Look for the Hamas/Fatah civil war to re-ignite Friday

For the past few weeks, Fatah has held "prayer gatherings" in Gaza as a protest against Hamas. Last week's ended up with 11 Fatah members injured.

This week, Hamas has issued a fatwa against these outdoor prayers:

The de facto Palestinian government in the Gaza Strip has decided to ban what they call "political prayer" on Fridays in public squares. The head of the union of Palestinian religious intellectuals in the Gaza Strip, Marwan Abu Ras, on Monday issued a fatwa declaring participation in such prayers a sin.

"The open-air prayers go beyond simply worship and are being used to create chaos and terrorism," the spokesperson of the deposed Ministry of the Interior, Eyhab Al-Ghussein told Ma'an. He pledged that the security services would impose security and order in Gaza Strip by any means necessary.

Abu Ras, who issued the fatwa, explained that during last Friday prayers last week, some worshippers were smoking, wearing golden chains, and even selling food and drink – activities that are not in keeping with the sacredness of Friday prayers. "The purpose behind that prayer was absolutely something beyond worship, " he said.

Tahir Nono, a spokesperson of the deposed government confirmed that his government decided to ban public gatherings on Fridays which he said were held in the guise of Friday prayers.

Of course, Fatah has its own imams who are more than thrilled to create their own opposing fatwas allowing prayer outside mosques:(autotranslated from PalPress):

Presse decreed Samaha Dr. Sheikh Tayseer Tamimi, Chief Judge of Palestine Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council legitimate passport prayers outside mosques in the open and public squares, stressing that the official is authorized to issue advisory opinions are only Shariah courts or Dar Al-Fatwa.

His eminence pointed out that the fatwa inadmissibility Friday prayers in the open is not based on the text or forensic evidence, stressing that the Koran anecdotes and actual expressly stipulated passport prayer anywhere, he said peace be upon him (and made me land mosques and purifying فايما man farce hammer prayer فليصل) Tellers Bukhari, the Prophet peace be upon him lead prayers holidays and edema and funeral outside Nabawi Mosque in Medina Chapel, located in the open door at the east.

Now that Fatah and Hamas have enlisted both politics and religion into their positions, we can be sure that Friday's prayers will be a blast.