'Without work I'm like a dead man'
Photo: AP
Hamas arrests man for styling women's hair
First arrest for violation of law passed by Gaza's Islamist government last year; male stylists wary
The Hamas government in Gaza has arrested a man for violating a recent legislation that prohibits men from styling women's hair, the BBC reported Wednesday.
Last year Hamas officially announced a new law prohibiting men from styling women's hair, as it negates Sharia.
The report said that following the arrest, many male hairstylists could be found loitering at the entrance to their salons, terrified of being detained as well.
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Five hairstylists were arrested in February and forced to sign an affidavit renouncing the practice. The current arrest is the first known implementation of the law since then.
Adnan Barakat, who has been a hairstylist for the past 27 years, was flabbergasted. "Without work I'm like a dead man. The salon can't function without me. I don't have any other work. What can I do?" he asked.
Other stylists also complained about the law, as well as the secret police watching them to make sure they were not in violation.
Hamas has previously attempted to pass the law but withdrew following complaints by human rights groups.
The ban joins similarly befuddling laws such as the one prohibiting women from smoking hookah pipes and riding on motorbikes driven by men.
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