Hamas orders headscarf for Gaza lawyers

Hamas has ordered female lawyers in the Gaza Strip to wear the headscarf in court, Palestinian officials said on Sunday.

But the decision by Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdul-Raouf Halabi, which takes effect on September 1, was slammed by the territory's bar association.

"We refuse to comply with the decision," said Salamat Bessisso, president of the association.

The headscarf, or hijab, is compulsory for women in Iran and Saudi Arabia and has seen an increase in recent years in other Muslim countries. It is considered a symbol of women's modesty in Islam.

The Hamas movement seized power in the Gaza Strip in 2007 but has since imposed few Islamic rules on the territory's 1.5 million inhabitants.

We refuse to comply with the decision

Salamat Bessisso, president Gaza bar association