Hamas: Changing America

Hamas: Changing America

Abstract
Hamas is a very controversial group of Palestinians originally grown from the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1960’s. Their peaceful and nonviolent beginnings are now a far cry from their beliefs and actions. Following the 6 Day War in Israel in 1967, Hamas has participated in efforts to try and reclaim ground that Israel claimed after the conflict. They were officially formed as the political branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1987, and published their own charter in 1988. Their actions would become more violent and anti-Israel as the decades passed. In this report, we will discuss their origin, background, and specific influence that they have on America & American policy.
Hamas: Impacting America
The Beginning
Hamas, like many other recognized terrorist organizations, had it start with peaceful intentions back in the late 1960’s. The acronym Hamas stands for Harakat al-Muquwamat al-Islamiyyah, which means “Islamic Resistance Movement.” They were originally part of the Muslim Brotherhood which was founded in Egypt. Their organization is one of political and religious motives. During the 1960’s, the founder of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin had nothing but peaceful intentions for the organization. He was a religious leader who spent most of his time in the Gaza Strip, preaching and doing charitable works. He was a peaceful man who had no intentions of violence. The Muslim Brotherhood was established on non violence. He promoted the Muslim Brotherhood, as the Gaza Strip had just been claimed by Israel, and he and many other Palestinians believed that the territory rightfully belonged to them. In 1987, Yassin reorganized Hamas as a political branch of the Muslim Brotherhood following a Palestinian protest of the Israeli controlled Gaza Strip. It was all sparked by a simple traffic accident in which four Palestinians were killed by an Israeli driver. Once Hamas had officially formed and moved apart from the Muslim Brotherhood, it would be less...

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