User:Tiamut/puzzle

• 'They accused me of laughing in public' (July 4 2009 - Jerusalem Post:

In a phone interview with the Dubai-based Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news Web site, the journalist said that the policemen who stopped her belonged to the Hamas government's Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice security force.The special force reports directly to the Ministry of Waqf Affairs and is said to be a copy of units that have long been operating in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.

Man and woman on beach and Asma al-Ghoul reports of July 8th and 9th from other sources

• Women in Gaza face Hamas crackdown: Attempt to strictly enforce Islamic law, July 9, 2009, Toronto Star - Asma al-Ghoul's story is paraphrased, said to have occured in late June (2009?)
• Hamas tries to detain woman walking with man: Attempt raises fears of strict enforcement of Islamic law - same story in MSNBC July 8, 2009
  • Text preceding story reads: An attempt by Hamas police to detain a young woman walking with a man along the Gaza beach has raised alarms that the Islamic militant group is seeking to match its political control of the coastal territory with a strict enforcement of Islamic law.

The incident was the first time Hamas has openly tried to punish a woman for behaving in a way it views as un-Islamic since seizing power two years ago. But it follows months of quiet pressure on Gaza's overwhelmingly conservative 1.4 million residents to abide by its strict religious mores.

Hamas officials in Gaza have publicly urged shopkeepers to take down foreign advertisements showing the shape of women's bodies and to stash away lingerie often displayed in windows. Officials search electronic shops to check if they are selling pornography on tiny flash drives.

'Public morals' "There's an open, public program to preserve public morals in Gaza," said local rights activist Isam Younis. "In reality that means trying to restrict freedoms."

Hamas denies any crackdown is under way. Since taking power, it has said it would only try to lead by example and not impose its views on anyone.

However, the group has taken no public action against small, shadowy groups that have attacked perceived hotbeds of Western immorality, such as the hairdressers and Internet cafes, fueling criticism that it has not been tough enough on hardline Muslim groups.

Her story only became public after rights groups published excerpts on their Web sites. Her version of events was confirmed by two other witnesses, including Adham Khalil, one of the men who was detained. Khalil said he was beaten.

Hamas police spokesman Islam Shahwan denied the incident took place but said Gaza residents "must preserve our customs and Islamic traditions.

The name "Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" is not used in these reports.

• Jerusalem Post straight news section reports the same "Asma al-Ghoul" story Hamas police said enforcing Islamic law on July 8th. No mention of there being a CPVPV group under Hamas control. Note the headline, that its an accusation.

• Hamas tries to detain woman walking with man in The Guardian; here the same story is described as "the first time Hamas has openly tried to punish a woman for behaving in a way it views as un-Islamic since seizing power two years ago." (July 8 2009) Also no mention of CPVPV group

Ha'aretz report 06/03/2007

• Suspected vice squad of Muslim militants targeting Gaza Internet cafes, music shops - no mention of CPVPV group :

Police initially believed the attacks were part of local business disputes, but increasingly came to suspect an orchestrated campaign by religious extremists, said one law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject.

There have been no arrests, but Gaza police spokesman Ramzi Shaheen noted that the method of operations was the same in all cases.

"We can't exactly say who is behind this, but the repeated nature of the attacks leads us to certain conclusions," he said without elaborating.

In the town of Rafah on the Gaza-Egypt border last week, a huge bomb wrecked a pool hall in a building owned by Ramzi Abu Hilao, blowing out the front wall and littering the interior with metal scraps. He said there was no warning before the blast.

"I received a written message after the bombing from a group called 'The Swords of Truth' that began with a verse from the Koran and said they wanted to correct the bad behavior in Palestinian society," he said.

There has been no credible claim of responsibility for the attacks, police said, discounting one statement on a news Web site in December that an unknown group with alleged links to Al-Qaida was responsible for a rash of bombings in a single night.

There has been no conclusive proof that Al-Qaida has established a Gaza branch. Observers believe the vice squad is most likely homegrown.