The Dawa network Hamas' socio-economic infrastructure is a central element in Hamas' activity and a principal method employed to achieve its goals. Prima facie, Hamas' Dawa activity appears to bequeath Islamic education and values to the Palestinians in order to make them more religious. De facto, Hamas' goal is to expand and strengthen its status among the Palestinians, bring them closer to its ideology, including the notion of Jihad against Israel, and even recruiting on its behalf supporters and partakers in terrorist activities. In the long run, Hamas intends to create an alternative civilian infrastructure that will enable the replacement of the PA's secular government with an Islamic government whose ideology will be similar to that of Hamas.
What is "Dawa"?
The meaning of the word "Dawa" is "calling" or "preaching". Literally, it means: "a calling to come closer to religion", while the actual meaning is "to attract followers" to Hamas. The Dawa activity constitutes the support system provided by Hamas to the Palestinians and its followers in various areas, such as religion, education, health, welfare etc.
The Dawa's main idea stems from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt based on the core belief that investing in educating Islamic values and social activity may bear fruit even if not in the immediate time range. Hamas ideology is based on that of the Muslim Brotherhood's. However, it also added the concept of anarmed struggle against Israel (embodied in the movement's name, founded in 1987, and called the Islamic Resistance Movement), and considered the Dawa as a main tool for promoting the movement.
The Dawa network enables Hamas to broaden the base of public support whilst exposing the Palestinian population in the Territories to Hamas' values and specifically to Jihadi ideology and resistance to Israel. It should be emphasized that Hamas offers Dawa support to the general public, not only to its followers. As a result, the Palestinians are committed to Hamas in terms of ideology and values, and even in financial dependency on the assistance it provides.
Hamas' take over of charitable societies in the Territories
Islam values charity donation (in Arabic: Zakaat), one of five basic decrees that applies to every Muslim. Being an Islamic movement, Hamas members serve as preachers and Imams in mosques and assume additional religious duties. Hence, Hamas members consider their movement as the most appropriate element to master the area of charity funds. This is how the Dawa tool becomes possible thanks to a wide network of charitable societies, some of which were established by the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza in the beginning of the 1970s (such as the Islamic Center Society ("Al Mujama Al Islami") and others which were founded after the establishment of Hamas (1987). Alongside them, there are other charitable bodies in the Territories which were established by the Waqf (the system of religious endowment in Islam) and private associations.
Since 1989, a gradual process began of Hamas' taking over of charitable societies which did not belong to the Muslim Brotherhood stream and turned them into Hamas-affiliated societies. In effect, nowadays Hamas controls a tangled web of charitable societies extended over the Territories and uses their funds to carry out its Dawa activity.
The Dawa and terrorism
Some of the charity funds in possession of Hamas are intended to fund the movement's institutions and fulfill its goals, including the armed struggle against Israel. These are Hamas-related bodies which do not serve only for charitable activity. De facto, they encourage terrorist activity. It is done by supporting religious institutions, welfare, and education under the movement's rule. These institutions also grant freedom to Jihadi preaching and sharp incitement against Israel, including encouraging execution of terrorist attacks, as well as providing financial assistance to perpetrators (casualties, prisoners, injured) and their families with a series of bonuses, including monthly payments and allowances.
For instance, the family of a dead terrorist receives one sole payment, starting at several hundreds of dollars and summing at 5,000 dollars, depending on the type of attack as well as a monthly allowance (of about USD 100). Moreover, Hamas covers expenses on mourners' tent as well as other bonuses in education and healthcare. According to interrogations of Hamas activists and terrorists it was discovered that the financial assistance to their families was a significant consideration for their decision to execute the attack, including suicide attacks.
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http://www.shabak.gov.il/English/EnTerrorData/Reviews/Pages/Dawa%E2%80%93Hama...
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