Gaza's top judge: Lawyers to wear Muslim headscarf

[oberliner]

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza's top judge says he has ordered female lawyers to wear Muslim headscarves when they appear in court.

The move is the latest sign that Gaza's Islamic militant rulers are increasingly imposing on residents of the coastal strip their strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Supreme Court chief justice Abdul-Raouf Halabi says he issued his headscarves order to conform with Islamic law, which says it's forbidden for a woman to show her hair in public.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hqaTuEWhR59MZC5tFr-x8sEKeCMQD99M1MMO2

[azurnoir]

1. Rights groups blast new Gaza courtroom 'modesty' rules

Bethlehem - Ma'an - A decision by the Hamas-run judiciary in Gaza to force so-called modest dress on female lawyers is "illegal and unjustified," the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights said on Sunday.

If carried out, the decree, which also forces male attorneys to wear a standard uniform, would require that female lawyers wear traditional robes and veils covering their hair while in Gaza's courtrooms.

"his decision constitutes a violation of the law and an unjustified intervention into lawyers' affairs," the rights group said in a statement to Ma'an. "It also undermines personal freedoms and women's rights."

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=214733

[oberliner]

2. PCHR reminds that the Higher Justice Council in Gaza is unconstitutional

The entire existence of this "Higher Justice Council" is Gaza is unconstitutional according to various human rights organizations.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, for their part, included this clause in their statement about the modesty rules:

6. PCHR reminds that the Higher Justice Council in Gaza is unconstitutional, a fact emphasized by human rights organizations since 2007. The Council was established by the Government in Gaza in violation of the constitution, and its mandate derogates from the authorities of the Higher Judicial Council, which had been already established in accordance with the constitution.

http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/PressR/English/2008/93-2009.html