Hamastan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hamastan is a neologism 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]

Hamas' victory in the Palestinian legislative election of 2006 further heightened Western fears of an emerging Islamic fundamentalist state in the Palestinian territories, and various Israeli politicians, including Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu (on January 26, 2006, at a live IBA broadcast) increasingly employed the term disparagingly.

After the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip, the creation of an Islamic mini-state in Gaza has been described by many commentators as "Hamastan" or "Hamas-stan".^[2]

Originally, the suffix 'Stan' (land) is from the Persian language, not Arabic, and in general, it is not used in the names of Arab countries.

[edit] See also

• -stan

[edit] Notes and References

1. ^ The socio-political makeup of “Hamastan”
2. ^ Fundamentalists threaten Israel from all sides, The Daily Telegraph, 15/06/2007

[edit] External links

• 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)