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Following are excerpts from a report on the cancellation of the Gaza marathon, which aired on Al-Jadid/New TV on March 13, 2013:
Reporter: After lengthy negotiations between the Gaza government and UNRWA, the latter announced that the annual Gaza marathon, scheduled for next month, would be canceled. The event has already been held twice in the past two years, but the organizers were shocked when this year, the government imposed “regulations to preserve women’s modesty, and to prevent their mixing with men.” The government said that the participation of women runs counter to tradition, and was not relying directly on religious justifications.
UNRWA spokesman ‘Adnan Hasana: The authorities here in Gaza made it clear to us that they would not allow women to participate in the marathon. As a UN organization, we are committed to the laws of equality and non-discrimination on the basis of sex. Therefore, we decided not to comply, and to cancel the marathon.
Reporter: The marathon this year was planned to be the largest so far, with the participation of runners and sympathizers from around the world, including 400 women. All the proceeds would have gone to support UNRWA activities, and children’s summer camps. More importantly, this event aimed to focus attention on the complex problems of the Gaza Strip. This will not happen, and the pretext is that the marathon would bring with it a culture that is a foreign to Palestinian society.
Deputy Minister for Social Affairs Mustafa Al-Sawwaf: We are a conservative society that does not accept any form of nudity. The marathon brings together a group of men and women, and this, in itself, is forbidden, according to your values and our religion. This is why the government objected to the participation [of women] in this way.
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