Rational Americans have been horrified watching the takeover of college and university campuses by violent anti-Israel/pro-Hamas protesters. They have left terrified Jewish students and, now at the University of Southern California, canceled commencement ceremonies in their wake. A large number of these pro-Hamas protesters are young women. There is often amusement among conservatives when we see signs that show slogans like "Queers for Palestine," given the known treatment of gays in the Middle East. While it is a pretty good guess that most of these young people really don't know what they are protesting, it might also be an equally good guess that many of these young women, who no doubt call themselves "feminists," have no clue what members of Hamas' views on women are. Forgive me for assuming your gender, "ladies," but class is now in session.

It’s hilarious how liberal women, who CLAIM to be “feminists” are the ones who defend #Hamas, a troglodyte, misogynistic death cult, that would drag them back to their lairs in #Gaza, to be tortured, raped and murdered! #LiberalsAreStupid

— David Higgins (@dhiggins63) April 24, 2024

As of 2018, women comprised approximately half of the population in Gaza, but very often, they are denied basic human rights. The 1988 charter that Hamas adopted might sound slightly flowery, reading in part that Muslim women "manufacture men and play a great role in guiding and educating the [new] generation." But that is where the flowery prose ends. The political representation is almost non-existent — in 2007, there was just one female minister in the unity government, and in 2014, there was still just one woman. Just 3.8 percent of those working in the legislative arena in Gaza are women.

There is much economic discrimination against women in Gaza. The female labor force is around 22 percent, the world average being about 50 percent. Since Hamas became the governing body in Gaza, the female unemployment rate has increased to 62 percent, a roughly 27 percent increase. Women own barely any property, primarily because Sharia law dictates that women are only entitled to half of the inheritances of men. 

I am confused as to why all these college age women are supporters of Hamas. Where is the outrage over the lack of women’s rights in Gaza under Hamas?

— Debra Lewis (@DebraLe64550840) April 19, 2024

While some women are doctors, lawyers, and other prestigious professions, educational opportunities are limited because of laws and societal norms. Media outlets in Gaza do not shy away from slandering women as well. One Hamas-affiliated journalist once claimed that women were responsible for swine flu. Sounding good yet, girls? Wait, it gets way better.

There is a healthy number of October 7 "truthers" who believe that the violence in Israel was perpetrated by Israel itself, possibly with the help of the U.S. Whether the ladies of the American pro-Hamas movement choose to believe it or not, the level of sexual violence inflicted on Israeli women was off the charts. It is a fairly regular happening in Gaza. There are no laws in Gaza against physical, sexual, or verbal violence against women within a family. Want to report abuse? Good luck with that. Gaza police intentionally do not report all complaints that happen every year to discourage women from reporting abuse and to solve it among family members. Often, these cases are not handled discreetly, and women face public shame. Want some more feminism-Gaza style? Twenty-nine percent of women are married before the age of 18, and 13.4 percent are married before age 15. This is eyebrow-raising even for the rest of the Middle East, where, on average, 18 percent of women are married before age 18, and just three percent before age 15. 

Let's not forget, all of you Hamas-supporting girl-power feminists, the code of modesty. Don't think you will leave the house without covering your head. Oh sure, you are doing it now while you are busy being a "revolutionary" because you want to. In Gaza, if your head is not covered, you just might get a visit from the modesty police, and it won't be a pleasant one. Of course, you all know that any testimony you might give is only worth half that of a man, and if you have had enough of the rest of it and want a divorce, you will have to pay your husband. But this was a favor done for women by Hamas to "improve" their condition. Your husband can divorce you for free for any reason he likes. Then there are things like riding a motorcycle, public smoking, learning to drive without a man present, and even having a male hairdresser are no-nos in Gaza. Feeling empowered yet?

So, for all of these young women protesting on college campuses, does your hatred of Israel and Jews outweigh any concern for the lives the girls and women in Gaza that you claim to support are forced to endure at the hands of the men of Hamas? Is this the feminism you claim to champion? You are nothing but feminist frauds. Class dismissed.  

Don't those pro Hamas-Palestinian students know that music and dance is banned in Gaza by Hamas, along with alcohol, LGBTQ, women's rights.... https://t.co/Bx9YJ8coAQ

— Philip Crook🇬🇧🇮🇱🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (@PhilipCrook9) April 22, 2024