Photo Gallery Hamas Targets the Upper Classes
In the spring of 2010, Alladin Mohammed al-Araj and a group of investors opened a water park in the Gaza Strip catering to a comparatively rich and elite clientele. But, in September, after the parks owners allowed female patrons to smoke water pipes there, and ignored a pair of Hamas warnings to stop, the current rulers of the Gaza Strip had the park set on fire.
Co-owner Alladin Mohammed al-Araj is surprised that Hamas chose to use his water park as a place to publicize its new hard-line policies. Between 2006 and 2007, Araj served as the economics minister for the Hamas government. Likewise, he has always cultivated close connections to those in power. "I thought I was one of the few people in Gaza that everyone got along with," he says.
As Araj figures it, the fact that he -- or his water park, at least -- has fallen out of favor now is directly related to the increases in power that hard-liners have made within the government. "Unfortunately, it's the same as in any revolution," Araj says. "The extremists are pushing their way into leadership positions."
"Thats one and a half million dollars, up in smoke," Araj says, as he sadly surveys the empty pools, a burned-out lawnmower and charred chair frames. Together with some friends, Araj had raised the funds needed to provide only the wealthiest of the Palestinians trapped within the Gaza Strip what everyone there is longing for: a little variety and a little fun.
Instead of backing down, Araj plans to reopen his Crazy Water Park. "We invested so much money, we can't just write it off," he says. But his decision to reopen the park isnt just about money; its also about defiance. "The government promised us law and order, Araj says, and arson is not consistent with my idea of the rule of law."
