Hamas, Gaza and Muslim Brotherhood's project -cont

Hamas was founded in 1987 during the first "intifada" by two leading Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood members: Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi. Its name is an acronym of Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya, Arabic for "Islamic Resistance Movement". Their infamous "Charter" was written in 1987, vowing to annihilate the nation of Israel and condemning any Israeli/Palestinian peace initiatives. Article Eight of the Charter states Hamas' slogan: "Allah is its goal, the Prophet its model, the Koran its Constitution, Jihad its path and death for the case of Allah its most sublime belief."

Initially Hamas claimed to be involved with "charities", and as it was opposed to Yasser Arafat's PLO, it gained some support from Israel. Hamas received a boost of funds from 1988 onwards when Gulf States withdrew their support for the secular group Fatah. The first Hamas suicide bombing took place on April 16, 1993, followed by numerous similar attacks targeting Israeli civilians. The Oslo Peace Accords of 1993 were shunned by Hamas.

The "Project" was written by Muslim Brotherhood leaders and dated December 1, 1982. Like the Hamas Charter's ground plan for eventual annihilation of Israel, the "Project" embodies a strategy intended to conquer the globe by creating "an Islamic government on earth". The Project was written shortly after the establishment of the Muslim Brotherhood's international wing on July 29, 1982. Each of the Project's 12 sections or "points of departure" are accompanied by codicils entitled "elements", "procedures" and "suggested missions". In brief, the 12 sections are these:

1: To study the global terrain, (examining forces which are for, against or neutral to Islam) to establish a methodology for conquest.
2: To demonstrate proof of the seriousness of the cause to all (and raising funds).
3: Accommodate the global Islamic movement with flexibility at local level.
4: Engage in national political processes while developing permanent institutions.
5: Developing an Islamic state while using institutions to gain local power and influence (influencing centers of power both locally and worldwide to the service of Islam).
6: To work collaboratively with Islamic groups.
7: To combine actions with nationalist and Islamic groups (as long as Sharia terms are not breached) without becoming allied to these groups.
8: To work while avoiding confrontations with (secular, national) authorities, lest these damage missionary work or the cause.
9: To support jihad wherever possible.
10: To use diverse surveillance and monitoring and establish a warning system for the Islamist movement.
11: To exploit the Palestinian "cause" as part of a global strategy, and to foment enmity towards the Jews and Israel as a rallying point for Muslims.
12: To evaluate actions and to hone and critique policy.

What has been happening in Gaza recently is an enactment of several of the principles listed above. Hamas' existence fulfills the eleventh "point of departure". One of the "suggested missions" of the fourth point of departure was to establish " a certain number of economic, social, health care and educational institutions, using available means, to serve the people within an Islamic framework." Hamas has established at least 86 of these charities in Gaza, in the form of schools and nurseries, orphanages and youth organizations. These "charities" promote Islamism, but give a public impression of philanthropy.