Jihadist vs. jihadist in Gaza

Interestingly once again, the adherents of the quran seem to be some of its first victims. Very tragic indeed.

"Hamas forces surrounded a mosque in Rafah after the Salafi group's sheikh declared that the Gaza Strip is an Islamic Emirate and that his followers belong to al-Qaeda..."

What???!!! Don't they know a mosque is an out of bounds religous building?

With Hamas trying to keep the peace -- in yet another attempt to show itself as a moderate group with whom the West should play ball.
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This is one of the very few times when I feel I must respectfully disagree in some points with JihadWatch analysis.

I believe Hamas--and the Army of Islam and the Al-Qaida backed "Gaza Islamic Emirate", and even, to a lesser extent, Fatah--are all rival Islamists jockeying for power and influence in tiny Gaza.

This is similar to the situation in Somalia, where the "Islamic Courts" and al-Shabab represent less divergent interpretations of Islam, or a more or less "moderate" force, than rival gangs or tribes fighting for power.

Sure--if Hamas' fight against Fatah, and their expulsion from Gaza gives Hamas 'street cred' as more devout Jihadists, they'll take it. If their fight against the "Army of Islam" or Al-Qaida forces in Gaza gives them the reputation as "moderates" that the West can 'work with', they'll take that, too.

But I don't believe this is their primary motivation in going after these groups. They want their power and their claims of Islamic purity. Also, their goals are no different from their rivals--a Hamas spokesman said, after a recent clash with the "Gaza Islamic Emirate", that proclaiming an Emirate was "premature", and that the group "did not understand Jihad".

Of course, Fatah might say the same thing about Hamas.

If we just cut off the Muslim world from the West they would purify themselves out of existence.

It is actually like watching Predator versus Alien.

Of course, Fatah might say the same thing about Hamas.

Indeed, they probably have and will again. I shed no tears when the oppossing side of Islam fight each other. All out war between the two factions would be a pleasure indeed.

Mosques out of bounds? Not to these two aquabbling groups of mohams. Any mosque that has weapons in it or is known as a source of jihad and subversion just needs to be leveled. The Israelis wish they would just'cancel' each other out and save them the trouble down the road.

I'm with gravneimage, poetcomic1, Dumbledoresarmy and others on this one. We don't have a dog in this fight; and it's just another example of how savage internecine fighting gets. It's a little like Spain in the 1930's, in which rival gangs of Communists, Trotskyists, and Anarchists killed more "heretics" (to their particular creeds) than were killed in Spain itself during the entire course of the Inquisition.

Dumbledore's is especially on target about mosques being quite different from churches. They really do seem to be degenerating into gang HQ.

The scary thing about mosques is that westerners cannot enter these dens of iniquity. Having spent many years in the middle east, and especially in Saudi Arabia, there is no doubt that after so-called worship at Friday prayers, tannoy systems are turned off and the politics starts and will go on for hours. Notice how many suicide bombers act out their vileness after Friday prayers where they will un doubtedly have been whipped into a frenzy. Many times I have heard mullahs over the tannoy so frenzied that they sob over the tannoy!

The point of using the title of that movie is to demonstrate that one combatant is just as loathsome as the other. Also, if you just say Islamic this and Islamic that, it will not get much attention. Also, why let the Islamists limit what you can call them? I am not concerned about their feelings or sense of self-importance, are you?

Also, these Islamist groups do give themselves more extended names. Would you like a list?