The Political Ideology of Hamas
Subtitle: A Grassroots Perspective (Library of Modern Middle East Studies)
Publisher: I. B. Tauris; I.B.Tauris
Published: October 14, 2008
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 240
ISBN-13: 9781845110598
Subjects: Revolutions & coups; Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle; 21st century; Political Science; Politics / Current Events; Politics/International Relations; Palestine; Government - International; Political Science / Government / International; Political Ideologies - General
Description: "Hamas is typically portrayed in the West as nothing more than a terrorist organisation. Yet as Michael Irving Jensen discovers, it also provides medical clinics, kindergartens, schools, elderly care and football training to the population of the West Bank and Gaza. Using a combination of interviews and participant observation, Jensen examines how these forms of social engagement relate to the organisation's official ideology, which is still characterised by extremism and violence. "The Political Ideology of Hamas" is the first attempt to provide a multidimensional picture of this organisation by looking at how it is perceived by the leadership, the rank-and-file, and the ordinary Palestinians who come into contact with it. By comparing the rhetoric of the leadership with the social reality, Jensen opens up new ways of understanding Islamist movements in general."--Bloomsbury publishing.