Hamastan

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Ismail Haniya of Hamas. Hamas' victory in the Palestinian legislative election of 2006 have heightened Western fears of an emerging Islamic fundamentalist theocracy: Hamastan

Hamastan is the nickname for the concept of a Palestinian Islamist theocracy with Sharia as government law, ruled by Hamas. In interviews, Hamas co-founder Mahmoud al-Zahar has described the creation of "Hamastan" as a goal of Hamas. "When asked by a Newsweek reporter (August 30, 2005) whether the Gaza Strip would become “Hamastan”, Mahmoud al-Zahar responded: 'It should be Hamastan'."^[1]

Various Israeli politicians, including for example, Likud chairman, Benjamin Netanyahu (on January 26, 2006, at a live IBA broadcast) have increasingly been employing the term disparagingly following Hamas' unexpected victory in the election to the Palestinian Legislative Council.

The actual name "Hamastan" is incorrect, as the suffix 'Stan' (land) is Persian, not Arabic, and is not used in the names of Arab countries (although it is used in several majority-Islamic countries, such as Pakistan and Afghanistan.)

[edit] Notes

1. ^ The socio-political makeup of “Hamastan”

[edit] References

• Hamas government program Published March 11, 2006.
• Hamas Covenant The founding principles of Hamas
• Israel grapples with reality of 'Hamastan', Jerusalem Post (January 27, 2006)
• Bibi: Hamastan established before our eyes, Ynet (January 26, 2006)

[edit] See also

• -stan

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