Hamas Takes a Muslim Cleric Hostage
Hamas takes a Muslim cleric hostage, a critic of Hamas flees Egypt, and an approach to de-radicalize Gazan institutions.
Welcome to the first edition of our newsletter, sure to evolve as we grow. Keep reading for modern stories of heroism, bits of little-known history, and commentary on current events. If you have tips, stories, thoughts, or questions, email us at polina@peacecomms.org. We’re all ears.
Not in the Headlines
More and more Gazan civilians are speaking out against Hamas. A viral video shows a young Gazan demanding the terror group be held accountable. Anti-Hamas Palestinian youth launch a charity that distributes aid to Gazans in need. Founder Moumen Al-Natour was jailed and tortured 20 times by Hamas for co-organizing anti-Hamas street protests. Videos have emerged of state-sponsored bombing in Idlib, Syria — but indiscriminate attacks on the mostly Sunni population of this northwest Syrian province are drawing neither solidarity nor attention in Western capitals.
Face of Courage
Meet Dalia Ziada.
Slammed with criminal lawsuits, accusations of espionage, and death threats, Dalia Ziada—Chair of the Liberal Democracy Institute and executive director of MEEM Center for Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean Studies—fled Egypt in the nick of time. She now lives in exile for speaking out against Hamas after the deadly October attacks in Israel.
A veteran of the Arab Spring protests, Ziada has a long history of campaigning for liberal democracy in Egypt, and her criticism of Hamas once aligned with official Egyptian policy. But regional views have flipped – with stunning hypocrisy, she explains: “For Egypt and other Arab countries, Hamas is only a terrorist group when it attacks Arabs and Egyptians,” Ziada told i24News. “But when it comes to Israel and the Jewish people, [Hamas] is no longer considered as such, but as a hero."
Ziada doesn’t know when she’ll go home again. On a nationally televised current affairs program, MP Mustafa Bakri said she could face "up to life imprisonment" upon returning to Egypt. Yet she continues to speak out.
Comment
Gaza’s “Day After” — and rolling back Hamas indoctrination.
The extreme barbarism and depravity on display in Hamas’s October 7th attacks did not emerge spontaneously. They stem from years of indoctrination to hate in Hamas-run media, mosques, and schools. The need to undo this legacy poses a daunting challenge for any post-Hamas administration in Gaza, and concrete strategies have yet to emerge.
But the challenge isn’t unprecedented. Among efforts at counter-radicalization by Arab governments, the UAE waged a decade-long campaign to erode local Muslim Brotherhood influence. It began with a quiet purge of Brotherhood-affiliated preachers, teachers, and media workers. In 2003, 170 Brotherhood members were reassigned from the education ministry, marking the start of a reshuffling that saw Islamist ideologues replaced at the helm by a cadre of more liberally-minded educators. As in any society, most of the workforce went along with the new top-down effort, which extended beyond schools — it also included purging and restructuring the country’s media and mosques.
The UAE and Gaza of course differ in countless ways, but one aspect of the Emirati experience bears adopting in any de-radicalization effort: Quite simply, the government had mapped each institution for its Brotherhood stalwarts and their opponents, and developed a long-term plan to strengthen the latter.
CPC’s daily engagement with civilians across Gaza points to a critical mass of educators, intellectuals, and activists who oppose Hamas and support systemic change and development. Over the past two years, we’ve mapped their affiliations and gauged their aspirations. The possibility of a brighter future for Gaza hinges on a smart plan to empower these and other Gazans who share the will to reach for it.
Insider’s Glimpse
A Gazan cleric was kidnapped by Hamas. We’re drawing international attention to his plight.
“The most egregious thing Hamas imposed on my father was the content of his Friday sermons. They instructed him to brainwash people with their politics, to stick with Hamas and with the ‘resistance’ and that it’s the only choice.”
Until late December, Palestinian cleric Mohammed Mushtaha served as imam at Dhu ‘l-Nurayn mosque in the Gaza City neighborhood of Shuja’iya. But when the terror group demanded he praise “the resistance” in an address to thousands of displaced persons at a nearby school, Mushtaha refused. On December 30, Qassam fighters stormed his residence and violently abducted him in front of his wife and children.
Ala Mohammed Mushtaha, one of the cleric’s sons, asked CPC to help draw international attention to his father’s kidnapping. As part of Voices from Gaza, our ongoing partnership with the Free Press, we released Ala’s account of his father’s abduction. “My hope in telling this story … is to somehow offer my father a measure of protection,” he wrote. “Hamas may wish to release him and show the world they would never harm an admired mosque preacher. God alone knows the future, but what I know is that, under no circumstances would my father want to become a propaganda tool.”
Mushtaha’s case highlights a side of Gazan religious leadership distant from the bloodcurdling sermons of Hamas stalwarts which have captured international attention. Since 2007, Hamas has asserted dominance over all Islamic institutions and used clerics to help brainwash civilians. Mushtaha provides one example of a Muslim leader who refused to go along. How many other Gazan imams share his critical view of Hamas is difficult to establish – but among civilians, Mushtaha enjoys considerable solidarity and esteem. Earlier this week, Gazan rights activist Moumen Al-Natour demanded “that the government of Gaza free him right away and without any conditions.” Other Gazans with whom we discussed the case voiced outrage at his abduction and a desire to free him.
We’ll post further developments in this ongoing story as we learn them.
Quoted
“Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” — Rumi