Hamas Made Dreams Come True

Hamas sponsors mass wedding in Palestinian refugee camp in Syria

4 August 2007

Some 60 Palestinian couples were married in a mass wedding ceremony at their refugee camp in Syria in the first event of its kind to be sponsored by the Islamist Hamas movement. The pro-Hamas marriage ceremony late Friday night was attended by 5,000 people.

It aimed to help young people deal with the prohibitive costs of marriage, according to Hamas officials at the event.

"Hamas helped me make my dreams come true. I want to thank Hamas simply because it made me happy," said 27-year-old groom Abdel Rahman Taha.

Young people in the Middle East, particularly unemployed Palestinians living in refugee camps, often put off marriage for years because of the high cost of providing a home and furnishing it.

In addition to organizing the event, Hamas provided each couple with US$1,500 (euro1,088) in a mixture of cash and household appliances, the couples said.

Source