Bowling for Hamas

Those who read the Blank Pages will no doubt be well aware that the usual suspects who are supposed to bring you the news from the Middle East rarely highlight the fact that one of the worst tyrannies in the Arab world is the thugocracy that rules Gaza - Hamas. Some of them even go to such great lengths as to write six page supplements about the place without deigning to mention the word "Hamas".

It will come as a surprise therefore to their readers who don't go anywhere else for their news exactly what a bunch of murderous bastards they've hitched their wagons to - but only if they decided to read newspapers that provide the full picture.

Gaza's elected Islamist rulers crack down on secular community

After nearly four years of Hamas rule, the Gaza Strip's small secular community is in tatters, decimated by the militant group's campaign to impose its strict version of Islam in the coastal territory.

We saw Hamas in action when the movement wiped out opposition in the 2007 coup, in some cases throwing them off the roofs of apartment buildings.

This is only the tip of the iceberg and if the people of Gaza decided to protest against Hamas, Khaddafy's butchery of last week would look like a picnic.