Hamas

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/world/middleeast/28iht-letter.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=hamas&st=cse

This article in the NY times written by Daniel Williams is about the threat that Salafism opposes to the Hamas in Palestine. In this article, Williams outlines the reasons why Salafism has become more and more popular in the Gaza Strip and thus becoming more of a threat to the Hamas. One of the reasons is that the Hamas has issued a cease fire with Israel. This is an act of giving in to the Israelis in the eyes of the Salafis. This has allowed the Salafis to whip up support against the Hamas because they are "no longer an Islamic Resistance Group". Another reason that the Salafis are gaining support is that the Hamas have become to "soft" in their eyes. In the past the Hamas have been known as a terrorist group who uses weapons to achieve its goals yet in relation to Salafism, a Hamas spokesman said that Salafism "wants to implement their own ideas through weapons, and we cannot allow that". This shows in the Salafis eyes that Hamas is no longer a group that will fight for Islam.

The journal article by Menachem Klein entitled "Hamas in Power" basically foretells the scenario played out between Salafism and Hamas. Klein describes how the Hamas had to make certain decisions in regard to its future. If it wanted to enter the political arena, Hamas realized that it had to make certain sacrifices in order to ensure that its members would be able to be elected into office. These sacrifices included moderating its political beliefs by going easy on the religious law that they pushed for and also by distancing itself from the militant and terrorist background that they had previously been accustomed to. This moderation is exactly what allowed it to get elected and take over power from the Fatah. This moderation consisted of changing their ideology to make them more electable. This change in ideology is exactly what Salafism has continually attacked in the Gaza Strip and thus made Hamas a different group in the eyes of the people whether this is for the better or worse.

After looking at both of these articles, I believe that this change made by the Hamas is something that can be built on. Even though Hamas has not fully eradicated the terrorist part of its organization in the eyes of the west, it has still become a much more legitimate part of the Palestinian government. This has ultimately made them a much better party to deal with than was thought when they came into power. The hope of some peace between them and Israel still is a long reach but can be done if the right opportunities arise. The fact that Hamas has kept some sort of order and has not allowed ultra-radical groups like Salafism to grab hold means that they are thinking coherently to some degree.