Hamas' Faith: Understanding Their Religious Ideology

Hamas, an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya, is an Islamist militant group that spun off from the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in the late 1980s. It is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islamist political organisation with a military wing called the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Hamas has governed the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip since 2007, when it defeated its rival political party, Fatah, in elections.

Hamas is dedicated to the establishment of an independent Islamic state in historical Palestine and rejects the existence of Israel, which it claims is occupying Palestine. It has engaged in violent resistance against Israel, including suicide bombings and rocket attacks, and has been designated a terrorist organisation by several countries.

Hamas was founded by Palestinian Islamic scholar Ahmed Yassin in 1987, after the outbreak of the First Intifada against the Israeli occupation. Its charter, published in 1988, called for the murder of Jews and the destruction of Israel. In 2017, Hamas presented a new charter that removed explicit references to killing Jews but still refused to recognise Israel.

Hamas has a host of leadership bodies that perform various political, military, and social functions. Its most important ally in the region is Iran, but it has also received significant support from Turkey and Qatar.

Hamas's 2023 surprise attack on southern Israel, which killed nearly 1,200 people, was its deadliest assault on Israel to date and has resulted in an ongoing war with Israel, which has killed many of the group's senior leaders.

Hamas is an acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement

Hamas, an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya ("Islamic Resistance Movement"), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islamist political organisation with a military wing called the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. It has governed the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip since 2007.

Hamas was founded by Palestinian Islamic scholar Ahmed Yassin in 1987, after the outbreak of the First Intifada against the Israeli occupation. It emerged from his 1973 Mujama al-Islamiya Islamic charity affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas is one of the wings of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine.

Hamas's programme is Islam. From it, it draws its ideas, ways of thinking and understanding of the universe, life and man. It resorts to it for judgement in all its conduct, and it is inspired by it for guidance of its steps.

Hamas has called on members of the other two Abrahamic faiths—Judaism and Christianity—to accept Islamic rule in the Middle East. It has also rejected any prospect of peace or coexistence with the state of Israel.

Hamas's statements have often sounded contradictory—in one moment calling for liberation of all the lands that were part of historic Palestine and in another moment claiming Hamas could live alongside another state based on the 1967 borders, when Israel seized Gaza from Egypt.

In 2017, Hamas amended its charter to remove a call for Israel’s destruction. Nonetheless, the group does not recognize Israel as a state and continues to advocate all forms of resistance against the country.

Hamas is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islamist political organisation

Hamas, an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya ("Islamic Resistance Movement"), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islamist political organisation. It was founded in 1987 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, a Palestinian cleric who became an activist in local branches of the Muslim Brotherhood after dedicating his early life to Islamic scholarship in Cairo. Hamas is the de facto governing body in the Gaza Strip, having ousted the Palestinian Authority from power in 2007.

Hamas is committed to armed resistance against Israel and to the creation of a Palestinian state. It has engaged in several rounds of violent conflict with Israel, including the most recent in October 2023, when Hamas launched a massive surprise attack, killing nearly 1,200 people.

Hamas's charter, published in 1988, calls for the murder of Jews and the destruction of Israel, and for the establishment of an Islamic society in historic Palestine. In 2017, Hamas amended its charter to remove a call for Israel's destruction. However, it still does not recognise Israel as a state and continues to advocate for all forms of resistance against the country.

Hamas is the largest and most capable militant group in the Palestinian territories and is one of the territories' two major political parties. It has a host of leadership bodies that perform various political, military, and social functions. It is funded by Iran, one of its primary sources of support, as well as by Palestinian expatriates and private donors in the Persian Gulf.

Hamas has a strong base of support in the Gaza Strip and has won a majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council. It has promoted Palestinian nationalism in an Islamic context and has governed the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip since 2007.

Hamas was founded by Palestinian Islamic scholar Ahmed Yassin in 1987

Hamas, an acronym for the Arabic phrase "Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah", meaning "Islamic Resistance Movement", was founded by Palestinian Islamic scholar Ahmed Yassin in 1987, after the outbreak of the First Intifada against the Israeli occupation. Yassin, a quadriplegic and partially blind cleric, was the founder and spiritual leader of Hamas, a Sunni Islamist group.

Yassin was born in Ashkelon, in Mandatory Palestine, in 1929 or 1936. His family fled or were expelled during the 1948 Palestine War to Gaza City. Yassin, who had been reliant on a wheelchair since the age of 12 due to a sporting accident, became actively involved in setting up a Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1973. The Islamic charity Mujama al-Islamiya, established by Yassin, was recognised by Israel in 1979.

In 1987, during the First Intifada, Yassin co-founded Hamas with Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, calling it the "paramilitary wing" of the Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islamist political organisation with a military wing called the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. It has governed the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip since 2007.

Hamas has promoted Palestinian nationalism in an Islamic context, initially seeking a state in all of former Mandatory Palestine. However, it has since acquiesced to 1967 borders in agreements signed with Fatah. In 2017, Hamas released a new charter that supported a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders without recognising Israel.

Hamas has historically sought relations with Egypt, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Turkey. It has engaged in protracted armed conflict with Israel, with key aspects including the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the status of Jerusalem, Israeli settlements, borders, water rights, the permit regime, Palestinian freedom of movement, and the Palestinian right of return.

Yassin was killed in an Israeli attack in 2004. He was being wheeled out of an early morning prayer session in Gaza City when an Israeli helicopter gunship fired missiles at him and his bodyguards. Yassin's funeral procession was attended by 200,000 people in Gaza.

Hamas is the de facto governing body in the Gaza Strip

Hamas, an acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement, is the de facto governing body in the Gaza Strip. It has been governing the region since 2007, when it ousted the Palestinian Authority from power.

Hamas was founded in 1987 by Palestinian Islamic scholar Ahmed Yassin, emerging from his Mujama al-Islamiya Islamic charity, which was affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas has been described as a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islamist political organisation with a military wing called the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.

In the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, Hamas secured a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council by campaigning on promises of a corruption-free government and advocating for resistance as a means to liberate Palestine from Israeli occupation. Following this victory, conflicts arose between Hamas and the rival Palestinian faction Fatah, which they were unable to resolve. In June 2007, Hamas defeated Fatah in a series of violent clashes and took control of the Gaza Strip.

Since then, Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip separately from the Palestinian National Authority, with both administrations regarding themselves as the sole legitimate government of the Palestinian National Authority. However, the international community has recognised the Ramallah administration as the legitimate government.

Hamas has promoted Palestinian nationalism within an Islamic context and has engaged in protracted armed conflict with Israel. It has attacked Israeli civilians and launched rockets at Israeli cities, with Israel responding with widespread air and artillery strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza.

Hamas has amended its charter over the years, and in 2017, it removed a call for Israel's destruction. However, Hamas does not recognise Israel as a state and continues to advocate for all forms of resistance against the country.

Hamas is designated as a terrorist organisation by several countries

Hamas, an acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement, is designated as a terrorist organisation by several countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, and the European Union. The US State Department designated Hamas as a foreign terrorist organisation in October 1997.

Hamas is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islamist political organisation with a military wing called the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. It has been the de facto governing body in the Gaza Strip since 2007, when it ousted the Palestinian Authority from power. Hamas is committed to armed resistance against Israel and the creation of a Palestinian state. The group has engaged in several rounds of violent conflict with Israel, including the 2023 attack that killed nearly 1,200 people.

Hamas's tactics include the use of improvised explosive devices, rockets, mortars, small arms, and unmanned aircraft systems. The group also engages in cyber espionage, computer network exploitation, and kidnapping operations. They have also been accused of using human shields and committing extrajudicial killings.

Hamas is designated as a terrorist organisation due to its use of violence and commitment to armed resistance against Israel. The group's charter calls for the establishment of an Islamic Palestinian state in place of Israel and rejects all agreements between the PLO and Israel. Hamas has also been accused of promoting antisemitic rhetoric and inciting violence against civilians.

While Hamas is designated as a terrorist organisation by several countries, it is not universally recognised as such. Some countries, including Russia, Turkey, and Iran, do not consider Hamas to be a terrorist organisation. Hamas has also been able to establish relations with other countries, such as Qatar and Turkey, which provide financial and political support.

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