Political Stance
As for his stance politically, he told Newsweek in 2006: "Stop your support for Israel...top calling us terrorists. This policy creates a feeling of oppression. The feeling of oppression can lead to disaster."
Abu Tir recently told the Globe and Mail that his primary objective would be to "...take Sharia as a source for legislation" but at the same time told Newsweek International he "...will not impose Sharia." He also told the Globe and Mail that he plans to reform the Palestinian public education system by introducing a more Islamic curriculum, and also plans on separating male and female students. However Tir did clarify that alcohol would not be banned and it would not be mandatory for women to wear the hijab, or head-cover.
Abu Tir also told the paper that as long as Israel continues its occupation of Palestinian land Hamas would continue its armed struggle against them. In an enigmatic statement in an interview prior to his getting elected, he stated that he would "negotiate better than the others, who negotiated for 10 years and achieved nothing." He explained that "We are not against the Jews. We are against occupation and oppression". On the other hand, he has said that Jews control Christianity: "Even the churches where the Americans pray are led by Jews who were converted to Christianity, but they were converted to keep controlling the Americans."
He noted further that Hamas had removed significant sections of their constitution which called for Israel's destruction, though the basic idea remains the same: Israel cannot be allowed to remain as a Jewish state in the Middle East. "In the past," he said, "it was said that we don't understand politics, only force, but we are a broad, well-grounded movement that is active in all areas of life. Now we are proving that we also understand politics better than the others." Abu Tir's final thought on Israeli negotiation was to leave it to the new parliament "as with every matter, to be discussed and decided upon in a rational manner". After Hamas's landslide victory in January 2006 many countries decided to back Israel's decision to cut foreign aid to The Palestinian Authority. After being asked what Hamas planned to do in light of this Abu Tir stated that Hamas "would not go to foreign donors on bended knee". In a February 6, 2006 open letter to Newsweek International Tir stated that "The European Union and America should cooperate with us. We have ways of creating understanding among our people. We are facilitators, helpers, aides. The presence of Hamas is a guarantee of safety and stability in the region. Any money that is given to us will be channelled to the correct path." As he tried to address Western fears that donations would go to buy arms Tir told the West to "... be afraid...we can always find arms on the black market. It is obvious that we have built our military infrastructure in that way. Our weapons are the only guarantee of our existence. If a proper Palestinian state were established, then all the militias would melt inside the Palestinian Army. Summing up his letter Tir attempted to ease western anxiety about Hamas by stating that "The West has nothing to fear from Hamas. We're not going to force people to do anything. We will not impose Sharia. Hamas is contained. Hamas deals only with the Israeli occupation. We are not Al Qaeda."
Read more about this topic: Muhammad Abu Tir
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