Overview
1. The Hamas movement places great importance on the use of written and electronic media as a key tool in the battle for hearts and minds. Its "media empire” includes a satellite television channel, newspapers, a radio station, websites in eight languages, and a publishing house. Hamas uses its media to spread radical Islam and to glorify violence and terrorism to various target audiences in the Palestinian Authority administered territories, in the Arab/Muslim world, and among Arab/Muslim communities in the West.
2. The center of the Hamas "media empire”, guided from Damascus and assisted by Arab countries, is in the Gaza Strip. That media empire has a branch operating in Britain and uses it for printing and distribution of Hamas publications. Such publications include:
a. The monthly Filastin al-Muslimah: Hamas’s major publication since 1981, available in paper edition and in Internet edition. The monthly spreads incitement and hatred against Israel and the West in the spirit of Hamas’s ideology, while preaching terrorism and glorifying its masterminds and perpetrators.
b. The online bi-weekly Al-Fateh: this newspaper is geared towards children, whom Hamas considers a highly significant target audience. Similarly to other children’s publications, Al-Fateh is designed to inculcate them with radical Islam and educate them in violence and terrorism from a young age.
c. A publishing house named Filastin al-Muslimah Publications: it is a publishing house associated with the Filastin al-Muslimah monthly. It has published books commemorating terrorists and Hamas seniors responsible for planning and initiating terrorist attacks, focusing on suicide terrorism.
3. Hamas’s use of Britain as a major source of publishing and distribution of incitement is hardly coincidental, even though the movement keeps its activity in Britain on a low profile. It is our assessment that there are several factors at play: first, the policy of the British government, allowing Hamas (and radical Islamic elements in general) a relative freedom of action on British territory, particularly in the sphere of propaganda; second, the existence of a network of Arab/Muslim supporters in Britain; third, the technical ability to produce high quality publications in Britain and distribute them across the globe.
4. Following the terrorist attacks perpetrated or thwarted on British territory in recent years, the British government is becoming increasingly aware of the threats posed by radical Islam. However, the British authorities have yet to take effective action to put an end to the exploitation of their country by Hamas for spreading incitement. At issue are radical Islamic indoctrination and glorifying terrorism that could strike a chord not only with Palestinian or Arab/Muslim target audiences worldwide but also with the Muslim community in Britain itself.
5. The appendices that follow contain short summaries about the Hamas newspapers and publishing house in Britain , as well as examples of articles inspiring hatred and preaching terrorism.
