Hamas' Evolution: Abandonment of Islam or Pragmatic Islam?

Author: Manal Jamal

Advisor: Rashid Khalidi

"Due to this preoccupation with Hamas' earlier words and written documents, its critics have mostly misunderstood Hamas' gradual evolution that led it to particpate in the elections. This critique comes at the expense of acknowledging that due to Hamas' evolution, it is now as definitively more pragmatic movement than the Hamas found in the Charter of 1988. Thus, holding the movement to the anti-Semitism, conspiracies, and militant language found in its Charter would be invalid at a time when Hamas has pragmatically tempered and modified its behaviors and actions. However, this thesis maintains that at least some of the Charter's importance, especially in respect to its Islamic ideology, which Hamas asserts, goes hand in hand with its nationalist character... the evolved Hamas, aware of its dependence on external financial aid and its popular support base, has carried out pragmatic actions that are carefully calculate to ensure that it gains and retains the greatest amount of latent power."