Public Lecture on: “Understanding HAMAS and why that matters”

Established during the First intifada—the Palestinian civil revolt against Israeli occupation, which began in December 1987—HAMAS, an acronym for Harakah al-Muqawwamah al-Islamiyah, or the Islamic Resistance Movement, traces its origins to al-Ikhwan al-Muslimūn, or the Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928 by ash-Shahid Hassan al-Banna. HAMAS is a widely misunderstood movement whose involvement with a just resolution of the conflict needs to be dissected.

The movement has been vilified intensely across the Western mainstream media especially after the October 7, 2023 events in Southern Israel. Dr Azzam Tamimi, a Palestinian scholar who resides in the UK now, will lead the conversation to deepen our understanding about this much-maligned movement in the West. He will look into the shift from social and religious activism in HAMAS to the national political engagement, the delicate balance between the political and military wings, and the transformation into the most resilient resistance movement in the Middle-East.

IIUM Gombak

International Islamic University Jalan Gombak 50728 Selayang, Selangor