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Dana - Hamas doesn't cut off your head, they shoot you. Remember we discussed the recent 18 executions. I cannot understand why you would support a country that practices female genital mutilation and other violence against women. The Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution report indicated that Palestinian women face many forms of violence, with 76.4% of Gazan women being subjected to emotional violence, 34.8% to physical violence, 14.9% to sexual violence, 78.9% to social violence and 88.3% to economic violence. I think we also need to review their LGBT record.
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All of which appalls me. Israel shelling towerblocks and UN schools is not going to alleviate the suffering of those women.
The situation for women in many countries is appalling. FGM is practised in many parts of the world, amongst muslim and Christian communities. Domestic violence and rape are also endemic in many parts of the world. Approximately 2 women die every week, in my own country, at the hands of partners or former partners.
When Iraq was invading Kuwait, the west did not step back and say: ahh but the Kuwaitis treat their women like shit, so why should we care if someone invades them? And lest we forget our 'friends' the Saudis, who don't even let their women drive cars or leave the house without being shrouded scalp to toe and escorted by a male relative.
Hamas are not pleasant people - but nor are they all rampant islamists. They are a political organisation and the elected government of Gaza. Some of them are fundamentalists, some of them are secular Islam. They're a fairly broad church when it comes to religion. What unites them is their political objective, not the religious underpinnings.
I support the Palestinians' right to a functioning state of their own. Their right to self-determination. That doesn't mean I like everything about Palestinian culture. Any more than I like everything about India's culture, where women are treated like chattel in many areas of the country.
If we start basing our views of sovereignty and self-determination on how a country or culture treats its women then there will be very few places to defend.
These are separate issues.