RAMALLAH, November 4 (JMCC) - A leader of a Salafi group in the Gaza Strip called in an interview for Hamas to implement sharia or Islamic law in the swathe of land it controls.

Hamas has deceived its people, said the man identified only as Abu Musaab. So far, Hamas is speaking of respecting the law (which is human-crafted) and it is ignoring the sharia, which is supposed to be the real law God implemented.

The interview was conducted by bitterlemons-international, an internet magazine published in part by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center which runs JMCC.org. The full interview will be published later Thursday.

Hamas has recently implemented a series of measures aimed at promoting a conservative agenda in the Gaza Strip. It has banned women from smoking arghileh water pipes in public places, and instituted a requirement that schoolgirls wear hijab to attend class.

Observers say that groups like Abu Musaab's and strains within Hamas itself are pressing the movement to promote a conservative social agenda.

Abu Musaab, however, speaks openly of the tensions between his organization and Hamas, and claims that the group has no desire to seize power in place of the Islamic resistance movement. Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, routing Palestinian Authority security services in bloody street fighting.