Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip have banned Gaza clothing outlets from displaying lingerie in their shop windows, police said Thursday.
The ban was not intended to "Islamise" Palestinian society, but restore "the public morals, " Hamas police spokesman Ayman Batniji said in a statement. Shop owners who violated the new edicts would be fined, he added.
The new order calls for removing scantily clad mannequins and security cameras, and also requires shops to keep their doors open. "The police will also launch investigations into the conduct of the stores' owners to avoid any suspicious behaviour with female customers," Batniji said.
Since seizing control of the coastal salient in 2007,the Islamist Hamas has been imposing restrictions on the population which critics say impinge on personal liberties.