Special Information
Bulletin

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S)
September 2004
   
 

Hamas identifies with and supports Chechen and international Islamic terrorism on CDs found in the Palestinian Authority-administered territories. The CDs are distributed by Hamas to Palestinian youth in various educational institutions

 



A poster found on an propaganda and indoctrination CD distributed by Hamas. The title reads: “Chechnya, Afghanistan, the Balkans, Kashmir, Palestine and Lebanon.”
   
 

Overview

  1. Among the propaganda and indoctrination materials found in institutions influenced by Hamas in the PA-administered territories were CDs containing posters and movies used by Hamas to show, among other things admiration, identification and support for Chechen and international Islamic terrorism .
  2. The CDs, containing materials preaching hatred and terrorism, are distributed by Hamas in various educational institutions in the PA-administered territories as part of their plan for indoctrinating the younger Palestinian generation. The CDs from which Chechen material was taken were distributed by Hamas at the American University in Jenin (November 2003); at Islamic-oriented Hebron University (February 2004); and at the Hebron Orphan Asylum , operated by the Islamic Charitable Society , identified with Hamas (August 2004).
  3. The terminology used on Hamas posters and movies (analyzed below) is extreme Islamic in nature. The Chechen terrorist leaders, such as Shamil Basayev and “Khattab ” 1 are praised, while the Russian Army is held in contempt and its actions are described as “terrorism against the Islamic population of Chechnya.” One of the CDs (called “The Russian's Hell”), which shows scenes from the fighting in Chechnya, includes religious messages in favor of a jihad [holy war], claiming that those taking part in it go to heaven as shaheeds [martyrs for the sake of Allah] after their death.

1 Khattab , or Ibn al-Khattab , is the nom de guerre of Samir Saleh ‘Abdullah al-Suwailem. His real name is also given as Habib ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Khattab. He is one of the “graduates of Afghanistan” who joined the Chechen rebels. He was born in Jordan , or, according to other sources, Saudi Arabia , and killed by the Russian Army in 2002. (Details about his life can be found at the SOBAKA Internet site and in the book Hatred's Kingdom by Dory Gold, Regnery Publishing, Inc., p. 138) He appears as a shaheed on all three Hamas posters.

  4. Side by side with showing admiration and support for Chechen terrorism, Hamas also identifies
with international terrorism. For example :
    a. Osama bin Laden 's picture appears on one of the posters along with that of Ahmad Yassin and Chechen terrorists .
  b. Regions in which “holy wars” are being fought by holy warriors [ mujahadeen ] are mentioned : Chechnya, Afghanistan, the Balkans, Kashmir, Lebanon, and, of course, Palestine.
  c. There is a quotation from Muslim tradition about the international brotherhood and Islamic revival of Muslims living as an oppressed minority under “infidel” regimes.
  5. Using such materials, Hamas presents itself to its supporters in the PA-administered territories, especially the younger generation of Palestinians, as supporting Chechen terrorism. It also presents itself as part of the violent international Islamic insurrection in regions where friction exists between Islam and the “infidels,” and bases its actions on ideology which comes directly from Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda.
  6. The Appendices which follow deal with the material found on Hamas CDs distributed in the in the PA-administered territories.
 
     Appendix A
 

  1. A Hamas posted entitled Chechnya, Afghanistan, the Balkans, Kashmir, Palestine, Lebanon . It was taken from a CD distributed by Hamas , in our assessment to institutions in the PA-administered territories, especially educational institutions.
  2.

The CD was found in two separate locations : at a Palestinian Heritage Week exhibition at Hebron University 1 on February 28, 2004; and in a computer at the orphan asylum supported by the Hebron Islamic Charitable Society , which is identified with Hamas , on August 12, 2004.

1 Among propaganda and indoctrination material captured by Israeli army forces on March 4, 2004.

  3. The pictures appearing from left to right are: Khattab, Ahmad Yassin, Khattab again, Osama bin Laden and Shamil Basayev, one of the Chechen rebel leaders , who was recently (September 2004) mentioned in media reports as being one of the planners of the slaughter at the school in Beslan, Ossetia.
  4.

Beneath the pictures appears a traditional saying ( hadith ) of the prophet Muhammad, according to which :

“Islam was born in a region alien [i.e., hostile] to it [that is, a region which did not know Islam beforehand, and in this context, the Arabian peninsula before the rise of Islam]; it will continue to exist in a region alien to it, as it did in the beginning [in this context, it will continue to exist in those regions of the world where Muslims are a minority living in a hostile environment ]; therefore, blessed be the aliens [i.e., Muslims living as a minority in regions alien to them, among whom Islam will continue to exist].” The saying is attributed to Abu Suhaib , one of the “sahabah” [companions] of Muhammad.
  5. The message refers to the “oppressed minority of Muslims” living in the countries mentioned on the poster. Its militancy is expressed in the accompanying pictures – Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and Osama bin Laden in the company of Chechen leaders. To the left and right are M-16s with sniper scopes. It is an explicit message of violence, in which Hamas goes beyond its Islamic-Palestinian identity and encourages international Islamic terrorism .
   
      Appendix B
 

  1. A Hamas poster found (August 12, 2004) in a computer in the offices of the Hebron orphan asylum operated by Hebron's Islamic Charitable Society . The Society belongs to Hamas and has been outlawed by Israel (as of February 2002).
  2. To the left is a map of Israel marked “Palestine.” The inscription in the center reads, “ Hamas , we do not believe in words.” At the right is a picture of Salah Shahadeh, who was the commander of the terrorist-operative wing of Hamas in the Gaza Strip until he was killed in a targeted Israeli attack . At the bottom of the poster are maps of Chechnya and Afghanistan .
   
      Appendix C
 

  1. A poster taken from a propaganda CD distributed at the American University in Jenin by the Hamas student movement (November 2003). The inscription reads: “The leader of the mujahadeen [fighters in the holy war] in Chechnya – a shaheed [martyr for the sake of Allah] of Islam. The large letters read “The shaheed , commander Khattab .”
   
“Khattab” was the nom de guerre of one of the leaders of Chechen terrorism, a “graduate of Afghanistan.” He was born either in Jordan or Saudi Arabia and killed by the Russians. The following information comes from the SOBAKA Internet site:
   
      Appendix D
 

  1. Poster taken from a CD distributed at the American University in Jenin (November 2003) by the Hamas student movement.
  2. Khattab appears at both the center and left, with the following inscription: “Oh great hero and soldier, vanished from the soil of the jihad , whose eyes enclose a dream of tears; Allah released you [from a life] in an age in which everything is inverted and people have lost their minds; the spirit has carried you beyond the horizon, transcending every new-arising idea; you have left all the vain pleasures of this world and its interests because the faith imbuing your heart is your dwelling; I loved you as a brother in faith, stern [with enemies] in battle, but mild with friends.” 3

3 A description of the admirable Muslim warrior found in classic Arabic poetry, despite the fact that they style here is modern and in rhyme.

   
      Appendix E
   
A CD called “The Russian's Hell” (Part 3)
  1. The CD was found at the Palestinian Heritage Week exhibition at Hebron University 4 -- a Hamas stronghold -- on February 28, 2004.

4 Among propaganda and indoctrination material captured by Israeli army forces on March 4, 2004.

  2.

It contains, among other things, expressions of contempt for the Russian soldiers: “Fire is waiting for you in the next world, and the Chechens in this…” There are exhortations in favor of jihad [holy war], whose dead [reportedly] go directly to paradise; condemnation of the cruelty of the Russian army against the Muslims of Chechnya; a description of the “ jihad warriors” of commanders nicknamed Abu al-Walid and Abu Ja'ffar being prepared for guerilla sorties.

   
      Appendix F
   
    A fatwah [religious Muslim edict] issued by Muhammad bin ‘Abdallah al-Seif, the mufti of the Chechen fighters, provides (reserved) religious approval for Chechen terrorist suicide bombing attacks, including those perpetrated by women. It was posted on the official Hamas Internet site (www.palestine-info.info) 5 next to others issued by senior Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti clerics who also authorized suicide bombing attacks.

5 Posting the fatwah on its main, official Internet site was a service Hamas provided to the Chechens, giving them a marketing tool which may increase its dissemination and impact.

   
 

Overview
  1. The fatwah issued by Sheikh Muhammad bin ‘Abdallah al-Seif, the mufti of the mujahadeen [ jihad warriors] in Chechnya was detailed and explicit.
  2. It was written to provide an answer for the quandary of religious leaders who find it difficult to authorize suicide bombing attacks: whether the suicide action [ ishtishhad ] is justified or whether it is considered suicide for personal reasons [ intikhar ], which his forbidden on religious grounds. The specific case he was dealing with was that of the female Chechen suicide bomber, Hawaa' Barayev .
  3.

In his opinion, each act of suicide must be judged on its own merits according to the circumstances in which it was committed. It is impossible to decide beforehand if the act was permissible or forbidden. With regard to the Chechen female suicide bomber, determined the mufti, the suicide bombing attack was justified because it was part of the Chechen war against the Russians. He also mentioned the Palestinian suicide bombing attacks against Israel and claimed that they were responsible for the Palestinians' achieving self rule .

  4. The mufti mentioned two categories for legitimate suicide bombings: an attack perpetrated using explosives (when a terrorist detonates himself or in a car bomb) and shooting by a mujahad [ jihad warrior] (chiefly at soldiers) until he himself is killed. While both are legitimate, the circumstances determine if they were justified or not.
  5. The mufti is obviously an expert in the relevant Islamic sources, the fighting in Chechnya and the Palestinian insurrection against Israel. Therefore, in our assessment the fatwah was instrumental in fomenting Chechen terrorist suicide bombing attacks during the past few years . In addition, some of the sources used by the mufti appear in notes written by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaeda representative in Iraq, when he explained his strategy for perpetrating suicide bombing attacks there.
   


Sheikh Muhammad bin ‘Abdallah al-Seif's fatwah – select pages taken from the Hamas Internet site

Introduction: General information about the fatwah's authors

Original document


The first two pages of al-Seif's fatwah 6

6 Pages 22-23. The entire fatwah ranges from page 22 to page 68.

   
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