(the first part of this interview with the newspaper Al-Sabeel was published Oct. 2)
Hamas, alignments and axles
I n recent years, the scenario Arabic has seen the emergence of a number of axes and alignments. Hamas has been classified by some along the axis of waste. How do you see that this would dominate the Arab political scene? In that position you can see you personally about it? It believes that this situation is for the interests of the nation?
answer to this question from three angles.
first corner: there is a kind of grouping reprehensible, and one worthy of praise. The first is, for example, convened a meeting based on race or following narrow nationalist ideas in order to oppose other nations. This kind of categorization sides invoking factors and internal alignment at the country or nation.
But if people get together to do good, to support the Palestinian people to resist the Zionist enemy, to defy standardization, resist attempts to infiltrate the enemy within the nation, addressing the American hegemony and the ' occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and to prevent the nation is robbed of its riches, this is the basis for creating a grouping worthy of praise, which can not be compared to the first. So when we say we are in favor of resistance, the accession to the Palestinian rights, the right of return, Palestine, Jerusalem and holy places of the Arab nation, and across to reject the Zionist occupation and the diktat of the enemy, it is something we are proud of. This is the duty of the nation. God Almighty says: "Help yourselves to each other in justice and mercy, and do not cooperate in sin and in the aggression." Meet for this type of collaboration is therefore desirable, and should not be afraid of being accused of supporting the axle, if this is required by the case. Second
angle: we do not believe that no Arab or Palestinian faction from being damaged by our commitment to resistance or our refusal to submit to the conditions of the Quartet and the enemy, or the Israel-US duo, with his view on the settlements and their abandonment of rights Palestinians, [we] rather it is the Zionist enemy [to be damaged]. Those whose agenda intersects with that of the enemy, or who succumb to him and welcome his words in his threats, helping to besiege or getting to be hostile, they are actually opposing the mission of the resistance.
However, do not antagonize anyone of our people, and in fact we have not formed an axis Palestinian, Arab or Muslim axis against another Arab or Palestinian. We try to reach everyone, we wish to communicate with and establish relationships with everyone. If there is a break or a freezing of relations with someone, is this someone to choose this break, or freeze it, and not us. Everyone is aware of this because we put ourselves in contact with all the Arabs - some of them respond positively, and others do not.
third angle: if it was acceptable to disagree with our policy and analysis of the situation when the agreement was being tested and people were paying very high prices because of the resistance, it is still acceptable today, after the agreement has proved a failure for the its obstructionist political horizon and its heavy costs, much higher than the resistance?
We call upon all forces of the Arab nation to meet with us as a nation united, and when the people affected employment, our environment and our priority should be the resistance. When we suffer an attack, it is natural to join forces against it, and when the nation is entering a phase of independence, then our natural environment and our priority is reconstruction, economic progress and cultural rebirth in all its size.
Today, the Arab nation should respond to current challenges and position itself in its natural environment. We hope that everybody wants to stay in this environment, especially considering that they have all already tried, failed and found that betting on the Americans or others is useless. The Americans have been tested in Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan, and before that at the time of the Shah in Iran, and the results were discouraging. We suggest to the Arab and Muslim states: "The shortest way to keep your systems and even your office is to stand up to the side of your nation and people's choices."
The official Arab leadership has been awarded many experiments and attempts to negotiate and reach a compromise. The most recent of these is the Arab Peace Initiative, with which they have sent a clear message about the availability and generosity of Arab States to grant benefits in exchange for concessions from the other side. Eight years have passed since this proposal was debated, without either the Zionist enemy, nor the U.S. administration nor the international community have shown the least respect - just a few words of compliment.
During our meetings with many officials and Arab leaders, we continue to ask: "After this experience, and after reaching a dead end, not worth it to stop and look for alternative options?" We also try to explain to them that withdrawal from 'agreement in terms of the settlements and the initiative Arab did not mean to declare war on Israel, which today is also impossible. Another option is to support the resistance, so the nation can unite behind a realistic and practical choice, which has proved durable and able to achieve results, and that is likely to develop significantly its weight in the Arab-Israeli conflict, especially if it is supported. If you do
officially war to the enemy today is impossible for the imbalance of forces, then it is difficult for the Arab nation - for how things stand - to undertake a regular program of war against Israel. So let the practical and realistic option is the resistance, we have experienced, which has managed to drive out the occupiers from southern Lebanon and Gaza and that is having visible effects in Iraq and Afghanistan.
For this, we believe that to call upon the Arab nation and its forces to line up in their natural environment is not an abstract theory or emotional, but rather is based on the actual choice with success. The nation is able to use them in both official and popular, especially after the failure of negotiations and in the light of the contempt shown by the leaders of enemies in front of us and the subsequent betrayal of the United States not only against Arabs and Muslims, but also their friends and affiliates.
Hamas and Christians
What's the point of view of Hamas on Christians and their role in the Palestinian cause?
Islam treats Christians so special compared to other religions, as stated in the verse [Quran]: "Of course you will discover that, of all people, the most hostile to those who believe are the Jews and those who are polytheists, and certainly find that, of all people, closer to those who believe are those who say: 'We are Christians.' "The historical relations between Christians and Muslims have a special status in history since the conquest of Palestine, when the second caliph , Umar Ibn al-Khattab, received the keys of city \u200b\u200bof Jerusalem, after the Christians had insisted that the Jews did not live with them to Jerusalem. From then on, between Muslims and Christians formed a special relationship.
In addition, Palestine has an exceptional status as a land of prophets and messengers of God, the birthplace of Jesus (peace be upon him) and the overnight stop of Muhammad (peace be upon him) during his journey. Palestine is one of the most extreme examples of coexistence and tolerance among all creeds. It is a tradition inherited from the Palestinians - be they Muslims or Christians - and found the evolution of the historical relations that we will see.
In the past decades, ever since Thirties, when the late Hajj Amin al-Husayni conference sponsored Christian-Muslim, the faithful of both religions have common interests, and cooperating to address common challenges. The Palestinians - Muslims and Christians - were in the same boat when they were face to face with the Zionist occupation. This was demonstrated by the role of our Christian brethren in the Palestinian uprising of the time, when all factions were united as one people.
Since the formation of Hamas, relations with fellow Christians were ordinary, quiet, and there were no problems between us and them. This despite the fact that some Palestinian forces, unfortunately, have tried to scare Christians with the idea of \u200b\u200bthe new Hamas, noting that it is an Islamic movement and threatening to promote the concept of an inevitable contradiction in their view of the movement and Christians. Such attempts at intimidation are, however, failed, and Christians have discovered a movement near them, each dealing with tolerance, openness and respect. During the second Palestinian Intifada, the movement took into account the specificities of Christian holidays, and paid attention to the days of the strike does not coincide with the celebrations and events celebrated by Christians, in the same way he has managed to protect their property. Apart from this, Hamas has also favored an active role by them in Palestinian political life. The leaders of the movement, both at home and abroad, have in fact held several meetings with important figures of the Palestinian Christian.
For these reasons, Hamas has won wide support among Christians before and after the legislative elections of 2006, many of them voted for Hamas, and we have them in our turn supported in Gaza and the West Bank. For example, Husam at-Tawil - Christian - won [a seat] in Gaza by Hamas and the votes of supporters of the movement. The number of Muslims who voted for him was several times greater than the number of votes non-Muslims - as the number of Christians in the Gaza Strip is reduced.
remember here, for the its symbolic importance, an incident that occurred at an airport. A man approached me, introduced himself as a Palestinian, born in Beit Jala, a Christian, and claimed to have voted for Hamas and that he changed his mind. No one forced him to say, and no one had moved to make those statements, and made him alone, expressing what he felt. This is an example of good relations between Christians and brothers in the movement of our people.
treat fellow Christians as a key component of the people and country, and as an active part in the fight against the occupation, regardless of whether we have in front of a Muslim or a Christian. We are together in the same country, and everyone has rights and duties. When we remember religious figures who have distinguished themselves in the struggle of the people of Palestine, we recall, among Muslims, Sheikh Raed Salah, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, and [among Christians] Bishop Atallah Hanna, Bishop Capucci, and so on are all together to defend Jerusalem and our cause.
Hamas may have surprised some liberal and secular thought that Palestinian environment, or even promoted the idea that, by virtue of its Islamic identity, the movement would be isolated, and that would develop a weak bond between us and Palestinian Christians. When their expectations did not materialize, they were surprised: this is because religion is not isolation and detachment; On the contrary, faith motivates people to be tolerant, to respect others and recognize their rights.
Hamas and women
Islamic movements are often accused of contempt against women, and to marginalize the role in the political and social life. How do you see these charges in light of its experience in Hamas?
Unfortunately, there is a gap between the true concepts of Islam regarding women and their latest applications. We are witnessing a mass in practice and erroneous behavior, resulting from backwardness and not by the text and spirit of the Shari'a.
Even today, and despite the good progress of the Arab and Islamic countries, there are still errors in the [Sharia] resulting from many customs, traditions and concepts nurtured by certain situations and certain specific environments, and not by the precepts of ' Islam itself.
Women in the texts of the Koran and the Hadith (the sayings of the Prophet), are assigned duties, just like men, and when the Qur'an speaks of the Shari'a and its provisions signals to men and women alike way, because everyone has their own responsibility. This is evident in the words of Almighty God: "The Believers, men and women, are protectors of one another and vice versa: they require that is right and forbid what is evil, "and" Never take it to lose the work of any of you, whether male or female. You are members, one of the other and vice versa. " And, in the words of the Prophet: "Women are twin halves of men." There are other Koranic verses and hadiths like these.
The woman, in the concepts of Islamic thought, law, mandate and role, is just one half of society and are accorded prestige and respect him. But there is a huge difference between respect and appreciation for the woman and her rightful place on the one hand, and abuse it and present it as a good cheap as in other Western civilization. There is a difference between maintaining chastity and modesty of women, safeguarding their rights and at the same time giving it a proper role, and treat it as an object of pleasure. Such regulations are not only Islamic ethics, and human resources are innate.
We in the Hamas movement, with regard to women, we are for the invocation of Islamic concepts and their faithful application, without altering them years of backwardness or the weight of social norms and traditions and not produced from the specific from religious text, especially since the Palestinian environment is not a closed environment, but historically civilized, and characterized by plurality and openness to all religions, civilizations and cultures.
According to this view, pure and back to basics, and continue the experience and tradition Palestinians, Hamas has a special role assigned to women in their activities. This came to light during the Intifada, during the resistance in all forms of struggle, and it was not only the role of mother, wife and sister of the militants, but also a major role in bringing forward guerrilla warfare and martyrdom in support of the brothers and martyrs, and in providing logistical assistance. There are sisters that have accompanied the fighters in the car to the site of operations, as happened during Operation Sbarro and others. Zionist prisons are locked up dozens of sisters who are suffering the hardships of prison and pay the price of jihad fought side by side with their brothers.
The role of women is significant both in Palestine and within the movement, in the workplace as in the jihad and struggle, as a charity in the field of education, or the trade union and political work. The Palestinian woman is educated and cultured, and its activity in schools and universities is lower than that of a man.
In agreement with our terms of reference for Islamic and Arab cultural identity to the particular environment Palestinian women occupy a position of Hamas advanced. In political action, and before the Legislative Council was created, women play significant activities in the student movement in Palestine and various trade unions, and when Hamas took part in the parliamentary elections, women enjoyed a strong presence and they occupied a large portion of our lists, as well as in the government formed by Hamas.
is true that some Islamic groups and movements are criticized because they neglect the role of women, but we also know, on the other hand, cases of depravity and moral behaviors that violate the regulations in force and some secular parties. Hamas wants to develop a moderate view, which assigns women the role authentic not dissociate from the principles, values \u200b\u200band ethics of Islam, while freeing them from isolation and exclusion from prison. I believe we have succeeded in this, thank God Women also play an important role at the organizational level of Hamas, which seeks to develop the best of their role and their participation within the structure of the movement. End of second part
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