The Palestinian Legislative Council - The Washington Institute for ...

Jameela Abdallah al-Shanti
Jamila Abdullah El Shanty, Jamila Abed Allah al-Shantee
Member of Parliament – National List
#3 on Change and Reform list
Biographical Information
• Born 1955 in the Jabalia Camp
• Lives in Gaza
Personal History
• Holds an English literature degree and has spent 20 years teaching English around the
Arab world
• Currently heads the Women's Activities Division of the Palestine Islamic Movement
• Lecturer at the Islamic University
Notable Quotations
"My favorite author is Charles Dickens, but my favourite book is the Holy Koran."
--The Telegraph, February 2006
"We are going to lead factories. We are going to lead farmers."
--The New York Times, February 2006
"We are angry - very, very, very angry. No one can say a bad word about our prophet." – on the
Danish Cartoons
--The New York Times, February 2006
"There are traditions here that say that a woman should take a secondary role - that she should
be at the back, but that is not Islam. Hamas will scrap many of these traditions. You will find
women going out and participating"
--BBC News, March 2006
"We will bring back Islamic thought and heritage through the media and through education. These
people will come to understand their culture. But we will not seize their freedoms from them."
--BBC News, March 2006
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