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Ahmad Yasin

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Ahmad Yasin
Founder of Hamas
Founder of Hamas
TeknonymShaykh al-Mujahidin • Symbol of Resistance
BirthJune 28, 1936
Place of BirthAl-Jura
Places of ResidencePalestine
DeathMarch 22, 2004
Burial PlaceSheikh Radwan Cemetery in central Gaza
Notable rolesLeader of Hamas


Aḥmad Yāsīn (b. 1936 - d. 2004) was the spiritual leader and founder of the Hamas Movement and one of the figures of the Palestinian resistance against Israel. He founded Hamas in 1987 with a group of Islamist activists and, despite his physical disability, played a pivotal role in shaping the resistance in Palestine. The assassination of Ahmad Yasin by Israel in 2004 provoked widespread reactions and turned him into a symbol of struggle and steadfastness.

Leader and Symbol of Resistance

Shaykh Ahmad Yasin, known as Shaykh al-Mujahidin (the Sheikh of the Mujahids),[1] is recognized as one of the militant figures and a symbol of the Palestinian resistance.[2] It is said that political and social pressures on Palestinians, the formation of the Israeli regime, and the defeat of Arabs in regional wars influenced his views.[3]

Yasin pursued his religious education at al-Azhar University in Egypt, where he became acquainted with the ideas of the Muslim Brotherhood. Influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood's thoughts, he believed that Palestine is an Islamic land usurped by Israel and always emphasized the necessity of Islamic sovereignty over all of Palestine.[4] With the expansion of this movement's influence, Ahmad Yasin became known as one of the most significant opponents of the Occupation of Palestine.[5]

Interview with Aḥmad Yāsīn regarding Israel. In this interview, he predicted that Israel would be destroyed by the first quarter of the 21st century (before 2025) and would not reach 2027.

After his assassination by Israel, his house was turned into a museum to commemorate his memory.[6] His martyrdom brought a wave of anger and protest in the Palestinian territories; thousands of people took to the streets in Gaza, and resistance groups vowed revenge.[7]

After Yasin, 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Rantisi was introduced as the new leader of Hamas.[8]

Biography

Ahmad Yasin was born on June 28, 1936, in the village of al-Jura, a dependency of Ashkelon in southern Palestine under the British Mandate.[9] After his father's death, due to the prevalence of the name Ahmadin the Yasinfamily, he was known as "Ahmad Sa'da" attributed to his mother (Sayyida Sa'da 'Abd Allah al-Habil).[10]

In childhood, he suffered a disability in his limbs due to an accident, but this limitation did not stop his education and activities. In 1964, he went to Ain Shams University in Egypt to study English literature.[11] With the defeat of Arabs in the 1967 war and the occupation of the Gaza Strip by Israel, he abandoned his university studies and returned to Gaza to invite people to confront the occupiers and strengthen the spirit of resistance.[12]

He married Halima Hasan Yasin in 1961 and had 11 children (3 sons and 8 daughters).[13]

Meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei during the trip to Iran

Trip to Iran

Shaykh Ahmad Yasin traveled to Iran in April 1998 and met with Iranian officials, including Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He also visited the city of Qom upon the invitation of the Ahl al-Bayt World Assembly.[14]

Martyrdom

Ahmad Yasin was martyred on March 22, 2004, after performing the Fajr prayer in Gaza, in an Israeli airstrike.[15] This operation was carried out under the direct supervision of Ariel Sharon, the then Prime Minister of Israel.[16] His burial place is in the Shaykh Radwan cemetery in the center of Gaza.[17]

Part of Ayatollah Khamenei's message of condolence following the martyrdom of Shaykh Ahmad Yasin:"The blood of Shaykh Ahmad Yasin will water the sturdy tree of Islamic resistance and will fan the flames of anger of the self-sacrificing Palestinian nation, and his oppression will raise the flag of Palestine's oppression. What they took from Shaykh Ahmad Yasin and the Palestinian nation with this crime was a frail and ailing body. They will not be able to take his thought, the line he drew, and the path he opened from the Palestinian nation. The soul of the Shaykh is alive, and his lesson, now made more enduring and prominent by his oppressed blood, will be the whisper of the youth and the future generation of Palestine."[18]

Following the martyrdom of Ahmad Yasin, Ayatollah Khamenei[19] and Ayatollah Sistani[20] issued messages of condolence, and Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah, the then Secretary-General of Hezbollah, delivered a speech at his memorial ceremony.[21]

Political Activities

Ahmad Yasin initially joined the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, but he was not a well-known figure until 1987.[22] With the beginning of the First Intifada in 1987, he, along with other Islamists, founded the Hamas Movement as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood with the slogan "Freedom of all Palestinian soil" and assumed its leadership.[23]

Israel initially considered this movement insignificant, but with the expansion of Hamas's activities, its position was strengthened. In 1989, he was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of ordering the killing of Palestinians collaborating with Israel, but in 1997, he was released during a prisoner exchange and became a symbol of resistance.[24]

Stance and Actions

  • Opposition to the Peace Process: Ahmad Yasin never accepted peace with Israel and considered all of Palestine to belong to Muslims. In 2003, he criticized the Aqaba Summit held to advance peace.[25]
  • Support for Martyrdom Operations: Although Yasin did not publicize his direct role in military operations, he promoted the concept of "Martyrdom" and referred to suicide bombers against Israelites as Mujahids.[26]
  • Social Services: Under his leadership, Hamas established schools, free clinics, and charity funds, which led to the increase of the movement's popularity.[27]

Establishment of Sheikh Yassin Foundation

The Shaykh Ahmad Yasin International Foundation is a humanitarian and cultural institution established in 2018 in Gaza City. According to Al Jazeera, the goal of this foundation is to preserve the heritage and memory of Shaykh Ahmad Yasin, enhance capacities and skills to support human rights, expand humanitarian activities, and promote concepts of freedom and free living; just as Shaykh Yasin dedicated his life to defending these ideals.[28]

Notes

  1. ↑ Māḍī, Aḥmad Yāsīn Amīr al-Shuhadāʾ, p. 11.
  2. ↑ Shaykh Aḥmad Yāsīn; the founder of Hamas and the symbol of resistance, Defapress.
  3. ↑ Biography of Shaykh Aḥmad Yāsīn, BBC Persian.
  4. ↑ On the 18th anniversary of his assassination.. Get to know Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas, Al Jazeera.
  5. ↑ Biography of Shaykh Aḥmad Yāsīn, BBC Persian.
  6. ↑ The 12th anniversary of the martyrdom of Shaykh Aḥmad Yāsīn, the founder of Hamas, Anadolu Agency.
  7. ↑ Israel assassinated the leader of the Islamist group Hamas, BBC Persian.
  8. ↑ The new leader of the Hamas movement in Gaza was announced, BBC Persian.
  9. ↑ Khāmeniʾī, Tawahhum-i Sulṭa, p. 479; The 12th anniversary of the martyrdom of Shaykh Aḥmad Yāsīn, the founder of Hamas, Anadolu Agency.
  10. ↑ Māḍī, Aḥmad Yāsīn Amīr al-Shuhadāʾ, p. 9.
  11. ↑ On the 18th anniversary of his assassination.. Get to know Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas, Al Jazeera.
  12. ↑ Khāmeniʾī, Tawahhum-i Sulṭa, p. 479; Biography of Shaykh Aḥmad Yāsīn, BBC Persian.
  13. ↑ On the 18th anniversary of his assassination.. Get to know Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas, Al Jazeera.
  14. ↑ Presence of Shaykh Aḥmad Yāsīn in Iran, Fardanews.
  15. ↑ Khāmeniʾī, Tawahhum-i Sulṭa, p. 479.
  16. ↑ Māḍī, Aḥmad Yāsīn Amīr al-Shuhadāʾ, p. 15.
  17. ↑ Presence of Haniyeh at the grave of Shaykh Aḥmad Yāsīn, Qodsna.
  18. ↑ Ṣulḥ-Mīrzāʾī, Filasṭīn az Manẓar-i Ḥaḍrat-i Āyatullāh Khāmeniʾī, p. 373.
  19. ↑ Condolence message following the martyrdom of Shaykh Ahmad Yasin, leader of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, The Office of Preservation and Publication of the Works of Grand Ayatollah Khamenei.
  20. ↑ Statement of the Office of His Eminence al-Sayyid (may his shadow last) regarding the assassination of Shaykh Ahmad Yasin, The official site of Ayatollah Sistani.
  21. ↑ Speech of Sayyid Naṣrallāh in the memorial of ShaykhAhmad Yasin, Hezbollah Media Relations.
  22. ↑ Biography of Shaykh Ahmad Yasin, BBC Persian.
  23. ↑ Rūḥānī, Āshnāyī bā Kishwarhā-yi Islāmī, p. 160; Ḥaḍratī, Khūrshīd dar Sāya, p. 281.
  24. ↑ Rūzshumār-i Tārīkh, p. 1781.
  25. ↑ Biography of Shaykh Ahmad Yasin, BBC Persian.
  26. ↑ Biography of Shaykh Ahmad Yasin, BBC Persian.
  27. ↑ Aḥmad Yāsīn al-Shaykh al-Mujāhid al-Shahīd, p. 16.
  28. ↑ On the 18th anniversary of his assassination.. Get to know Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas, Al Jazeera.

References

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