Hamas has used terrorism and suicide attacks, it has challenged Yasser Arafat’s authority, it has survived the death of many of its leaders, and, in 2006, it was democratically elected...
Hamas has used terrorism and suicide attacks, it has challenged Yasser Arafat’s authority, it has survived the death of many of its leaders, and, in 2006, it was democratically elected by the majority of the Palestinian people. What lies behind the mystery of Hamas, a movement torn between militant resistance and welfare, between pragmatism and ideology, and suddenly thrust into the role of the sole effective government? Why has the movement gained so much recognition among a basically secular people? And why has it not melted away like snow in the sun when the entire West isolated it from the rest of the world? Using a combination of news and archival sources, describing settings, and giving voice to its protagonists, Caridi attempts to answer these and other questions, showing that Palestinian political Islam is multi-causal and cannot be considered a passing phenomenon. Caridi’s book provides a first-hand investigation into the movement and tries to reveal some of the unknown characteristics of an organization that in some ways is still clandestine, thus presenting a far more complex picture than the one conveyed by the media.
