To work in the public domain in Gaza or any other organization linked to Hamas, neither training nor experience are what count. According to new reports, prospective employees are increasingly required to demonstrate loyalty to Hamas-supported mosques as a prerequisite to being hired.

Mohammed Ibrahim studied social services for three years at Al-Azhar University in Gaza. Looking for a job, he went for an interview to work at a charity. Everything was going well until the employer asked him a simple question: “What is the nearest mosque to your home? We need a certificate of good conduct.”

Mohammed knew then that he would not get the job. He does not attend the mosque in his neighborhood. The case of Mohammed is far from unique, Rashad Zenhom had the same experience.

“The influence of mosques in Gaza circles is growing. They provide reports on the people. Mosques should be a spiritual place where people come to pray and not a center for gathering information,” Rashad said.

MP Faraj al-Ghoul of the Hamas-affiliated Change and Reform bloc claims that this commonly asked question at the end of a job interview has no influence on the employers’ decisions employers, but the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center in Gaza confirms having received many complaints from people seeking work in the civil service or other jobs linked to Hamas.

Palestinian society in Gaza is “diverse because we are Muslim by nature,” said Nidal Ghubn, head of the center, “but there are a lot of people who refuse to pray at mosques due to the rampant political and partisan polarization.”

Khalil Abu Shamala, director of al-Dameer Association for Human Rights, added: “What we see in Gaza proves that these parties do not want to provide employment for people who are not members of Hamas.” The director also pointed out that approximately 95% of government employees in Gaza are members of Hamas.

It is no secret that Hamas abuses mosques.

“The mosque is the fundamental basis of [our] work,” said Abu Muhammad, who is responsible for running a Hamas affiliated Mosque. “Without it, we in Hamas would not have a significant role in Palestine. We speak to all groups in a single language, seeking to draw them closer to our way of thinking.”

Since their violent takeover of Gaza in 2007, Hamas has implemented extreme measures against Gaza’s civilian population, governing in a dictatorial manner. They do not serve their civilians, rather Hamas seeks only to strengthen its own control and establish it’s totalitarian vision of society. To achieve this goal, the terrorist organization has appropriated public mosques, transforming them from places of spirituality into tools of political propaganda.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem / IDF Spokesman)