HAMAS - what are they really all about?

Jan. 4, 2009 Palestinian Media Watch www.pmw.org.il

PMW's Background Brief on Hamas #1: Extermination of Jews

by Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook

TO UNDERSTAND the causes of the Gaza conflict, it is essential to understand the Hamas ideology. Hamas presents itself as an Islamic supremacist movement. Its charter opens with a quote from the Quran: "You [Islamic nation] are the best nation that hath been raised up unto mankind." [3: 110] However, whereas many religions and cultures believe that their own traditions represent messages of truth, Hamas believes that this supremacy of Islam obligates them to commit genocide, literally to exterminate millions of people who have different beliefs, including the Jews.

The following are some recent examples of Hamas defining this ideology of genocide, as it applies to Jews:

1- Quran condemns Jews to extermination
"The Meccan [Quran] chapter entitled 'Jews' or 'Children of Israel' is remarkable... It's about today's Jews, those of our century, and speaks only of extermination and digging graves... This chapter sentences the Jews to extermination before a single Jew existed on earth... Palestine's blessing is linked to destruction of the center of global corruption [Jews of Israel], the snake's head. When the snake's head of [global] corruption is cut off, here in Palestine, and when the octopus's [Jew's] tentacles are cut off around the world, the real blessing will come with the destruction of the Jews, here in Palestine, and it is one of the splendid real blessings in Palestine." [Palestinian cleric ,Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), July 13, 2008]

2- Jews to face yet another Holocaust
Headline: "Suffering by Fire is Jews' destiny in this world and next."
"... you will taste the punishment of Scorching Fire." [Quran 3:181]
"This [Quran] verse threatens the Jews with the punishment of Fire... the reason for the punishment of Fire is it is fitting retribution for what they have done... but the urgent question is, is it possible that they will have the punishment of Fire in this world, before the great punishment [of Fire in Hell] ... many of the [Islamic] religious leaders believe that the [Jews'] punishment of Fire is in this world, before the next world... therefore we are sure that the Holocaust is still to come upon the Jews." [Sheikh Yunus Al-Astal, Hamas MP, in his regular column in Al-Rissala, (Hamas weekly) March 13, 2008]

It is important to note that the Hamas MP switched words in the last sentence, from the word he used throughout, "harik", which means "fire", to "mahraka" a word from the same root, that is used by Arabic speakers to mean "holocaust."

3 - Muhammad's promise: Jews will be killed
"Regarding the Jews, our business with them is only through bombs and guns... the prophet [Muhammad] promised that we will fight you, with Allah's help, until the tree and stone say: "Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him."
[Nizar Rayan, Hamas religious and military leader, Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), Jan. 1, 2009. Note: Rayan was killed on Jan. 2, 2009]

4 - Extermination of Jews - good for humanity
In an article promoting the continued use of suicide terror in the official Hamas newspaper:
"We find more than one condemnation and denunciation of the resistance operations and bombings [suicide attacks], carried out by Hamas and the Palestinian resistance branches... [Eventually] everyone will know that we did this only because our Lord commanded so: 'I did it not of my own accord' [Quran] and so that people will know that the extermination of Jews is good for the inhabitants of the worlds."
[Al-Rissala, (Hamas weekly) April 23, 2007]

5- Kill a Jew go to Heaven
A poster that Hamas posted on its old web site taught that killing a Jew is enough to grant the rewards of Heaven.

Text on Hamas poster: "I will knock on Heaven's doors with the skulls of Jews."
Axe is crashing through the word: "Jews."
[URL on poster, Hamas terror wing: "Ezz Din Al Kassam"]

6- Resurrection dependent on Muslims killing Jews (1)
Hamas goes even further in its religious packaging of genocide. Hamas teaches that the redemption of all of humanity, the anticipated Islamic "Hour" of Resurrection, will happen only when Muslims are killing Jews and the remaining Jews will be exposed by the trees and stones.
Hamas write in Article 7 of the Hamas Charter:
"Hamas has been looking forward to implement Allah's promise whatever time it might take. The prophet [Muhammad] said: 'The time (of Resurrection) will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews; until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: 0 Muslim! there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him!'"
[Sahih Muslim, Book 041, Number 6985]

7- Resurrection dependent on Muslims killing Jews (2)
The Hamas belief that Jews must be killed for redemption to occur is a repeating theme of religious leaders on Palestinian Authority (Fatah) and Hamas TV. The following is one example:

"'The Hour [Resurrection] will not take place until the Muslims fight the Jews and the Muslims kill them, and the rock and the tree will say: 'Oh, Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, kill him!' We must remind our Arab and Muslim nation, its leaders and people, its scholars and students, remind them that Palestine and the Al Aqsa mosque will not be liberated through summits nor by international resolutions, but it will be liberated through the rifle."
[Hamas Spokesman, Dr. Ismail Radwan, PA TV, March 30, 2007]

Conclusion:

Given this Hamas ideology of genocide, the essential problem with Hamas is not the missiles and rockets it showers on Israel, but the core belief that killing Jews is a prerequisite to redemption. Hamas's ongoing attempts to kill Jews, which have led to the current Gaza War, are a symptom of the far deeper problem -- the ideology teaching that Allah demands the extermination of Jews.

Israel and the West must create a strategy not only to destroy the terror infrastructures of Hamas, but to ultimately ensure that Jews and the world are safe from this ideology and its consequences.

This is the first of a series of
PMW background briefings on Hamas ideology.

www.pmw.org.il

Comments :

Nonsense

What nonense.

If muslims are so keen to kill Jews then how come there are so many middle eastern Jews?

How come muslim and jew have lived side by side for centuries?

How come muslim men are permitted marry Jews, and are instructed to not interfere with their wife's faith?

How come muslims regard Jews as fellow children of the book, and closest amongst all the faiths?

It might interest you to know that it was the Israelis who fostered Hamas in an attempt to undermine Fatah. Hamas is around twenty years old, while the illegal occupation is forty years old. Hamas is a sympton, not the cause of, Palestinian suffering.

Hamas the Terrorist Organisation

Hamas is still a group of murderous thugs or haven't you seen the news this century? As for how wonderful it is for a Muslim man to marry a Jew without interfering with her faith, Woppide-doooo!!!!!!! welcome to what the rest of the world considers normal. What the heck? That's the best you can do? So this makes Hamas the noble defender of honour? Give your head a shake.

naive analysis that only naive ppl would enjoy reading

despite that I totally disagree with Hamas, I dont have to spread lies and half truths, the problem is that if you face occupation and siege in your own place then Im sure you will justify everything you do, but just coz Israelis are powerful this will automatically give them immunity from even the blame, and the black sheep will always be blamed for.
STOP STOP STOP slandering any group that you dont agree with.
one day Israel will apologise for the Palesinians just the same way as the racists in South Africa did. lets face it.

half truths

I would like to support the fact that Jews and Muslims have lived together in peace in many cases for centuries. I live in Haifa and am active in interfaith activities. Very few Muslims are terrorists, most Christians do not view us as Christ killers, and most Israelis do not want Gaza and The West Bank. On the other hand, Hamas was not fostered by Israel. We have tried to return the The West Bank and Gaza since 1967. But, their rulers must accept our right to exist and not fire nine thousand missles at us when we withdraw and demand an end to our nation. One and one half million Israelis are of Arab descent. They are Muslims and Christians and obviouly were not driven from their homes. Hamas is a fanatac entity with strong ties to Iran and a hatred to the west. The Palestinians are responsible for their own form of government, not us. The struggles between east and west date back for centuries not sixty years. I would like to see Israel and all it's neighbors negotiate in good will without any outside influences. The first step is mutual recognition and full, not half truths starting with the fact the refusal of our neighbors to recognize our nation is the core problem in this area.
Earl Shugerman
Haifa

East and West half truths

I am no Biblical scholar, or indeed scholar of any kind, but does not the problem go right back to Isaac and Ishmael and that old evil, jealousy ?
God made provision for all, but we always want what the other fellow has got it seems. Big problems only need a small beginning for millions to get on the bandwaggon for their own ends. Every Blessing to Israel and her neighbours - Enid.

See the bigger picture

The article indicates a truth that the objective of Hamas is to exterminate all Jews; I believe that because that is exactly what they say, and try to do, it is just that they are not very good at it. Hamas and Fatah and other Muslim fundamentalist organizations have been set up specifically to take over the land of Israel and exterminate its people. Is it any wonder then that the Arab residents of Israel (who call themselves Palestinians and the land they call Palestine) are suffering from their own self inflicted jihad against Israel. That is why there are border controls and walls.

Many Arabs would like to see the Jews exterminated. Their book and Imams tell them that this is not only OK but right because it is Allah's will.

I think we see in the Middle East the front line of a conflict that has been simmering for about 4000 years and will become global soon. Benyamin Netanyahu said to a BBC reporter during the recent incursion of Israel into Gaza that it is us today, it will be you tomorrow. If Hamas succeed in their objectives the whole non Muslim world is next, fundamentalist Islam says so. Get the perspective of the big picture.

again half truths

FYI: Fatah has nothing to do with the fact they are (Islamic fundamentalists) they are secular