Jamal Awil

← Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire

The 1987 Intifada catalyzed Hamas's formation from Islamist debate. [fact]

In 1987, in the context of the first Intifada, the debate between the quietists and the confrontationists broke out into the open and led to the formation of Hamas, a group dedicated to the liberation of Palestine. Here is how one Islamist put it: "Why should Islam be viewed as a separate entity to what is going on in the region, confined to mosques and cut off from social and political life? This question lies in the minds of hundreds of Palestinian youths in the Gaza Strip, youths who are dedicated to Islam and have also participated in resistance to the Israeli occupation. Their answer: let us engage in active resistance to the occupation because the occupation not only affects the land; it also aims to uproot Islam."

XREF: Connects to broader histories of Islamist political movements emerging from colonial/occupation contexts.

Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politi…, loc. 320