To understand Hamas you can not avoid its Charter or Covenant, the 1988 document that enough of their spokesmen quote from, though they sometimes deny it or downplay it. IIt is a sweeping statement of political, military and religious ideology that explains its worldview and its strategic goals Islam guides the whole document, as it cites extensively (and selectively) from the Q'ran and other texts. It wants to establish a theocratic regime. This vision of Islam is heavy on the Islamist rhetoric of Sayyid Qutb and others who inspired the Muslim Brotherhood and Osama Bin Laden, but unlike that Islamist line which is Universalitst, this is Palestinian-centric. Appeals to secular Palestinian nationalism are mixed with the reminders of how Holy Jerusalem to Islam, and on the goal "raising the banner of Islam over every inch of Palestine". The most non-controversial part is its goals of Social Service to the community, which is something it practices for decades, and has been a key to its political success. Throughout the document you also hear the language of 60's and 70's anti-colonial National Liberation Movements. That is the PLO influence with its anti-colonialist and Marxist rhetoric.. Finally, it has some of the ugliest anti-Semitic and anti-Jewish language, incorporating even cites from the Elders of the Protocols of Zion. Taken as a whole it is a disturbing call to action, dedicated to establishing a theocracy and loaded with hate.
"The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only the Gharkad tree, (evidently a certain kind of tree) would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews." (related by al-Bukhari and Moslem).
"With their money, they took control of the world media, news agencies, the press, publishing houses, broadcasting stations, and others. With their money they stirred revolutions in various parts of the world with the purpose of achieving their interests and reaping the fruit therein. They were behind the French Revolution, the Communist revolution and most of the revolutions we heard and hear about, here and there. With their money they formed secret societies, such as Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, the Lions and others in different parts of the world for the purpose of sabotaging societies and achieving Zionist interests. With their money they were able to control imperialistic countries and instigate them to colonize many countries in order to enable them to exploit their resources and spread corruption there."
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp
