Hamastan
Encyclopedia
Hamastan is a pejorative neologism, merging 'Hamas
', a Palestinian militant organization and political party, and '-stan
', a suffix of Persian origin meaning "home of/place of".
's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip
in 2005, and is suggestive of Hamas' Islamist ideology and political ties with Iran
. Since 2007, the term has been used to refer to its 2007 victory in Gaza
over Fatah
in the inter-Palestinian conflict
.
After 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 Israel
i politicians, including Likud
chairman Benjamin Netanyahu
(on January 26, 2006, at a live IBA broadcast) increasingly employed the term disparagingly in the run up to the Israeli elections to berate Ehud Olmert
.
With 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".
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.
In this context the Fatah-controlled West Bank
has sometimes analogously been called "Fatahland," a revival of a term originally used in the 1970s to refer to Southern Lebanon.
. When asked by a Newsweek reporter (5 September 2005) "Some Israeli officials warn that after the withdrawal, Gaza will become Hamastan." Mahmoud al-Zahar responded: "It should be Hamastan. Why not? We are not corrupt. We are serving the poorer classes. We are defending our land. It should be Hamastan!"
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
', a Palestinian militant organization and political party, and '-stan
-stan
The suffix -stan is Persian for "place of", a cognate to Pashto -tun and to Indo-Aryan -sthāna , a Sanskrit suffix with a similar meaning...
', a suffix of Persian origin meaning "home of/place of".
Linguistic history
The term emerged during the days of IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
in 2005, and is suggestive of Hamas' Islamist ideology and political ties with Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. Since 2007, the term has been used to refer to its 2007 victory in Gaza
Battle of Gaza (2007)
The Battle of Gaza was a military conflict between Hamas and Fatah that took place between June 7 and 15, 2007 in the Gaza Strip. After winning Palestinian legislative elections in 2006, Hamas and Fatah formed the Palestinan authority national unity government in 2007, headed by Ismail Haniya. In...
over Fatah
Fatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
in the inter-Palestinian conflict
Fatah-Hamas conflict
The Fatah–Hamas conflict , also referred to as the Palestinian Civil War , and the Conflict of Brothers , i.e...
.
After Hamas' victory in the Palestinian legislative election of 2006
Palestinian legislative election, 2006
On January 25, 2006, elections were held for the Palestinian Legislative Council , the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority . Notwithstanding the 2005 municipal elections and the January 9, 2005 presidential election, this was the first election to the PLC since 1996; subsequent...
further heightened Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
fears of an emerging Islamic fundamentalist
Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism is a term used to describe religious ideologies seen as advocating a return to the "fundamentals" of Islam: the Quran and the Sunnah. Definitions of the term vary. According to Christine L...
state in the Palestinian territories, and various Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i politicians, including Likud
Likud
Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...
chairman Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
(on January 26, 2006, at a live IBA broadcast) increasingly employed the term disparagingly in the run up to the Israeli elections to berate Ehud Olmert
Ehud Olmert
Ehud Olmert is an Israeli politician and lawyer. He served as Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009, as a Cabinet Minister from 1988 to 1992 and from 2003 to 2006, and as Mayor of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003....
.
With 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".
Originally, the suffix 'Stan' (land) is from the Persian language
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, not Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, and in general, it is not used in the names of Arab countries.
In this context the Fatah-controlled West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
has sometimes analogously been called "Fatahland," a revival of a term originally used in the 1970s to refer to Southern Lebanon.
Hamas response
Moussa Abu Marzuq, of Hamas' political bureau, denied that the Hamas government was planning to turn the Gaza Strip into an Islamic emirate. In an interview conducted by Peraino of Newsweek international with Hamas co-founder Mahmoud al-ZaharMahmoud al-Zahar
Mahmoud al-Zahar is a co-founder of Hamas and a member of the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip. Since the formation of the Hamas/"Change and Reform" government in the Palestinian National Authority in March 2006, al-Zahar has served as foreign minister in the government of prime minister Ismail...
. When asked by a Newsweek reporter (5 September 2005) "Some Israeli officials warn that after the withdrawal, Gaza will become Hamastan." Mahmoud al-Zahar responded: "It should be Hamastan. Why not? We are not corrupt. We are serving the poorer classes. We are defending our land. It should be Hamastan!"
See also
- Media coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict
- Islamization of Gaza
- Hamas CovenantHamas CovenantThe Hamas Charter , issued in 1988, outlined the position of the Palestinian Islamic organization Hamas on many key issues at the time. The Charter identified Hamas as the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine and declares its members to be Muslims who "fear God and raise the banner of Jihad in the face...
The founding principles of Hamas