Hamas Term Paper

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    Alex Popa

    4-6-2009

    Hamas Term Paper

    In Arabic, the word Hamas is an acronym for Harakat al Mawqawama al Islamiyya

    meaning courage and devotion. Towards what are this organizations courage and devotion

    focused, is hard to tell, though. For five years, in the occupied territories, following the Prophets

    wise word, Hamas acted only through charity, fulfilling for the Palestinians more than all the

    other charity organizations together. After that, Hamas continued their philanthropy but rallied at

    Jihad and declared Holy War to Israel, creating a bloody terrorist wing. Three years ago they

    won the elections but divided Palestinian National Authority and destroyed all of Arafats ideals

    and ambitions. I believe that Hamas philanthropy makes up for their terrorist wing, because

    they did a lot more for their people and when, and if, they destroy Israel, they will stop their

    bloody actions and only the charity wing of Hamas will be left.

    A Muslim who lives his life together with other Muslims, helping and sharing goods is

    better than one living in isolation and contemplation. (Muhammad)

    Its huge popularity, respect and fanatic devotion Hamas is enjoying among Palestinians

    and some leaders of Arab countries, is explained by its very consistent charity and non-profit

    program the organization had since its creation. An economic calculation shows that, in average,

    from 1987 until present day, Hamas invested every year about fifty million dollars, (more than

    half from its annual budget of $70 million) in social services in Gaza Strip and West Bank,

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    building many schools, orphanages, mosques, hospitals, clinics, kindergartens, sports centers and

    libraries. Also, Israeli researcher Rauven Paz from Haifa University admits that Approximately

    90 percent of its work is in social, welfare, cultural, and educational activities (www.cfr.org).

    State of the art of all the charity programs is Mujamma Islamic Center, organization

    founded in 1973 and integrated in Hamas in the late 80s, thanks to whom many refugees and

    homeless people got the chance to have a normal life, getting houses, social help and guidance so

    they can reintegrate into society. Through the Center, a charity system was created: in every

    Palestinian school, children are fed outside school hours, getting all 3 meals for free; in every

    neighborhood in Gaza City there is a feeding center for the poor. Also, Hamas gave many

    scholarships to young Palestinians, encouraging them to study abroad in the big Arabic

    universities in Egypt or Saudi Arabia, but also to big universities in Western Europe and United

    States. The organization practically built, in the occupied territories, the first hospitals and

    modern clinics, with brand-new gear which allowed access to the population for free or at the

    cost of a nominal fee.

    In almost 20 years, Hamas built the image of a honest, efficient and incorruptible charity

    organization, with a true aversion against corruption and the Palestinian National Authority was

    never able to provide similar social services; this way their winning of the democratic elections

    is better explained and it was called The Battle for Gaza, with 44.45% at the elections in

    January 2006. Once with winning the parliamentary elections and forming the government,

    Hamas owns all the public funds in the Palestinian National Authority although financial

    organizations, as the World Bank, IMF or other banking institutions in Europe or United States

    refused giving loans to Palestine, motivating that Hamas is, still, a terrorist organization by all

    international standards. How is then explained the immense wealth that allowed Hamas to have

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    the charity program? Historically, diverse sheiks and organizations from Saudi Arabia financially

    supported Hamas, about 50% from all their funds coming from this country. Also, a big

    supporter of Hamas was Iran, which annually gave Hamas between $20 million and $30 million.

    Also, Muslim charity societies and private funders from other Arab countries, but also from the

    US, Canada and Europe had a major contribution in organizations development and the

    implementation of their social programs. Even though the fact was not and probably will never

    be confirmed, there are a few speculations saying that in organizations early year, it received

    strong sustain by CIA and Mossad, the American and Israeli secret services wanting to create in

    Hamas an enemy of Palestinian Liberation Organization, and then Fatah. As it happened in

    Afghanistan, Iraq or Lebanon, as also other countries from Central and South America, in long

    term, these operations had a disastrous result, the supported turned against their supporters to

    whom, for a while, they did their game.

    You know what is better than philanthropy and prayer? It is maintaining peace and the

    good relations between people. Fights and bad feelings destroy humanity. Fighting evil through

    good is very good. Resisting evil through evil is even worse (Muhammad)

    In an extremely poor and shattered by conflicts region, through their charity actions,

    Hamas placed themselves as a ray of hope, their followers number growing exponentially from

    year to year. With over 2000 active members and more than 10,000 followers, if we report to the

    territory and total population of the Gaza Strip of 1.4 million residents, Hamas is one of the most

    loved organizations in the world. Five years after its founding, in 1992, Yahya Ayyash created

    the military wing of Hamas, named The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. The declared purpose

    of the Brigades was to create a military organization that would support Hamas objectives, but

    they practically created a new terrorist group. Around it many Palestinian fundamentalists and

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    nationalists were gathered. The structure of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades respects all the

    rigors of a terrorist organization: members identity and position is a secret that goes with them

    in the grave; the operation model is the same as the one Al-Qaeda uses cells that act

    independently, only the supreme leader knowing exactly what each cell is doing, where are they

    acting and who is the commander of that cell. This model allows the Brigades to continually

    regenerate, every time their people are being killed or captured. In 2004, Mossad identified two

    cell commanders Adnan al-GhoulandSalah Shahade, and the special forces assassinated them

    together with all their cells members.Mohammed Deif, Brigades current leader escaped alive

    after five assassination attempts and at present, even though is heavily wanted by the Israeli

    army, he is nowhere to be found.

    For one year since their creation,Izz ad-Din al-Qassam organized. Then, starting with

    April 1993, they went to action, rallying to Jihad and became one of the worlds most active and

    bloodiest terrorist organization. Between 1993 and 2008, the Brigades, and implicitly Hamas,

    organized approximately 360 terrorist attacks in which no less than 6000 people lost their lives.

    For comparison, in the same time period, Al-Qaeda made approximately 4500 victims, including

    the people that lost their lives in the September 112001. Hamas attack arsenal is made of

    mortars, rockets and machine guns, and the target to all the attacks was the state of Israel. As

    now, in the early years of the organization the rational and diplomatic abilities of Hamas were

    discussable; many times, the organization seeming to play against the interests of Palestinian

    National Authority, citizens and even their own interests. In 1996 the repeated bombing led by

    Hamas against the Jewish state played a major role in the elections in Israel: Shimon Peres

    Yitzhak Rabins successor, and a follower of its peace policy lost the elections.

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    The Movement welcomes all Muslims who share its beliefs and thinking, commit

    themselves to its course of action, keep its secrets and aspire to join its ranks in order to carry out

    their duty. Allah will reward them

    Allah is its goal, the Prophet its model, the Quran its Constitution, Jihad its path and

    death for the case of Allah its most sublime belief (www.thejerusalemfund.com).

    Although used by many other terrorist organizations, the bomb suicidal attacks were one

    of Hamas specialty. For these attacks, the organizations recruits young and very religious men

    who, even though are well trained men with a steady job and family, have in common an endless

    hate towards Israel. The recruits go through a very closely studied process of brainwashing and

    religious indoctrination, giving them the idea that through sacrifice they will go straight to

    Heaven where they are waited by 72 virgins. One week before the attack, the suicide bomber are

    supervised every second by two Hamas activists that constantly repeat them Koran verses,

    assuring them that they will become martyrs, that their death will be painless and look for every

    sign that might betray a future change of mind. With little time before the sacred explosion, as

    Hamas calls it, the suicide bomber has to record a video testament, and he has to watch it ten

    times along with some of his predecessors testaments to gain courage and inspiration. Finally

    the suicide bomber get a ceremonial bath, is dressed in new clean white clothes, and underneath

    them the deadly explosives are hidden. The making of one bomb costs no more than 150 dollars.

    After the attack, Hamas contacts the bombers family, congratulates them, assuring them that he

    died as a martyr in the Holy Jihad and pays them with a sum between $1,000 and $3,000,

    depending on the importance of the attack or the number of victims it made.

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    No one can get into Heaven without faith. No one can have faith except for those who

    love and respect everybody (Muhammad)

    Hamas political doctrine combines Palestinian nationalism with Islamic fundamentalism.

    The groups final purpose is the total destruction of Israel, state that Hamas doesnt recognize

    and the substitution of Palestinian National Authority with a Muslim caliphate organized by all

    the Taliban rigors. In fact, one of Hamas leaders, Abd al-Aziz Rantisi declared after the victory

    in the elections in front of the journalists that peace its no good and that they cant live with the

    enemy. The refuse to officially recognize the state of Israel, the instigation towards violence and

    the refuse of all the peace accords isolated the Gaza Strip from the rest of the world, the

    international community refusing also to accept Hamas government. From March 2006, since

    they officially gained control of the Gaza Strip, Hamas failed to unify the country towards a

    government program. Prime minister and Hamas leader from Gaza City, Ismail Haniyeh, got into

    a conflict with Khaled Meshal, organizations supreme leader, who lives in exile, in Syria, and

    the president Abbas had no success in the negotiations with them two. If he was successful, the

    result might have been the creation of an acceptable political platform for the international

    community, so that the harsh economic sanctions applied immediately after Hamas came into

    power would be lift off.

    From the second half of 2006, more and more violent fights broke out between Fatah

    members, the dead Arafats political movement which recognized Israel and radical members of

    Hamas. As a result of those fights many Palestinians lost their lives. Contrary to an accord signed

    at Mecca by Fatahs president, Mahmud Abbas and the Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, in which

    a union government was to be created, violence erupted in the summer of 2007. Over 60 Fatah

    supporters were killed and nearly 300 injured, Hamas forcing them to flee from Gaza Strip and

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    see refuge in West Bank. Also, Hamas soldiers from Izz ad-Din al-Qassam took control of all

    the government and military institutions, being a culminating moment in the civil war.

    Even though they made many victims, I think that Hamas is being judged wrong by the

    international community and they are wrongly tagged as a terrorist group. A real terrorist

    group is only interested in creating its image through attacks, while Hamas is not interested in

    that, they already have a good image among Palestinians through their charity and all the help

    they are giving. I think they helped and are still helping a lot more people than those they have

    hurt. What theyre fighting for is right; they are the rightful owners of that land.

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