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| Against infighting: Sheikh Sa'd Sharaf lectures a class on Islam and Society at Al Rawda Technical Community College in Nablus. Josh Mitnick |
West Bank scholars push for spiritual reply to Hamas extremism
To compete with a more powerful Hamas, religious scholars from the rival Fatah Party advocate embracing religion.
from the July 31, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
He criticizes Hamas's advocacy of violence against Israeli civilians as well as its violent takeover of Gaza last month, which most Palestinians opposed.
"The Prophet Muhammad says, 'Don't kill those who don't use weapons against you. Don't kill a woman. Don't kill a baby,' " says Sharaf, who says he's a Sufi Muslim, a branch of Islam known for its theological mysticism and moderation.
A preacher in one of Nablus's central mosques and the host of an Islamic radio and television program, Sharaf says a growing number of Palestinians have sought him out for advice since the Hamas takeover of Gaza.
Although Sharaf says he believes in the religious idea of the creation of one Islamic kingdom as laid out in the Koran, the modern experience with states dominated by Islamic dogmatists have been negative, he says.
"Look at Sudan, Somalia, and the Taliban," he says. "Palestine should not be isolated from the international situation. The Islamic rule needs a long time before it can be effective."
The Sheikh complains that Fatah politicians have so far ignored his advice to enlist religious scholars for help. Palestinians inside and outside Fatah say installing a religious council within the party is the wrong strategy.
"Of course it is important to underline [that] the practices of Hamas are not consistent [with] what we believe are religious values," says Jamal Nazzal, a Fatah spokesman in the West Bank.
"But we cannot criticize Hamas from a religious point of view. We criticize Hamas from a democratic, secular point of view," Mr. Nazzal says.
The influence of religion in public life is becoming ubiquitous in the Palestinian territories, whether it's the head scarves worn by many women or the posters celebrating those killed as martyrs in the second Intifada which began in 2000.
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