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Islamic Fundamentalism by Ziad Abu Amr The emergence of Islamic fundamentalism among Palestinians, in both Palestine and the Diaspora, and the rise of Islamic political groups in the Occupied Territories started in the late 1970s and coincided with an Islamic revival throughout the Arab world. The rise of Islamic fundamentalism among Palestinians may be attributed to a number of factors. The first is the loss of Palestine in 1948. The establishment of a Jewish state in its place is perceived by Islamic fundamentalists as an encroachment on Muslim land. Israel is considered an alien body in the heart of the Arab and Muslim worlds, and a spearhead of Western hegemony. The second factor is the 1967 defeat of the Arab states by Israel. This defeat and the subsequent Israeli occupation of the remainder of Palestine and other Arab land have forced Palestinians and other Arabs to acknowledge their weakness. Fundamentalists usually attribute this weakness to secularism and the failure to embrace Islam and apply its teachings. Third is the Islamic revolution of 1979 in Iran. This is perhaps the most important factor in the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in general, and in Palestine in particular. The revolution restored confidence in Islam as a viable alternative to secularism and provided Muslims in other countries with a model to emulate. The fourth factor is the decline of the PLO [Palestine Liberation Organization] that began in the late 1970s. This decline was a function of several setbacks suffered by the PLO, which prevented the organization from winning the independence for Palestine to which it had committed itself and that had inspired its widespread acceptance. The PLO’s consequent evolution from ideological purity to political pragmatism created an ideological vacuum that was soon filled by Islam, the only available alternative. Fifth is the Palestinian popular uprising of 1987, the intifada. This, clearly, was the most important factor in the growth of Palestinian Islamic fundamentalism. The intifada defined the content of Palestinian Islamic fundamentalism as nationalist and political, projecting it as a movement whose primary objectives, as illustrated by the charter of the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS), were resistance to Israeli occupation and liberation of Palestine. The prominent and effective participation of the Islamic movement in the intifada created significant popular support, and it emerged as a serious rival to the PLO, challenging its political program and contending with it for the leadership of Palestinian society. Hamas is considered the most influential of the Palestinian fundamentalist groups. It is known for its extensive following, particularly compared to that of the other two groups, and for its military wing, Kata’ib Izz al-Din al-Qassam (Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades). The Islamic Jihad is narrowly based and more action oriented than the other two groups, focusing on violent acts of resistance to Israeli occupation… The Palestinian Muslim fundamentalists have opposed the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, the Oslo Declaration of Principles of September 13, 1993, and subsequent Palestinian-Israeli agreements; they have also refused to participate in the Palestinian Authority, which was [first] established in Gaza and Jericho. In the aftermath of several suicide bombings carried out by members of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad inside Israel in 1996, which resulted in the deaths of scores of Israelis, the Palestinian Authority subjected the two movements to harsh measures, including a ban on their military wings, imprisonment of their leaders and members, and closure of several institutions belonging to them.” |
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