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Gaza's top judge: Lawyers to wear Muslim headscarf

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-07-26 17:53

Gaza City: Gaza's top judge says he has ordered female lawyers to wear Muslim headscarves when they appear in court.

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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.

Hamas seized power in Gaza in June 2007 and vowed never to force its conservative values on others. But it has taken a series of steps in recent months that appear to be aimed at forcing residents to accept its Islamic-oriented social agenda.