Salafis determined to establish Islamic Emirate in Gaza
23/10/2012 By Kifah Zaboun
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=31554

Ramallah, Asharq Al-Awsat - A prominent Salafi jihadist based in the Gaza
Strip has stressed that his group’s efforts of establishing an Islamic
Emirate in the Gaza Strip continues despite the severe blows handed to them
at the hands of Israel and the Hamas Movement.

"We always are planning to establish God's Sharia on earth. This is the duty
of every Muslim. Our project, God willing, exists, and the day will come
when the mujahidin will fulfil their project." Abu Abdul-Muhajir told Asharq
Al-Awsat.

Abu Abdul-Muhajir blasted the Hamas movement for what he described as the
continued detention and “summoning campaign” against members of his
movement, despite the recent Israeli attack that killed prominent Salafi
official, Hisham al-Suaydani (Abu al-Walid al-Maqdisi).

"The security wing of the Hamas Government for months has not ceased hunting
down our leaders and mujahidin. They are storming our houses, detaining
some, and summoning the brothers of some of our brethren in an attempt to
exert pressure on them to surrender. These organizations storm the houses
without any consideration of their sanctity, and assault all those inside
the houses." Abdul-Muhajir told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Abu Abdul-Muhajir stresses that relations between the Salafis and Hamas has
been severed. However the Salafi militant revealed that his group have
contacted distinguished Muslim scholars abroad in an effort to pressure
Hamas to stop its attacks, and to release the Salafi members it has
arrested. Moreover Abu Abdul-Muhajir said that the Hamas movement has also
confiscated weapons and equipment belonging to the Salafis.

Abu Abdul-Muhajir also criticized Egypt for helping Hamas’s attack on the
Salafis in Gaza. “We have confirmed information that interrogators from the
Egyptian Intelligence have interrogated some of our brethren, including the
prisoner detained by the security organizations of Hamas Government, Sheikh
Abu-Suhayb Rashwan, who is accused of being behind the heroic operation
carried out by our brethren of the Mujahidin Shura Council of the Bosom of
Jerusalem [Jund Ansar Allah Group] at the borders between Sinai and our
occupied territories, which led to the killing and wounding of several
Zionists." Abu Abdul-Muhajir added.

The Gaza-based militant also accused Hamas of participating indirectly in
the assassination of Al-Suaydani. "The Internal Security Organization
affiliated to that government was practicing open surveillance of Abu
al-Walid and others; they were exchanging information via the wireless
networks, which were infiltrated by the occupation. Moreover, our leaders
and mujahidin were interrogated about this information, and we believe that
it reached the occupation forces, which assassinated some of these leaders
and members following the exposure of this information."

Relations between Hamas and the Salafi groups in Gaza are extremely tense.
Hamas considers the Salafi groups as takfiri groups, and accuses them of
striking at the social fabric, and of carrying out killing, arson, and
targeting operations against individuals, institutions, and shops; these
accusations are rejected by the Salafis, who do not recognize the rule of
Hamas.

Hamas says that it "will not allow such terrorist seeds to grow in the Gaza
Strip. Hamas also refuses to carry out any unilateral action against Israel
in order to preserve the calm in Gaza and the interests of the people. Hamas
says that war is subject to general national consensus.