“We need to engage with the world, not isolate ourselves.”

So says Said al-Bettar, writer/director/star of The Women of Gaza and the Patience of Job – now playing in Gaza City.

Mr. Bettar, who is not a follower of Hamas, is nonetheless being allowed to stage a play where the entire cast (apart from himself) is female, and women sing on stage, something that is frowned upon by religious Muslims. This is part of a new strategy by Hamas to turn away from rockets, and towards PR – culture being part of this push for world opinion.

See the article here in the New York Times

• 24 07 2009 - 07:26