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Special Dispatch |3319|October 26, 2010 Palestinian Media Studies Project From the Palestinian Media Studies Project Today

The following are reports released today from the MEMRI Palestinian Media Studies Project. Visit daily at http://www.memri.org/palestinianmediastudiesproject. Special Dispatch No. 3319 Palestinian Reformist: The Islamization of the Palestinian Cause is an Obstacle to Its Resolution In an interview posted on the liberal Arab website Aafaq on October 4, 2010, Palestinian reformist Zainab Rashid said that the Arab dictatorial regimes exploit the Palestinian cause in order to divert attention from their own domestic problems and suppress initiatives of democratization and reform. She also opposed the Islamization of the Palestinian cause, saying the Palestinian issue will never be resolved as long as it is construed as a religious struggle destined to continue until Judgment Day. She argued that violence and extremism in the Arab and Islamic world stem from Islam's religious and legal texts, and called upon Arab intellectuals to renounce such texts, and to struggle for one supreme goal: "the secularization of the state and of society – which is to say, complete separation of religion and state." Following are excerpts from the interview. Who Is Zainab Rashid? Q: "...Who is Zainab Rashid? As a woman living in Ramallah, how has your 'controversial' personality been shaped by the oppressive atmosphere in which women live in Arab states? What motivates you in choosing the topics you write about?" A: "My name is Zainab Rashid and I am a Palestinian who experiences and endures the same things suffered by any Palestinian woman... The suffering [of the Palestinian woman] is two-fold: she lives in a chauvinistic society, which continues to treat women as immature and incompetent beings... and she suffers [both] from the occupation and from the rule [of the Palestinian Authority], whose methods, until some three years ago... resembled the methods of gangs rather than institutions..." The Palestinians Are Acting against Their Own National Interests Q: "In your recent article, you declared yourself a Palestinian. Many, however, view the things you write as offensive and hostile to Islam. What makes people question your Palestinian identity and accuse you of being hostile to Islam?" To read in full, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4702.htm. MEMRI TV Clip No. 2650 - Fatah Official Hatem Abd Al-Qadr: "I Don't Believe We Can Achieve Anything in the Negotiations Without Resistance" Following are excerpts from an interview with Hatem Abd Al-Qadr, who is in charge of the Jerusalem portfolio in the Fatah movement. The interview aired on Al-Jazeera TV on October 15, 2010. To view this clip, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2650.htm.