The comparison between ISIS and Hamas (a claim no intelligent or respectable historical, anthropologist or political scientist will likely ever make in the way described here) is an idiological comparison, not an intellectual one.
We already established Hamas is bad, no one disagrees. But a step further is needed to excuse the unspeakable and unrelenting massacring of Gazans and the destruction of their homes. It’s to say, “LOOK! WE ARE FIGHTING (K)HAMAS-ISIS! THEY ARE LIKE ISIS!!! REMEMBER ISIS???”
A professor of Islamic studies at UMass Dartmouth literally wrote an article on how Hamas has recently adopted ISIS tactics and intermingled with them growing much closer, and primarily only highlighted the religious and ideological goals as the differences.
Some excerpts:
My long study of Islamic State fighting tactics, including field research in Iraq, leads me to believe Hamas has recently undergone a radical ISIS-inspired transformation that has not yet gotten widespread public attention. Prior to its Oct. 7 blitz, Hamas’ actions were limited to lobbing imprecise rockets and digging tunnels into Israel to kidnap or kill small numbers of Israelis.
But as University of Miami professor and expert in the study of jihadism Nathan S. French has noted in El Pais, “Hamas operatives – like other Islamist and jihadist groups – borrow, steal and appropriate tactics and strategies from other similar political, guerrilla, or militant movements.” And it seems that Hamas has borrowed tactics from ISIS.
It’s likely that Hamas learned from the hundreds of Palestinians who joined both the core ISIS caliphate in Syria and Iraq and the ISIS affiliate in the Sinai.
And despite their differences, Hamas officials have in the past met directly with leaders of the Islamic State in the Sinai. Those meetings were likely linked to collaboration between the two groups for specific actions that benefited their respective goals, such as weapons smuggling, undermining Egyptian government influence in the Sinai and transporting injured Islamic State fighters to Gaza for medical treatment.
In October 2023, an article in the U.K. newspaper The Times cited an intelligence official who said, “It’s clear that the two movements have worked together close enough over the past few years to copy each other’s methods, learn tactics and train on weapons they have procured together.”
This part is especially hilarious given your protestations:
On Oct. 7, Hamas fighters reportedly left black ISIS war banners at the scene of several attacks. There were also videos posted online that appeared to show Hamas fighters singing popular ISIS war songs as they stormed into Israel.
I’m saying pro-Zionists like the comparison because it makes killing civilians more palatable.
PS: from that same article you linked:
There are plenty of reasons for Israel to want the world to think Hamas is ISIS – including the hope of marshaling the sort of overseas support that led to the 2014 creation of the 86-member Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. In fighting between 2014 and 2019, the coalition reclaimed all the territory the Islamic State group had seized in Iraq and Syria.
And it is true that the Oct. 7 attack displayed tactics that are remarkably similar to those of the Islamic State group. But as a scholar of ISIS specifically, and Middle Eastern militants in general, I am inclined to agree with those who say the comparison between the two terrorist groups overlooks their underlying differences. The similarities are on the surface, in methods and tactics – but their goals and ideologies remain vastly different.
I would say this is closest to my opinion. They even spell my point out (Zionists use this to make the killing of children look like a woopsie in an overly complicated situation).
It’s patent from the facts.
The comparison between ISIS and Hamas (a claim no intelligent or respectable historical, anthropologist or political scientist will likely ever make in the way described here) is an idiological comparison, not an intellectual one.
We already established Hamas is bad, no one disagrees. But a step further is needed to excuse the unspeakable and unrelenting massacring of Gazans and the destruction of their homes. It’s to say, “LOOK! WE ARE FIGHTING (K)HAMAS-ISIS! THEY ARE LIKE ISIS!!! REMEMBER ISIS???”
Edit: typo
A professor of Islamic studies at UMass Dartmouth literally wrote an article on how Hamas has recently adopted ISIS tactics and intermingled with them growing much closer, and primarily only highlighted the religious and ideological goals as the differences.
Some excerpts:
This part is especially hilarious given your protestations:
Guess I gotta clarify my point:
I’m saying pro-Zionists like the comparison because it makes killing civilians more palatable.
PS: from that same article you linked:
I would say this is closest to my opinion. They even spell my point out (Zionists use this to make the killing of children look like a woopsie in an overly complicated situation).
Granted I should have better at phrasing it.