What is Hamas's history; its key beliefs; and its political agenda? From its' founding, following the First Intifada, to the 2008 Israeli Gaza offensive, Khaled Hroub writes this indispensable introduction to Hamas. The book encompasses all major events, including the January 2006 elections, the ever-evolving relationship with Fatah, and the Gaza war, in addition to providing insight into Hamas's ideology by studying their charter, their socio-economic strategies and their outlook on Israel. Explaining the reasons for Hamas's popularity, Hroub provides the key facts often missing from news reports. The reality of Hamas's victory means that the West will now have to engage with it more seriously if there is to be peace in the Middle East. This book provides the first essential step towards a better understanding of the challenges and surprises that the future may hold.

This volume offers a comprehensive discussion of the contemporary debates within political Islam, providing an in-depth analysis of the specific movements, countries and regions in the Arab world and Israel. The contributors contend that the evolution of Islamic movements is contextual rather than ideological. Therefore, Islamic movements are best understood individually within their own historical, socio-political and cultural setting. Political Islam is an essential reference for academics, researchers and the media, as well as general readers with an interest in Islamic political debates. Contributors include Abdullah Baabood, Youcef Bouandel, Abdelwahab El-Affendi, Kamal Helbawy, Roel Meijer, Ibrahim Moussawi, Tariq Ramadan, Tilde Rosmer, Murad Batal al-Shishani, Sara Silvestri and Camille Tawil.

The U.S. views Hamas as a terrorist organisation. Yet, to the great surprise of many, Hamas swept to victory in the 2006 Palestinian authority elections. Hamas is now a democratically elected political party. This is the first beginner's guide to this controversial political organisation. Explaining the reasons for Hamas's success, this title provides the key facts that are so often missing from conventional news reports. It's a one-stop guide that gives a clear overview of Hamas's history, key beliefs, and its political agenda. This title provides a refreshing perspective that gets to the heart of the reasons behind Hamas's victory. It provides a critical overview of Hamas's attitudes to Israel, including religious beliefs and suicide bombings, its attitude to the PLO and its programme of grassroots social work within Palestine. The reality of Hamas's victory means that the West will now have to engage with it more seriously if there is to be peace in the Middle East. This title provides the first essential step towards a better understanding of the challenges and suprises that the future may hold.

Over the past decade or so religious broadcasting in the Middle East has been one of the chief beneficiaries of new, transnational media flows and the now commonplace availability of satellite broadcasting technology. Dozens of Muslim, Christian and Jewish religious channels have been established, advocating differing forms of religiosity and shaping public perceptions through their transmission of discussion programmes, preaching, proselytisation pure and simple, and guidelines about how best to live a pious life. Even mainstream leading news channels such as Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya have broadcast popular religious shows since their inception. Some of this programming is highly politicised, such as Hamas's Al-Aqsa or Hizbullah's Al-Manar channels; other stations present themselves as apolitical, concerned only with preaching God's word. The highly charged political and religious ferment in the Middle East today has been certainly propitious for such broadcasters as they seek to convey their message. This has in turn reinforced the connection between the dominant 'religious atmosphere' and religious broadcasting. Based on monitoring and content-analysis of some of the region's most influential religious channels and programmes, the contributors to this book offer pioneering insights into this uncharted terrain. They explore the themes, discourses, appearances and the "celebrities" of this still expanding phenomenon of religious broadcasting in the Middle East.