JPost: Al-Qaida-style Salafist extremism gains real power within Hamas armed wing
Al-Qaida-type Salafi Islam is rising in popularity within the ranks of Hamas. This trend is particularly noticeable in the movement’s armed wing, the Izzadin Kassam Brigades.
Observation of this process shows that attempts to draw a clear dividing line between the “nationalist” Muslim Brotherhood-inspired Islamism of Hamas and the Salafi trend can no longer be sustained.
There seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding amongst commentators on the role and nature of Salafism within extremist movements. First off, Salafism does not overtly agitate for violence against groups outside the Muslim community. It is not inherently anti-Semitic, or anti-Western for that matter. Like the ancient sect of the Khawarij, their real opponents are Muslims who don’t conform to the Salafist interpretation of Islam.
It is probably more comfortable for Israelis to explain Hamas’ violent resistance through an ideology already known for its pernicious outlook, instead of studying it against the backdrop of the continued Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and the various human rights abuses it precipitates. After all, selective blindness to the history of Zionism and its effects on the population it displaced continues until today, more so amongst Christian Zionists in the United States than amongst Jews themselves. I explored this phenomenon in an earlier article, entitled Pat Robertson’s zeal for Israel. In short, although Salafism is problematic, the violent resistance conducted by certain Palestinian groups have their origin in Israeli policies in the occupied territories.
Furthermore, the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Hamas emerged a long time ago, also identifies itself as being quintessentially Salafist. The author of the above article has oversimplified the tension between the Brotherhood’s cadre and those of hardcore Salafists like al-Qaeda by divorcing them altogether. In reality, both groups claim to be Salafist, or rather the (only) correct expression of it. The tension exists because there are different flavors within Salafism, a fact I extensively discussed in an earlier article, Three flavors of Salafism.
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Like you stated in your post Salafism main enemy is other Muslims who don’t conform to their thinking and practices. Salafism to me, is nothing more than overly simplistic Bedouin fiqh,historical reinvention and ancestor worship.
i am a Salafi. A blooming scientist. The restorer of Caliphate. Stop me if you can, you sufi deviants.
Muhahahahahaha. I am Ali. A blooming engineer. I will stop you, salafi deviant.