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| By: israelinsider staff |
| Published: April 5, 2007 |
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Internet cafe proprietors in the Gaza Strip asked PA security forces Wednesday to take action against the repeated attacks on their businesses.
The request followed the latest attack on a Jabalya internet cafe in northern Gaza. No one was injured in this attack, the third in one week, and the 48th in five months.
According to PA security sources, the attacks are perpetrated by a group called Swords of Islamic Righteousness, which started operating in the area last year. It is believed that the group is derivative of al-Qaida.
Music and movie stores have also been targeted, and the group had taken responsibility for attacks on women accused of being immodestly attired.
Majed Abu Shamaleh, a Fatah parliamentarian from the Gaza Strip, expressed deep concern over the attacks on the Internet cafes and music shops.
"A tiny group of despicable thugs is responsible for a series of attacks on various institutions," said Fatah parliamentarian Majed Abu Shamaleh of the Gaza Strip, referring to other recent attacks on schools and colleges.
"The attacks on the Internet cafes and music shops are a sign of the cultural and intellectual deterioration in Palestine," he said. "I can't believe why the police have not been able to arrest even one suspect in all the incidents. The Internet has become an inexpensive and easy source of education for our people."
"This is a dangerous group of thugs who are using Islam as a pretext to carry out their crimes," stated a senior PA official in Gaza City. "These people are distorting the image of Islam."
A local journalist told the Post that the group began operating in the Gaza Strip last October.
"The word on the street is that they belong to al-Qaida," a local journalist told the Jerusalem Post. "They are trying to impose strict Islamic teachings; they want a Taliban-style regime in the Gaza Strip. For them, Hamas and Islamic Jihad are too moderate in their views."
An urgent meeting to discuss the increasing violence and lawlessness, especially in Gaza, is scheduled for Saterday, according to PA Information Minister Mustafa Barghouti.
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