| Founded | 1973 |
|---|---|
| Type | NGO |
| Location |
|
Area served | Palestine |
Key people | Ahmed Yassin |
The Mujama' al-Islami ("Islamic Centre") is an Islamic charity founded in 1973 in Gaza by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who had been involved with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's Palestinian branch. Mujama started to offer clinics, blood banks, day care, medical treatment, meals and youth clubs. Mujama plays an important role for providing social care to the people, particularly those living in refugee camps. It also extended financial aid and scholarships to young people who wanted to study in Saudi Arabia and the West.
Al-Mujama' al-Islami was recognized by Israel in 1979 as a charity, allowing the organization to set up the Islamic University in Gaza (IUG) and build mosques, clubs, schools,[1] and a library in Gaza,[2] besides other social services.
In the late 1970s and 1980s, al-Mujama' al-Islami are reported to have coerced urban educated women in Gaza to wear Islamic dress or hijab.[3]
In 1984, the Israeli military had infiltrated a suspected mosque and found a cache of weapons. Sheikh Yassin and others were jailed for secretly stockpiling weapons, but he was released in 1985 as part of the Jibril Agreement.[4] He continued to expand Mujama's reach across Gaza.[1]
- ^ a b Higgins, Andrew (2009-01-24). "How Israel Helped to Spawn Hamas". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on September 26, 2009. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
- ^ Hamas Victory Is Built on Social Work. Los Angeles Times, March 2, 2006.
- ^ "Women and the Hijab in the Intifada", Rema Hammami Middle East Report, May–August 1990
- ^ "HAMAS and Israel: Conflicting Strategies of Group-Based Politics" (PDF). Retrieved 11 June 2010.
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