Bobby Orokos
Reaction Post #2
HAMAS: Religious Wave of Terrorism
After understanding what events took place during the First and Second Intifadas, the actions of both the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and HAMAS are clearly acts of terrorism. However, in the case of HAMAS, the instances and reasons for committing such acts are the start to Rapoport’s religious wave of terrorism, in which people united around religion to achieve political goals, such as the establishment of Palestine and liberation from Israel, through the tactical use of terror. Although the reasons of their cause could be justified, it is there actions that condemn HAMAS a terrorist organization, and therefore its goals against the world.
During the First and Second Intifadas, Palestinians were oppressed and endured much suffering for the goal of independence from Israel. During the Second Intifada, HAMAS was created as a religious alternative to the Palestinian Liberation Organization, which was a secular organization where progress in their goals was slow. As a result of the First Intifada, there was 1,000 Palestinian deaths as compared to 164 Israeli deaths, and an additional 3,000 Palestinian deaths compared to 1,000 Israeli deaths during the Second Intifada. Palestinians were clearly victimized during these times of rebellion, and unleashed this anger into groups such as the PLO and later HAMAS. Where the PLO was secular, HAMAS gained support by becoming religiously-based to attract more followers. Although taking an extreme tactic to create a solution to the problems that existed in Palestine and Israel, the goals of righting a historical wrong are acceptable by the Palestinians, but the approach taken to right this historical wrong are unacceptable.
From the perception of people outside of the region of Israel and Palestine, HAMAS and the PLO’s actions have been condemned as terrorist due to their indiscriminate killing of people, targeting of civilians, and use of terror as a strategy to achieve their political goals. Although having differing goals, both the PLO and HAMAS have done actions worthy of calling them terrorist organizations. However, where the PLO began to lose support and power was due to the rise of HAMAS during the Second Intifada, where religion became a unifying factor in gathering support for the Palestinian cause. The goals of both the PLO and HAMAS show, where the PLO is happy to settle for a 2-state solution in which both Israel and Palestine exist, whereas HAMAS is calling for a single Islamic state, which can only be done with the dismemberment of Israel. This idea of uniting people around a religious goal is effective because it creates a mindset where people question if they are being strong in their faith if they oppose a group that uses their religion as a call to action.
The religious aspect of HAMAS initiated a movement in which terrorist organizations utilize the unity of religion to move their cause forward. In this case, HAMAS utilized the faith of Islam to unify a solid base against the establishment of Israel as a result of the nation’s past actions. What started as an attempt to right a historical wrong to the Palestinian people turned into a revolutionary practice for terrorist organizations to use religion as a unification.
Great post Bobby!
ReplyDeleteI think that Hamas gained support over the Plo because the Plo was not gaining the changes that people wanted to see so people looked to Hamas which is seen as a more radical and less legitimate group by the rest of the world.
I think religious terrorism is so prevalent because like I discussed in my post briefly motives are so deeply rooted. For individuals religious is a part of who they are and their identity. Therefore when groups use religion to draw people in and gain support it is so strong, because people feel as though they can directly relate and that they must protect their identity.
Like my post, I agree there are some clear differences in the PLO and HAMAS, even though they want the same thing in the end. They both go about it in two very different ways. However, I do not know how much I believe religion plays a roll. I agree that HAMAS does not support Judaism, and vice versa, however, nether does the PLO. Is it because of HAMAS blatant attacks on civilians that makes them terrorist, or is because the attacks are on JEWISH civilians (most of the time)?
ReplyDeleteI am curious if you think HAMAS would not be considered terrorist, if they too were a Jewish group. All other factors, including attacks remaining the same. I personally do not think it would change anything, and HAMAS would still be a terrorist organization.
I agree with much of what you said, as I wrote about many of the same ideas. I also think religion played a big role in the "relationship" between the PLO and HAMAS.
ReplyDeleteIn your post, you talk about the "historical wrong" against the Palestinians and the attempts to fix it by the PLO and HAMAS. What do you think would have been a better way to fix this historical wrong? In other words, what do you think the PLO or HAMAS should have done differently in order to correct this historical wrong in Palestine?
Great job on this post, Bobby! I liked the points you made about how the religious aspect plays such a large role in terrorism, especially when it comes to PLO and HAMAS. I agree with Brady, and would also be curious to know if you think HAMAS would be considered a terrorist organization if they were Jewish.
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