In our ironic story of the day, Hamas is shutting down Fatah’s Friday prayers in Gaza, because they know very well how much rage can be evoked by a skillful Sheikh.

GAZA, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Hamas on Tuesday banned open-air prayers organised by the rival Fatah faction in the Gaza Strip, gatherings that have turned into weekly protests against the territory’s Islamist rulers.

Backed by a ruling by the pro-Hamas Palestine Clerics Federation, Hamas’s Gaza-based government said it had “decided to prevent any gatherings under the pretext of Friday (Muslim) prayers”.

In a statement, the Hamas administration said Fatah had used outdoor worship on the Muslim rest day to sow “chaos and sedition” in the Gaza Strip.

Over the past several weeks, Friday prayers organised by Fatah, headed by Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas, have led to clashes with Hamas security forces.

The clerics federation, in a religious edict, said the violence at the gatherings violated the sanctity of Friday worship.