Resistance of colonized peoples merits support regardless of its form.

Evidence

Hamas’s struggle against Zionism is worthy of support, especially when it has the backing of the Palestinian people. This flows from an understanding that the resistance of a colonized people, no matter what form it takes, should be supported, particularly when left alternatives have discredited themselves. (Popular support for Hamas rose only in conjunction with the betrayals of the secular left.) Furthermore, the Hamas of today is not the same organization as the Hamas of 1987. It has gone through many shifts in response to the day-to-day challenges of fighting Zionism and imperialism. One of these shifts is the downplaying of its Islamist ambitions and a corresponding emphasis on its nationalist politics. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 361

Categorization

• SEED: Directly answers the reader’s guiding question on connecting the imperial project to Zionism and Palestine — usable as a framework for evaluating Hamas in contemporary debates.
• QUESTION: What counts as a ‘betrayal of the secular left’ and where, historically, did such betrayals drive support toward Hamas?
• XREF: connects to: Reclaiming an ancient Negro civilization does not change present colonial suffering. — Frantz Fanon, Constance Farrington, Black skin, white masks, 870; Support for self-determination does not require supporting every anti-occupation force — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 366; Only the radical will to live founds sovereignty, regardless of will’s form — Michel Foucault, Society Must Be Defended, 112 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Support for self-determination does not require supporting every anti-occupation force #contradicts (0.80) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 366