Al Qaeda Lends Support to Hamas

[watchman]

Al Qaeda Lends Support to Hamas

http://thetrumpet.com/index.php?page=article&id=3375

After Hamas successfully wrested control of the Gaza Strip, Western nations were anxious to cut any remaining ties they had with Gaza. Where others rush out, al Qaeda rushes in.

Al Qaeda deputy Ayman al-Zawahri extended his group’s support to Hamas and called for all Muslims to send aid to the Gaza Strip. In this case, “aid” is comprised of money and weapons. “Provide them [Hamas] with money, do your best to get it there, break the siege imposed on them by Crusaders and Arab leader traitors,” al-Zawahri said. He also encouraged followers to “[f]acilitate weapons smuggling from neighboring countries [into Gaza].”

Experts have long feared Hamas would take control of Gaza and turn it into a terrorist haven for attacks on Israel. Their fears have proven justified.

While it may not seem extraordinary that two extremist Sunni groups would align, there has been somewhat of a rift between the two in the past. Early this year, al Qaeda criticized Hamas for forming a unity government with the Western-supported Fatah party. But now, with Hamas now cleaning Fatah blood from its streets, al Qaeda is eager to lend a helping hand.

Hamas downplayed the offer, saying it was not interested in the brand of global jihad that has made al Qaeda recognizable around the world. However, the similiarities between the two run deep. Both Hamas and al Qaeda are Sunni outgrowths of the Egypt-based Muslim Brotherhood, and both are strongly affiliated with Iran.

Hamas, in spite of these similarities, has kept its distance from al Qaeda in order to stave off international pressure. However, without the cover of Fatah, Hamas finds itself in a precarious position. Gaza has become an outcast to everyone but terrorist groups that share some of the same radical agendas. With a fledgling government to establish, Hamas will need all the help it can gather. Al Qaeda’s offer may be too much to refuse.

Whether or not this specific alignment occurs, we are witnessing an increasing level of collaboration among radical Islamist groups of various stripes. Increasingly, the common denominator is the Shiite Islamic Republic of Iran, which, with its connections to both Hamas and al Qaeda, continues to improve its credentials as the chief state sponsor of terrorism and king of the radical Islamist movement.