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Hamas and civil society in Gaza : engaging the Islamist social sector / Sara Roy.

By: Series: Princeton studies in Muslim politicsPublication details: Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c2011.Description: xvii, 319 p. : maps ; 24 cmISBN:
  • 9780691124483 (alk. paper)
  • 0691124485 (alk. paper)
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 324.25695/308209531 22
LOC classification:
  • HV6433.P25 R69 2011
Summary: "Many in the United States and Israel believe that Hamas is nothing but a terrorist organization, and that its social sector serves merely to recruit new supporters for its violent agenda. Based on Sara Roy's extensive fieldwork in the Gaza Strip and West Bank during the critical period of the Oslo peace process, Hamas and Civil Society in Gaza shows how the social service activities sponsored by the Islamist group emphasized not political violence but rather community development and civic restoration. Roy demonstrates how Islamic social institutions in Gaza and the West Bank advocated a moderate approach to change that valued order and stability, not disorder and instability; were less dogmatically Islamic than is often assumed; and served people who had a range of political outlooks and no history of acting collectively in support of radical Islam. These institutions attempted to create civic communities, not religious congregations. They reflected a deep commitment to stimulate a social, cultural, and moral renewal of the Muslim community, one couched not only--or even primarily--in religious terms. Vividly illustrating Hamas's unrecognized potential for moderation, accommodation, and change, Hamas and Civil Society in Gaza also traces critical developments in Hamas's social and political sectors through the Second Intifada to today, and offers an assessment of the current, more adverse situation in the occupied territories. The Oslo period held great promise that has since been squandered. This book argues for more enlightened policies by the United States and Israel, ones that reflect Hamas's proven record of nonviolent community building"-- Provided by publisher.Summary: "Unlike other books on Hamas this study examines Hamas's social service sector with a focus on the Oslo period. It analyzes the nature of Islamist social sector activities, the successes and failures of Islamist social activism and mobilization and argues that the ethos of civic engagement that defined Hamas's social sector acted as a viable and powerful alternative to militancy and political violence"-- Provided by publisher.
List(s) this item appears in: palestine
Holdings
Item type Current library Shelving location Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode
Book Book NMC Library Stacks HV6433 .P25 R69 2011 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 33039001215010

"Many in the United States and Israel believe that Hamas is nothing but a terrorist organization, and that its social sector serves merely to recruit new supporters for its violent agenda. Based on Sara Roy's extensive fieldwork in the Gaza Strip and West Bank during the critical period of the Oslo peace process, Hamas and Civil Society in Gaza shows how the social service activities sponsored by the Islamist group emphasized not political violence but rather community development and civic restoration. Roy demonstrates how Islamic social institutions in Gaza and the West Bank advocated a moderate approach to change that valued order and stability, not disorder and instability; were less dogmatically Islamic than is often assumed; and served people who had a range of political outlooks and no history of acting collectively in support of radical Islam. These institutions attempted to create civic communities, not religious congregations. They reflected a deep commitment to stimulate a social, cultural, and moral renewal of the Muslim community, one couched not only--or even primarily--in religious terms. Vividly illustrating Hamas's unrecognized potential for moderation, accommodation, and change, Hamas and Civil Society in Gaza also traces critical developments in Hamas's social and political sectors through the Second Intifada to today, and offers an assessment of the current, more adverse situation in the occupied territories. The Oslo period held great promise that has since been squandered. This book argues for more enlightened policies by the United States and Israel, ones that reflect Hamas's proven record of nonviolent community building"-- Provided by publisher.

"Unlike other books on Hamas this study examines Hamas's social service sector with a focus on the Oslo period. It analyzes the nature of Islamist social sector activities, the successes and failures of Islamist social activism and mobilization and argues that the ethos of civic engagement that defined Hamas's social sector acted as a viable and powerful alternative to militancy and political violence"-- Provided by publisher.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [289]-307) and index.

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