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Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/25/AR2011022500824.html
Gaza's Islamist Rulers Hounding Secular Community
(AP-Washington Post) Diaa Hadid - After nearly four years of Hamas rule, Gaza's small secular community is in tatters, decimated by the militant group's campaign to impose its strict version of Islam. Hamas has bullied men and women to dress modestly, tried to keep the sexes from mingling in public and sparked a flight of secular university students and educated professionals. Many left to study abroad and never returned. Others obtained refugee visas in Europe or found work in the Gulf. "In the end, the people who think differently are leaving," said Rami, 32, an activist in one of Gaza's few secular groups. The trend toward religious fundamentalism preceded the Hamas takeover in June 2007. In recent years, hard-liners have burned down the cinemas. Their charred remains are still visible in Gaza City. Militants blew up the last bar in 2005. Today, plainclothes officers sometimes halt couples in the streets, demanding to see marriage licenses.