Incitement and Hatred against Israel

Islamic-religious edict (fatwa) justifying death for the sake of Allah and for carrying out suicide attacks against Israel is found in a pamphlet written in Saudi Arabia and published by the Society for the Qur’an and the Sunnah – Palestine. This Islamic society is identified with the Hamas civilian infrastructure (da’wah), whose center is in Qalqiliya and one of whose branches is located in Bethlehem.

The Main Message:

During Operation Defensive Shield, along with the “educational” material examined above, religious pamphlets were found which serve as vehicles for extremist Islamic indoctrination. The authors, most of whom apparently live in Saudi Arabia (See Appendix F(3)), hold extreme Islamic religious views, exported to the PA-administered territories by Hamas and distributed to various target populations, including elementary and high school students in Bethlehem.

One of the booklets found was called “The Grave – Its Agonies and Delights,” written by Hussein al-Awa’isha(1) and published by the Society for the Qur’an and the Sunnah – Palestine. The organization, which is part of the Hamas civilian infrastructure, was outlawed by Israel about a year ago but continues operating without obstruction in the PA- administered territories and deals with what are officially publicized as religious, social and educational issues.
(1) Hussein al-Awa’isha’s identity is not entirely clear. He might be Hussein ‘Odeh al-Awa’isha, an extremist Islamic Jordanian preacher living in As Salt, Jordan, an opponent of that country’s regime, who has written books about the Islamic da’wah [either message or preaching] and about the Islamic faith.

The booklet called “The Grave – Its Agonies and Delights” would seem to deal with purely religious issues related to death and burial customs in Islam. In point of fact, it sanctifies dying for one’s faith, calling that preferable to living in a state of sin. The booklet provides Islamic justification for dying for the sake of Allah and for carrying out suicide attacks, and thus is clearly a manifestation of extremist Islamic indoctrination. Its radical Islamic message is absorbed by Palestinians studying in the educational system provided by the Hamas civilian infrastructure. Some of those young people translate the extremist ideology they learned in school into violent action against Israel when they join the organization’s military wing [the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades] and become suicide bombers.

General Description of the Society for the Qur’an and the Sunnah – Palestine

The booklet, “The Grave – Its Agonies and Delights,” was published by the Society for the Qur’an and the Sunnah – Palestine. The Society is part of the Hamas civilian infrastructure, whose activities include education, health, proselytizing and supporting Palestinian detainees. Its head office is in Qalqiliya and it has branches in Nablus and Bethlehem (where the booklet was found) and apparently in other cities under PA administration as well.

The organization is headed by Ibrahim ‘Abd al-Rahim Muhammed Daoud, head of the Qalqiliya office of the PA Ministry of Religious Endowments [Awqaf], also known as a senior Hamas activist (and arrested by the Israeli security forces a number of times). Other important figures in the society are also identified with Hamas. The Library and Records of the Blessed al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City in Jerusalem and the al-Noor Company for Printing, Publicity and Distribution in Bir Naballa [near Ramallah in the PA-administered territories] participated in the printing and distribution of the booklet.

The booklet (Number 37 in the series of the Society’s publications) and others of the same type found in Bethlehem (See Appendix F(3)) were published by Salafist Da’wah Publications. The Salafiyyah is, in essence, an extremist Islamic ideology and trend which preaches a return to the righteous path of the forefathers of Islam (the Salaf) whose lives and deeds have served as models to this day. Among the groups supporting the Salafiyyah operating in the PA-administered territories and throughout the Arab world there are those who have adopted the extreme activism of the Salafiyyah (in its more recent form) which justifies violence against “unbelievers.” In that category they include Moslems who are considered to have contravened Islamic religious law and adopted “false” Western values, among them heads of Arab and Moslem regimes [see Appendix F(2), below].

In July, 2002, the Society for the Qur’an and the Sunnah – Palestine was outlawed by Israel but the injunction has never actually been enforced because the Israeli army has no fixed presence in all the PA-administered territories and because the PA has taken no effective measures against extremist Islamic groups identified with Hamas. Hence, the Society continues its various social and “educational” activities. For instance, between July 1-18 of this year [2003] it was scheduled to run a summer camp for 500 elementary school children who study at its “al-Aqsa” school.

The Cover of the Booklet Entitled “The Grave – Its Agonies and Delights,” which uses Islamic religious arguments to encourage martyrdom and suicide attacks for the sake of Allah.

Excerpts from the booklet extolling the advantages of “martyrdom for the sake of Allah”

In the Introduction, the author reminds the reader that according to Islamic tradition, on Judgment Day every Moslem will have to account for his deeds. The good will go to Paradise, and whoever sinned and did not atone for his sins will go to Hell. Whoever sinned will suffer agonies even just placed in his grave, but those who performed good deeds or atoned for their evil deeds will be spared such suffering [Page 6].

In Chapter 8, “What Redeems Us from the Agonies of the Grave” [Page 57], the author states: “The death of a martyr for the sake of Allah on the battlefield [Al-istishhad fi Sabil Allah] is what redeems the ‘martyrs’ from the agonies of the grave.” To reinforce his statement he gives as an example the Moslem tradition (hadith) of the Prophet, saying: “[The Prophet Mohammed, may Allah’s prayer and the blessing of peace be upon him] said: The shaheed has six [in the original Arabic version] virtues in Allah’s eyes: “Allah forgives him his sins the moment the first drop of his blood [is shed], a place is reserved for him in Paradise, he is spared the agonies of the grave, he is safe from the great fear [that falls upon him who dies in battle], he is adorned with the jewel of faith, he is wed to black-eyed virgins in Paradise and before Allah he may speak well of 70 members of his family. (1)”
(1) The agonies of the grave and the desire to avoid them are the focus of the booklet; the same theme appears in other Islamic religious literature published by the Society for the Qur’an and the Sunnah – Palestine. It would seem that the idea of such a death upsets many (mostly the young) Moslems and this literature provides a solution to the problem by proposing martyrdom as a reliable means of avoiding the agonies of the grave.

The “advantages” noted by the author are meant to motivate Palestinian youth to enlist in the terrorist organizations working against Israel (the most virulent of which is Hamas, identified with the group which published the booklet) and to engage in activities endangering their lives, including suicide attacks. Elements of the “advantages,” for instance the suicide bomber’s being wed to black-eyed virgins in Paradise, has repeatedly been mentioned by terrorists as the reason behind their willingness to go out on missions which might lead to their deaths or which involve carrying out suicide attacks.

The notebook also spells out the advantages of the shaheeds for the sake of Allah and their deaths as “martyrs” (shuhada’) as they die while at the forefront in the battle with the enemy (ribat) (*):

(*) Ribat is a concept taken from Islamic army terminology, particularly from the Middle Ages. It refers to the state of alert and location of Moslem soldiers who guard the Moslem front and act as a barrier between the Moslems and their enemies. Yassir Arafat often uses the terms ribat and shahadah, for instance in his speech broadcast on Palestinian television on June 1, 2003, marking Palestinian Children’s Day.

a.	“The story is told by one of the companions of the Prophet, may Allah’s prayer and the blessing of peace be upon him: someone asked, oh, Prophet of Allah, why are the faithful tormented in their graves *while the shaheed* is not?** And [the Prophet] answered: the flashes of the swords above his head are sufficient to be considered his torments [in this world]” (Page 57).

b.	“[Allah’s messenger], may Allah’s prayer and blessing of peace be upon him, said: when a man dies, his deeds come to an end, except for him *who is in ribat* for the sake of Allah. With regard to him, his [good] deeds amass [in his favor,** awaiting Resurrection Day], and thus he is [made] safe from the torments of the grave. (Page 58).” The same idea appears in the seventh chapter as well, “What advantages does the dead have after his death” (Page 56 Paragraph 7).

c	In the final chapter (Pages 60-61) a series of activities is described, recommended for daily performance by every Moslem, entitled, “A day in the life of a Moslem.” Among others, *“martyrdom” (shahadah)* is mentioned and given three lines, as opposed to the other activities, each of which is accorded one line only. For instance, “Have you sincerely asked Allah for a martyr’s death? And the Prophet of Allah, may Allah’s prayer and the blessing of peace be upon him, answered: He who sincerely requests to die a martyr’s death is raised [in status] until he is equal to those who have died as martyrs, even should he eventually die in his bed” [a Moslem tradition, according to the footnote on Page 61].