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Muslim Affairs
Answer
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Name
Harith
- Malaysia
Profession
Student
Question
Assalamualaikum al-fadhl al-akh..
I would like to know how hamas views the current struggle in Palestine. Has the bros and sis benefited from the struggle. If yes, in what terms? I would also like to know how hamas sees the near-future strategy in overcoming the heavy burden placed upon hamas and our bros in Palestine? My last Question is what are the priorities in hamas's view of an Islamic Movement's struggle?
Answer
The struggle isn’t new; the Zionist project came into Palestine under the banner of a "people without land for a land without people" to establish a Jewish state on the lands of Palestine. The theory carried with such Zionist forces was that Jews are people and one nation that need one land to establish a state. And still this is their main aim which is to declare the Jewish identity of the state through the expulsion of the Palestinian people through any available mean.
At the time, the Palestinian national project was to free the Palestinian land the return of its people; all the Palestinian organizations carried the same aim. For some political changes and historical circumstances, the national planes of the various movements did not reap much benefit which caused some of the movements to give in some of their goals. Those concessions led some of the Palestinian leaders to admit the existence of Israel and to agree with Gaza and the west bank as the Palestinian land.
At that point, some other Palestinian movement rose, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as a result of people's uprisings. These movements rejected the concessions and held to the original rights of Palestinians, which created differences among Palestinians' aims.
The two parties became distinguished in the way they deal with the Palestinian cause; the official stance was leaning towards the concessions and the creation of a Palestinian state on Gaza and the west bank, while the other party that held to the Palestinian original rights were more on the societal level.
Before winning the elections, the second part (represented in Hamas) was attached through its figures and individuals, yet now a mass punishment upon people and against the party that held to the Palestinian rights.
Escalations then went on and the ideological differences led to more division among the two Palestinian parties.
Because of holding to the Palestinian rights, more than 1.5 million Palestinians are now being punished. Yet, we will still hold to the Palestinian rights.
— summarized by Editor
Name
Editor
-
Profession
Question
While admitting the right of Hamas as an elected government to practice its governance over Gaza, is there any repentance for what it did in Gaza especially when considering the consequences?
Answer
What is happening now in Gaza after the recent escalations has always been there practiced on Gaza and the West Bank; yet, recently the siege of Gaza became more tight and that of the West Bank was loosened with the participation of one Palestinian party in such siege. Hamas had no choice in such incidences since it was defending the Palestinian legitimacy from a party that was trying to spread chaos in the Palestinian street and to put down the people's choice in Gaza and the West Bank. Yet this party did even stand for three days when Hamas rose up to stand of the Palestinian legitimacy; Hamas did not want to reach to the current situation since it has always needed and called for a united Palestinian front against the occupation. That is why we heavily supported the Makkah Agreement and stood for it; however, there was the Dayton plan and the US policy that paid million of dollars to Mohamed Dahlan to form an agitating party in the Palestinian street to turn against the unity government.
Currently, we can see clearly a pattern for the US policy in the region which is support one party against the other. It support the party that would help it achieve it interests be it in Iraq, Palestine, or Lebanon; such party is always falsely appraised for standing for democracy and freedom. On the other hand, the other parties have to be fought and contained. Such US policy became clear and notorious for causing several internal tensions in many countries.
Name
Masako
- Japan
Profession
university student
Question
Assalam ‘alaikum.
Recently I heard that Hamas has made every effort to continue supporting people’s lives and meeting their needs despite the international siege of Gaza Strip, and I am so impressed with it. Now I hope that the international community including Japan to rift the siege and I strongly believe that Fatah should respond to Hamas’s call for national dialogue right now before so-called ‘negotiations’ with Israel.
But I think that Hamas is sure it is very unlikely that Fatah will respond to it right now, so I have one thing to ask you: what options does Hamas’s political bureau think about to make Fatah respond to call for dialogue?
Finally I really hope the situations will improve in favor of Palestinians. Thank you so much!
Answer
The problem in such dialogue is that the veto is coming from the US and Israeli sides. Condoleezza Rice in her recent press conference in Cairo found it strange that some parties call for a dialogue between Hamas and Fateh and was decrying any Arab state that would allow an Islamist movement to share in governance. Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, clearly mentioned that if Abbas went into negotiations with Hamas then Israel would stop its talks with Abbas.
Thus, the US and Israel are pushing so that there would be no dialogue with Fateh and Hamas; the foreign interference is the obstacle since the Arab states' stances are pro-internal dialogue. Logically, the Palestinian people cannot achieve any success while it is handcuffed and disunited.
Name
Mohammad
- Canada
Profession
Engineer
Question
Assalamu alaikum,
May Allah be with you always on your blessed mission. My question is as follows: Is it difficult that you find yourselves sometimes allied with the Syrian regime...the same regime that has jailed and persecuted Islamists in the past (particularly those in the Muslim Brotherhood)? My problem is that I fully support Hamas in its mission, but then I see Br. Khaled Mishaal give a press conference in a room under the portraits of the leaders of this regime.
All the best and Jazaka Allah khair.
Answer
Hamas is a national movement for independence with a goal of taking back the Palestinian rights; it deals with all parties be it Arab, Islamic, or international to achieve its aims. Hence, it does not interfere in any domestic affairs of any other country, and tries to keep its goals towards the Palestinian cause and rights. Hamas does not seek to transfer its slogans, programs, or ideology into any other country.
We keep our words with the other countries and keep away from their domestic affairs.
Name
Hous bin Fard'een
- Bahrain
Profession
Investment Caterer
Question
We in the Gulf are supportive of your efforts but do not want to become involved too much for our safety. What can we do?
Answer
The world global power impose its will in our region, and we represent a weak power here. The US infleuce in all regions in a storng one and has imposed some specific policies in the region and on systems; dear asker, you can see well the situation in Gaza and how it is dealt with internationally. Egypt participates in the current siege that is imposed on Gaza while the Egyptians' feelings, including that of the officials, is warm and supportive for the Palestinian cause and doesn’t agree to starve the Palestinian people. Many of patients in Gaza do die and wounded people do not get medical attention, beside that unemployment is imposed upon Palestinians in Gaza all because of the siege.
We know for sure that the situation we are living in now is abnormal but any person should never give up and should stand for the people of his Ummah and nation for the sake of justice and brotherhood.
For sure we need a solid political unity; many in our Ummah can form civil society organizations to support the Palestinians and their rights, to oppose normalization with Israel, to fiscally and sociologically support Palestinians, to condemn by pen all those who are acting to weaken the Palestinian rights. Do constant Doaa' to Allah to give victory to the resistance in Palestine and to unite the Palestinian front.
You can dedicate a portion of your money to support resistance through available means, you can always stand for justice and rights be it by an article or a demonstration, you can do many things. Because of the massive injustice in the region, there is no effort that we can exclude to get Palestinians back their rights.
Waiting till Palestine is lost would be a big catastrophe for every Arab and Muslim in the region.
Name
Harry Balz
- Costa Rica
Profession
Pharmacist
Question
Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future and the not so near future?
Answer
There wont be major changes till the end of this year; there wont be change before the end of the terms of Abbas, Olmert, and Bush end. Those three failing people regionally and internationally with a currently deteriorating popular support and mistakes in their policies, I believe that they will not be able to achieve any success to the Palestinian cause be it through Annapolis or anything else.
Yet, on the long term I am surely very optimistic because our cause has been gaining attention and people are more and more ware of it internationally. The retraction of some Palestinian movements back in the 1970s and 80s has been ending and the movements are coming back to achieve successes that were not imagined before like forcing Israel to retreat from southern Lebanon and from Gaza and the failure of Israel to achieve what it want in Gaza, that of course includes the detention of the Israel soldier in Gaza — which is claimed to be under the Israeli control.
So I believe that if the Palestinian resistance remained without being fought and without disunity many successes will follow. We are optimistic that the accumulation of such success, knowing that we wont be able to defeat Israel with the final blow, will surely reflect directly on the Palestinian cause.
Name
Editor — Abdelrahman Rashdan
-
Profession
Question
The session has ended. We would like to thank Dr. Moussa Abu Marzouq for taking the time to answer your questions, and all those who participated in the live dialogue.
We apologize for not being able to answer all the questions.
