Differences between Hamas and other Sunni Islamic groups
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared “Hamas is ISIS” He continued “And just as the forces of civilization united to defeat ISIS, the forces of civilization must support Israel in defeating Hamas.” This is a plea to the West to ignore differences between Hamas and ISIS so that the West in its fight against ISIS will support Israel in its fight against Hamas.
These are some of the major differences between Hamas and Sunni Islamic groups e.g. ISIS, Al Qaeda, and even the Taliban
- Support by Shi’ite Iran. This is a form of political apostasy for Sunni jihadi groups since the Shi’ites are heretics not much better than Christians or Jews.
- Palestinian nationalism, not global jihad is the aspiration of Hamas
- Non-implementation of sharia law in Gaza. The Taliban and ISIS in the areas they controlled instituted Islamic law.
- Democratic participation by Hamas. They took part in elections in Gaza in 2006. The democratic process is anathema to these Sunni jihadi groups.
- Hamas persecution of Islamic Jihad. Islamic Jihad is seen as a worthy Sunni jihadi group.
These differences were discussed on a podcast by a BBC expert on Arab jihadi organizations.
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