Hamas tries to restrict woman in public

There's a reason why everyone, believers and non-believers, should worry if a religious group obtains political power.  The temptation to take a religion's private mores and apply them to the public at large is too great.

MSNBC reports:

An attempt by Hamas police to detain a young woman walking with a man along the Gaza beach has raised alarms that the Islamic militant group is seeking to match its political control of the coastal territory with a strict enforcement of Islamic law.

The incident was the first time Hamas has openly tried to punish a woman for behaving in a way it views as un-Islamic since seizing power two years ago. But it follows months of quiet pressure on Gaza's overwhelmingly conservative 1.4 million residents to abide by its strict religious mores.

More burkha logic, where one's private moral standards must become a cultural standard applicable to all.

Hamas police spokesman Islam Shahwan denied the incident took place but said Gaza residents "must preserve our customs and Islamic traditions.

God help you if you find yourself subscribing to the wrong religion.