Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 13, 1994 TAG: 9408050012
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP LENGTH: Medium
``No, I will not wear the veil,'' she said. ``I don't think Gaza women are asked to wear a veil.''
Arafat, with her elegant suit, diamond studs and long blond hair, is not the typical conservative Gaza woman who covers herself in a traditional show of modesty.
As the de facto ``first lady'' of the autonomous areas, the 30-year-old Arafat pledged to make humanitarian and women's issues her top priorities.
She said she has Yasser Arafat's support for that.
It still is unclear how much support Arafat, born Suha Tawil, will get from Gazans. Born to a Westernized Christian family, she was raised in the West Bank town of Ramallah and lived in France for a time. She converted to Islam to marry Arafat.
Her remarks about the veil were not popular with leaders of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas.
``Our women are conservative women who follow the laws of Islam,'' said Hamas activist Salem Salameh. ``She isn't familiar with Gaza society and may still be under the influence of her French surroundings.''
Arafat said she is determined to change the image of the Gaza Strip as a backward and impoverished place.
``If Gaza is conservative and poor, it's because of the occupation. The Palestinians are not a backward people. The occupation destroyed the infrastructure and it's not our fault that we are in this situation.''
Arafat has been criticized for trying to wield too much influence over her husband, prompting some Gazans to compare her to Hillary Clinton and jokingly to dub her Hillary Tawil Arafat.
She says, however, that she will not emulate any of the world leaders' wives in her efforts to improve the status of women.
``I respect them. I like them. But our situation is different, and I don't compare myself to anyone,'' she said.
Arafat said her husband probably will not share her one-story, whitewashed villa, which belongs to a wealthy Gazan architect.
An army of workers had been working for more than a month, installing air conditioners and a security system in the villa in a quiet street in Gaza's upscale Rimal neighborhood.
``I don't think he will live here. I don't know if I'm going to stay here. This is just a temporary residence,'' she said. ``You never know with Abu Ammar. ... He's always full of surprises.''
by CNB