Muslim Palestine: The Ideology of Hamas

The ideology of Islamic fundamentalists is of central importance in the modern world, but it is often distorted or misunderstood by the international media. This study provides an analysis of the Palestinian Hamas movement’s world-view, and shows how the theoretical framework developed by thinkers like Hassan al-Banna, Sayyud Qutb and al-Mawdudi is applied to a specific political, social and economic context. Dr Nusse explains the fundamentalist position on recent events, such as the Gulf War, the Madrid peace negotiations, and the Hebron masscre, and helps to dissipate myths surrounding modern fundamentalist movements and their overwhelming success as opposition forces in the Islamic world. Using source material in Arabic - particularly the magazine Filastin al-Muslima - a case study of fundamentalist thought is compiled. By exploring the means by which the Hamas presents such alien ideas as democracy and nationalism as authentically Islamic concepts, this book provides insights into the flexibility and pragmatism of fundamentalist thought, and how well it fits with the actual problems and desires of the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories.