The Sociocultural and Political Influence of Hamas in...
The Islamic Resistance Movement, also known as al Harakah al Muqawama al
Islamiya (Hamas), has proven to be an extremely agile and capable terrorist
organization in Palestine. They benefit from a deep rooted sociocultural
infrastructure, highly lethal tactics and a complex hierarchy of leadership, all of
which have allowed the organization to prosper for over two decades. As where 90%
of terrorist groups wither and rapidly falter, Hamashas been able to quickly adapt to
the constantly changing political and social environment of Palestine . This
evolution, has always assured the organization a generous group of adherents. The
necessity to change based on environmental stressors has likened it to a multipronged
organism, which has... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Both of these approaches would pave the way for Hamas seemingly bipolar tenure
in Palestine. By the 1970 s, the Palestinian population was disillusioned by
secularism, Westernization and materialism, and many looked toward the Muslim
Brotherhood and the Islamic revival as an alternative . A drastic turn of events led
to niche in Palestine that a more violent facet of the Muslim Brotherhood was
willing to fill. Since the 1950 s, the Muslim Brotherhood complemented the spiritual
services provided in mosques with social and welfare services, delivered through a
network of clinics, schools, charities, drug treatment centers, and even sports clubs .
However, since 1988, with the onset of the fist intifada, Hamas has followed an
oscillatory pattern of violence and social charitable work. During the first and second
intifada, Hamas inspired the greater Palestinian public to support violent means to
incite change in the region. Conversely, during the Oslo peace process, when the
majority of Palestinians did not condone the level of violence that was seen during
the first intifada, Hamas dedicated more time towards their social roots, ultimately
increasing their grassroots support. During these lulls in violence with Israel, Hamas
successfully institutionalized Islamism in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. According to
Sarah Roy, by 2000, 10 to 40 percent of all social institutions in the West Bank and
Gaza were Islamic . Arguably, these expanded new areas of Islamic social