brigades in Gaza City. The threats against the female journalists and employees are very serious and we will not allow anyone to harm our national institutions."

In an unrelated incident, masked gunmen on Saturday morning blew up large parts of the Sheikh Zayed Cafteria in Gaza City. No group claimed responsibility, but PA security sources said they did not rule out the possibility that the place had been targeted been extremist Muslims.

One of my favorite musicals is Lerner and Lowe's treatment of the King Arthur story called Camelot. It it, King Arthur sings a song called "How to Handle a Woman." The lyrics from the Palestinian version follows:

"How to handle a woman?
There's a way," said the wise Imam,
"A way known by ev'ry woman
Since the whole rigmarole began."
"Do I Stone her?" I begged him answer.
"Do I circumcise her cajole or plead?
Do I brood or play Honor Killer?"
Said he, smiling: "No indeed.
How to handle a woman?
Mark me well, I will tell you, sir:
The way to handle a woman
Is decapitate her...simply decapitate her...
Merely decapitate her...decapitate her...decapitate her."