Hamas …

Posted in Palestine on July 18th, 2007

Hamas … - by Egyptaya - 07/17/07

From the depth of suffering, from the longing for justice, from the believing hearts of some Muslims, from the firm determination to prevail, a movement by the name of “Hamas”- emerged. Group of Palestinians who are determined to get their people’s rights back even if they have to die for it. To use their weapons (including their own bodies) as their last option after decades of humiliation and despair.

Hamas (which means strength and bravery in Arabic) became an idea in Sheikh Ahmed Yassin’s mind after his return to Gaza from Cairo in the 1970s. In 1987, during the first intifada, Yassin co-founded Hamas with Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, originally calling it the Palestinian Wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. The goal of the Movement was not only to liberate lands, to end an unjust situation which lasted for decades with the blessing of the Western community, and to defeat a brutal enemy, but also to implement teachings of Islam. Hamas is an Islamic Resistance Movement, whose member’s believe that when the spirt of Islam was removed from our lives, we became an easy target. Lies replaced truth, evil prevailed, values and concepts got confused, Muslims lost their paths, and our enemy became victorious.

As part of the Islamic approach, Hamas has sponsored an extensive social service network from the beginning. It funds schools, orphanages, mosques, healthcare clinics, soup kitchens, and sports leagues. Approximately 90 percent of its work is in social, welfare, cultural, and educational activities. Hamas’s efforts in this area—as well as a reputation for honesty, help to explain the broad popularity it summoned to defeat Fatah in the PA’s last elections.

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