Talk about those unintended consequences.

Fatah in its desperate bid to win Palestinian hearts and minds away from Hamas has arrested most of the local imans from the 'West Bank' which in turn is causing a severe iman shortage. Taken from the Globe and Mail:

The strategy has helped Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas strengthen his hold on power here, after losing Gaza to Hamas in bloody clashes last summer. But now, his government faces a new problem: a chronic shortage of preachers across the West Bank during Islam's holiest month.

"We are in the midst of a major imam shortage," said Jamal Tawalbeh, the Palestinian minister of religious affairs. "Many of our mosques are now empty. We have requested emergency help from the government," he said. By the government's own estimates, nearly 2,000 mosques lack qualified preachers.

Local "volunteers" have temporarily taken up those posts. In some cases, these new recruits are unlikely stand-ins."The local commander of the al-Aqsa martyrs brigade was leading prayers for several weeks. And he had a gun," complained one worshipper at the al-Raouda mosque in Nablus.

Got to give Fatah credit for employing a real win-win strategy - call to prayer today and be prepared to implode tomorrow.