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Dress Code Loosened For Women Lawyers In Gaza

By Howard M. Friedman

In Gaza, the Supreme Justice Council last week announced that, contrary to a pronouncement in July, female lawyers will not be required to wear traditional Islamic dress when appearing in court. YNet News reported Sunday that in a press release the Council said: "female lawyers are asked only to appear in modest dress from now on." Apparently the reversal was in response to widespread criticism of an earlier pronouncement requiring Muslim head scarfs which was issued not by the full Council, but by Supreme Court chief justice Abdul-Raouf Halabi personally. (YNet News, July 26).

Meanwhile last week Human Rights Watch criticized the Islamic dress code that has been imposed on school girls in Gaza. HRW's press release stated: "... since the school year opened in late August, schools have been turning away female students for not wearing a headscarf or traditional gown, on the basis of new unofficial orders to schools from Hamas authorities.... Previously, the uniform typically required for female public school students was a long denim skirt and shirt. The new orders appear to have been issued without any legal basis."

Full post as published by Religion Clause on September 08, 2009 (boomark / email).