With the emergence of “Jeesh el-Umma” or the “Nation’s army” in Gaza 8months ago, which adopted Jihadi Salafi “fundamentalist” ideas and considering Al-Qaeda their “brothers in Islam”. One should wonder; to what extent does this movement gain ground in Gaza?
In the same context, Palestinian scholar, Omran Risheq in the Arab reform Bulletin attempts to analyze the growing strength of religious movements in Palestine. Apparently, the failure of the Palestinian national movements has shaken their credibility in the public eye. Hizb-al-Tahrir al-islami (the Islamic liberation army) represents one of the most influential examples of these movements; it aims to resurrect the Islamic caliphate. The remarkable point concerning these movements is that they deny the national project, and they seek a return to the fundamentals and the “righteous ancestors” to overcome the bitterness of the present and build a prosperous future. Let’s Note here that with the current balance of power favoring Israel, exhausting the options of negotiations and the significant accomplishments of the resistance, these movements began to envision their approach as the right one. The disastrous result for such movements is that they recast the Palestinian cause as a religious conflict, in addition to that they disavow the principle of the Palestinian state.
On the other hand, Hamas takes a spectator’s role, it permits the activities of these movements as long as they don’t interfere in the Palestinian politics, nor do they use force to impose their beliefs on the people. Hamas realizes the pitfall it’s trapped in, with the problems that accompanies the Israeli siege, growing poverty, the increasing prices and unemployment, so it opens the way in front of these movements where they address these issues through a comprehensive critique of modern life in the Islamic world and argue persuasively that a return to core religious values would bring social justice, good government and a higher level of moral life while putting Muslims in touch with their glorious past.
Filed under: Palestine/Israel
