Today the Toronto Globe and Mail reports that in the Palestinian Authority, Hamas has set out its domestic agenda for the first time since its surprise victory in Parliamentary elections this week. That agenda includes changes impelled by religious law. Sheik Mohammed Abu Teir, number 2 on the Hamas list of candidates, said that the new government will quickly make Islamic sharia "a source" of law in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and will overhaul the Palestinian education system to separate boys and girls and introduce a more Islamic curriculum. He quickly added, however, that alcohol will not be banned and women will not be required to cover their heads when outdoors. He said, "We are centrists, we are against any kind of extremism. The motto that we operate on is that in religion, you cannot force people." He said that Palestinian Christians have nothing to fear from the changes.
UPDATE: Sunday's Washington Post carries a related article by Scott Wilson, Some Palestinians See End of Secular Dream.
