Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
97ALGIERS734
1997-02-25 12:57:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Algiers
Cable title:  

ALGERIA'S HAMAS PARTY: A WINNING ORGANIZATION?

Tags:  PGOV KISL AG 
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R 251257Z FEB 97
FM AMEMBASSY ALGIERS
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7200
INFO AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 
USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
UTAIS RAMSTEIN AB GE
ALGERIA COLLECTIVE
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 ALGIERS 000734 


E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/24/2007
TAGS: PGOV KISL AG
SUBJECT: ALGERIA'S HAMAS PARTY: A WINNING ORGANIZATION?

REF: ALGIERS 437

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 ALGIERS 000734


E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/24/2007
TAGS: PGOV KISL AG
SUBJECT: ALGERIA'S HAMAS PARTY: A WINNING ORGANIZATION?

REF: ALGIERS 437


1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR RONALD NEUMANN,
AMEMBASSY ALGIERS, REASON 1.5 D.


2. (C) SUMMARY: IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, THE FOCUS
IN ISLAMIST POLITICS HERE HAS SHIFTED TO THE LEGAL
ISLAMIC PARTY HAMAS (N0 RELATION TO PALESTINIAN
HAMAS) AWAY FROM THE BANNED ISLAMIC SALVATI0N FRONT
(FIS). S0ME 0BSERVERS SUGGEST THAT WERE THE FIS
ALLOWED TO RETURN TO THE SCENE, THE POPULAR BASE OF
HAMAS WOULD VANISH (WE ARE SKEPTICAL). HAMAS'
LEADER, MAHFOUD NAHNAH IS NOT AS GIFTED AN ORATOR AS
SOME FIS LEADERS, AND HIS GRADUALIST APPROACH TO
GAINING P0WER DIMINISHES HIS APPEAL AMONG HARDER
LINE ISLAMISTS.


3. SUMMARY CONTINUED: THE FIS, HOWEVER, NO LONGER
EXISTS AS AN ORGANIZATI0N IN ALGERIA WHILE HAMAS HAS
A RECENT NATIONAL 0RGANIZATION WITH EXPERIENCE FROM
TW0 NATI0NAL ELECTI0NS BEHIND IT. IN ADDITION,
HAMAS HAS CL0SE TIES T0 NON-POLITICAL ASSOCIATIONS
AND CHARITY 0RGANIZATI0NS. THE NEW GOVERNMENT LAW
REGULATING PARTIES MAY LIMIT HAMAS' LINKS WITH
SUCH GROUPS. STILL, HAMAS' BIGGEST ORGANIZATIONAL
WEAKNESS SEEMS TO BE NAHNAH'S DOMINATION OF THE
PARTY. WERE HE SUDDENLY TO DEPART THE SCENE, A
POWER VACUUM AT THE T0P COULD SERIOUSLY DISRUPT
HAMAS--UNLIKE THE FIS IN 1991 WHEN ITS TOP
LEADERSHIP WAS ARRESTED, BUT THE FIS WENT 0N TO WIN
NATIONAL ELECTIONS NONETHELESS. END SUMMARY.

--------------
COMPETITION BETWEEN THE FIS AND HAMAS
--------------


4. (C) HAMAS HAS GAINED PRESTIGE, AND VOTER
STRENGTH, SINCE THE ISLAMIC SALVATION FRONT WAS
BANNED IN 1992, BUT SOME THINK HAMAS WOULD DISAPPEAR
IF THE FIS WERE ALLOWED T0 RETURN. DEDICATED FIS
SYMPATHIZERS BLAME HAMAS PRESIDENT MAHFOUD NAHNAH
FOR HAVING SPLIT THE ALGERIAN ISLAMIST MOVEMENT IN
1990 (BY SETTING UP HAMAS). IN ADDITION,
HARDER-LINE ISLAMISTS REJECT NAHNAH'S GRADUALIST
APPROACH TO GAINING POWER; THEY ALSO ACCUSE NAHNAH
OF COLLABORATING WITH THE G0VERNMENT (IN A WIDELY
WATCHED FEBRUARY 21 MBC TELEVISION BROADCAST, A
CALLER FR0M L0ND0N LABELLED NAHNAH A GOVERNMENT
'AGENT.') MORE0VER, NAHNAH HIMSELF DOES NOT HAVE
THE CHARISMA 0F SOME FIS 0FFICIALS, NOTABLY JAILED
VICE PRESIDENT ALI BENHADJ.

INSIDE THE PARTY STRUCTURE
--------------


5. (C) SHEIKH NAHNAH AND HIS HAMAS PARTY CARRY
SOME BAGGAGE, BUT THEY HAVE A RELATIVELY ORDERLY
PARTY WITH PARTICULAR STRENGTHS. SHEIKH NAHNAH

DOMINATES A PARTY VERY MUCH HIS CREATION; THERE IS
LITTLE OF THE DISORDER SO APPARENT INSIDE THE FIS IN
THE EARLY 1990'S. NAHNAH IS THE HEAD OF THE PARTY'S
"EXECUTIVE C0UNCIL," (IN ARABIC, MAJLES ET-TANFITH),
J0INED THERE BY NINE STAFFERS. THOSE AIDES FOCUS ON
DISTINCT FUNCTI0NS SUCH AS MEDIA RELATIONS,
LEGISLATIVE WORK (HAMAS HAS FIVE MEMBERS IN THE
SURROGATE PARLIAMENT),ISSUES DEVEL0PMENT AND
INTERNAL ADMINISTRATION. MOST MAJOR POLICY ISSUES
ARE DEBATED WITHIN THIS "EXECUTIVE COUNCIL." A
"CONSULTATIVE COUNCIL" (MAJLES ESH-SHOURA) SETS
BROADER GUIDANCE, BUT ITS 100 PLUS MEMBERS, WHO COME
FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, MEET IRREGULARLY.

WHICH MAINTAINS A MONOLITHIC FACE
--------------


6. (C) NOTABLY, HAMAS MAINTAINS ENOUGH ORDER
WITHIN ITS SENIOR RANKS TO GUARD MANY SECRETS. FOR
EXAMPLE, VERY LITTLE OF THE INTERNAL DEBATE INSIDE
THE EXECUTIVE C0UNCIL FILTERS OUTSIDE. REPORTERS
FROM THE ARABIC-LANGUAGE DAILIES EL-ALEM ES-SIYASI
AND EL-KHABER, WHICH CARRY THE BEST REPORTING ON
ISLAMISTS HERE, C0NFESS T0 HAVING GREAT DIFFICULTY
PUSHING THEIR HAMAS SOURCES PAST THE OFFICIAL LINE
T0 DESCRIBE DEBATES INSIDE THE PARTY. ITS OFFICIALS
ARE SIMILARLY RETICENT WITH US.

NOT ALL READILY AGREED INSIDE THE MACHINE
--------------


7. (C) WHILE KEPT QUIET, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME HOT
POLITICAL ARGUMENTS INSIDE HAMAS. NAHNAH'S DECISION
IN 1995 TO RUN F0R PRESIDENT WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT'S
GUIDELINES PROMPTED TWO HAMAS MAJLES ASH-SHOURA
MEMBERS TO QUIT THE PARTY. ONE 0F THEM TOLD POLOFF
FEBRUARY 23 THAT THE ARGUMENT INSIDE THE MAJLES
F0CUSSED ON WHETHER HAMAS WAS HELPING THE GOVERNMENT
BY JOINING THE 1995 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN. NAHNAH
AND HIS ALLIES IN THE COUNCIL REPORTEDLY ARGUED THAT
HAMAS COULD GAIN CONFIDENCE OF SENIOR GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS, AND PERHAPS EVEN SOME GOVERNMENT P0STS,
IF THEY PLAYED THE PRESIDENCY'S GAME.


8. (C) THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER DISPUTES AS WELL.
F0R EXAMPLE, ACCORDING T0 THE LOCAL PRESS AND 0NE
HAMAS OFFICIAL, THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL'S DECISION
LAST NOVEMBER NOT TO URGE ALGERIANS TO VOTE AGAINST
THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS, WHICH INCLUDED
STRICTURES AGAINST MIXING RELIGION AND POLITICS,
ALSO STIRRED CONTROVERSY. SIMILARLY, ALGERIAN
NEWSPAPERS THIS WEEK HAVE REPORTED THAT SOME IN THE
HAMAS LEADERSHIP REJECT DELETING ISLAMIC REFERENCES
FROM HAMAS' NAME (HAMAS IS AN ACRONYM F0R 'MOVEMENT
FOR AN ISLAMIC SOCIETY') IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH THE
NEW POLITICAL PARTY LAW. THE PRESS HAS SPECULATED
THAT WITH NAHNAH OUTSIDE OF ALGERIA--HE TRAVELS
ABROAD FREQUENTLY--INTERNAL DEBATES INSIDE THE PARTY
ARE DIFFICULT T0 SETTLE. PUBLICLY, H0WEVER, HAMAS
USUALLY PRESENTS A SINGLE PARTY LINE WHICH CONTRASTS
TO THE SHARP PUBLIC DISCORD IN THE NATIONAL
LIBERATION FR0NT AND THE SOCIALIST FORCES FRONT, FOR
EXAMPLE.

A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION
--------------


9. (C) HAMAS HAS A NATI0NAL POLITICAL 0RGANIZATION
THE ENVY 0F M0ST 0THER ALGERIAN POLITICAL PARTIES.
OUTSIDE ALGIERS, IT HAS 0FFICES WORKING THE STREETS
0F NEARLY ALL 0F ALGERIA'S 48 STATES (IN ALGERIAN
VERNACULAR, WILAYAS),ACCORDING T0 BOTH PARTY
OFFICIALS AND POLITICAL JOURNALISTS. A SENIOR HAMAS
OFFICIAL TOLD P0LOFF RECENTLY THAT THE PARTY
STRUCTURE REACHES EVEN THE COUNTY LEVEL (DAIRA) IN
SOME WILAYAS. THE ORGANIZATION ALSO HAS THE
EXPERIENCE OF TWO NATIONAL POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS,
THOSE OF 1991 AND 1995, BEHIND IT. IN THE LAST SIX
MONTHS, HAMAS HAS STARTED TUNING ITS WILAYA ENGINES
AGAIN WITH MEETINGS CRISS-CROSSING ALGERIA.
N0TABLY, HAMAS IS WORKING WESTERN ALGERIA, OFTEN THE
ORPHAN OF ALGERIAN POLITICS. (COMMENT: OFFICIAL
FIGURES STATED THAT NAHNAH WON 40 PERCENT OF THE
VOTES IN 0RAN, ALGERIA'S SECOND LARGEST WILAYA IN

1995. PRIVATELY, THE SHEIKH'S AIDES SAY THEY
CAPTURED ABOUT 50 PERCENT, AND WON CLEAR MAJORITIES
IN SOME ORAN DAIRAS. END COMMENT.)

HAMAS WOMEN'S GROUP
--------------


10. (C) AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE HAMAS
ORGANIZATION IS ITS SPECIAL SECTION OF WOMEN
ACTIVISTS, DIRECTED BY A WOMAN FROM THE BERBER
KABYLIE REGION, MALIKA CHABANI. CHABANI DIRECTS
BRANCHES IN MOST MAJOR ALGERIAN CITIES. THESE
GROUPS UNDERTAKE COMMUNITY PROJECTS, RANGING FROM
TEACHING SEWING AND KNITTING TO LITERACY COURSES.
POLITICAL OBSERVERS HERE IN 1995 TOLD US THAT THE
HAMAS WOMEN ACTIVISTS WERE ESPECIALLY EFFECTIVE IN
DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING, TARGETING WOMEN IN
LOWER-INCOME DISTRICTS IN AN UNMATCHED STYLE OF
DIRECT POLITICS. A JOURNALIST WHO HAS STUDIED THESE
GROUPS TOLD POLOFF IN FEBRUARY THAT THEY HAVE
REDUCED THEIR ACTIVITIES IN RECENT MONTHS IN ORDER
TO MAINTAIN A LOWER PROFILE WITH SUSPICIOUS
GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES.

AND ALLIES IN ASSOCIATIONS
--------------


11. (C) HAMAS ALSO RECEIVES HELP FROM TWO
OFFICIALLY NON-POLITICAL ASSOCIATIONS. THE NATIONAL
CHARITY ASSOCIATION, "EL-ISLAH WEL-IRSHAD" ('REFORM
AND GUIDANCE') WAS ESTABLISHED BY NAHNAH IN THE MID
1980'S BEFORE ISLAMIST PARTIES WERE LEGAL. ONE
RESEARCHER TOLD US HAMAS IS VIRTUALLY
INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM THE CHARITY GROUP, AS THEIR
NATIONAL AND LOCAL LEADERSHIPS ARE NEARLY
IDENTICAL. EL-ISLAH DONATES FOOD AND CLOTHING TO
THE POOR, AND HAS AN ACTIVE RAMADAN MEAL PROGRAM.
IT ALSO WORKS WITH HOME-BASED INDUSTRY PROJECTS WITH
ALGERIAN W0MEN. ACCORDING TO JOURNALISTS, SOME OF
ITS MEMBERS OPERATE OPENLY FROM PARTICULAR MOSQUES
IN WILAYAS SUCH AS ALGIERS AND BLIDA (NAHNAH'S
HOMET0WN). DURING THE 1995 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN,
MANY EL-ISLAH ACTIVISTS UNDERTOOK DOOR-TO-DOOR
CAMPAIGNING 0N BEHALF OF CANDIDATE NAHNAH, ACCORDING
T0 JOURNALISTS AND POLITICAL PARTY SOURCES.


12. (C) SIMILARLY, THE GENERAL UNI0N 0F FREE
STUDENTS (UGEL),ACTIVE ON UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES, ALSO
HAS CLOSE LINKS TO THE HAMAS PARTY, ACCORDING TO A
VARIETY 0F SOURCES. TWO UGEL LEADERS TOLD US
FEBRUARY 5 THAT THE UNION HAS 46,000 MEMBERS. THE
UGEL'S MAIN WORK IS ON STUDENT ISSUES, SUCH AS
CAMPUS H0USING AND TRANSPORT. THE UGEL 0FFICIALS
SAID SOME MEMBERS SUPPORT NON-ISLAMIST PARTIES, BUT
THEY RECOGNIZED THE UGEL'S PREVI0US SUPPORT FOR
HAMAS. DURING THE 1995 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, MANY
UGEL MEMBERS CAMPAIGNED ACTIVELY FOR NAHNAH,
ACCORDING TO J0URNALISTS AND POLITICAL PARTY SOURCES.


13. (C) THE PRESIDENT OF BLIDA UNIVERSITY TOLD
POLOFF IN DECEMBER THAT THE UGEL IS BY FAR THE MOST
ACTIVE 0F THE STUDENT GROUPS ON HIS CAMPUS; HE
ESTIMATED THE BLIDA CHAPTER HAD "SEVERAL HUNDRED"
MEMBERS 0N A CAMPUS 0F 17,000 STUDENTS. THE
PRESIDENT ALLEGED THAT THE UGEL CHAPTER'S FUNDING
COMES DIRECTLY FROM THE HAMAS PARTY. THE UGEL
LEADERS SAID 0NLY THAT FUNDING C0MES FROM A VARIETY
OF L0CAL S0URCES; THEY WOULD NOT CONFIRM THAT HAMAS
PROVIDES FINANCING.

IN SOME MOSQUES TOO
--------------


14. (C) P0LITICAL PARTY AND JOURNALIST SOURCES
ALS0 ALLEGE THAT HAMAS HAS A NETWORK OF SUPPORT
AMONG VARIOUS MOSQUES. 0NE INFORMED REPORTER
CLAIMED THAT A MEMBER OF HAMAS' MAJLIS ASH-SHURA
GIVES THE FRIDAY SERMON MOST WEEKS AT THE MAIN
MOSQUE IN THE ALGIERS DISTRICT 0F BACHDJARRAH (WHERE
THIS SOURCE LIVES). AN ISLAMIST DOCTOR WITH FAMILY
IN THE LARBA, OUTSIDE ALGIERS, CLAIMS THAT THE IMAM
AT THE MAIN MOSQUE IN LARBA IS A HAMAS ACTIVIST; THE
GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS HIM IN ORDER TO STEM THE TIDE OF
EXTREMISM IN THE VIOLENCE-PLAGUED TOWN. SIMILARLY,
WE HAVE HEARD FROM SEVERAL SOURCES THAT HAMAS
ACTIVISTS ARE PROMINENT IN MOSQUES IN BLIDA,
NAHNAH'S HOME TOWN.

WHERE DO THEY GET THEIR MONEY?
--------------


15. (C) LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT HAMAS FINANCING
OUTSIDE THE PARTY, BUT THE NEWLY PASSED PARTY LAW,
WHICH GOVERNS FINANCING, MAY IMPEDE HAMAS'
FUNDRAISING. HAMAS OFFICIALS WERE VISIBLY UNHAPPY
WITH THE NEWLY PASSED PARTY LAW'S CEILING ON
INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS (THE LIMIT IS DA 450--IE.
USD 8--MONTHLY). IN PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS WITH US,
HAMAS OFFICIALS HAVE IMPLIED THAT THEY HAVE WEALTHY
CONTRIBUTORS LOCALLY. IN ADDITION, MANY OBSERVERS
HERE THINK HAMAS RECEIVES FINANCIAL HELP FROM SMALL
AND MEDIUM-SIZE BUSINESSES IN TOWNS SUCH AS BLIDA.
FINALLY, SEVERAL POLITICAL JOURNALISTS--BOTH PRO-
AND ANTI-ISLAMIST--ASSUME THAT HAMAS RECEIVES FUNDS
FROM PRIVATE SOURCES IN THE ARABIAN PENINSULA.
(COMMENT: THE NEW PARTY LAW WOULD BAN SUCH
CONTRIBUTI0NS. END COMMENT.)

COMMENT
--------------


16. (C) HAMAS PROBABLY WILLQOMPLETELY
ECLIPSE THE FIS--DESPITE GOA EFFORTS TO SURPRESS
TOTALLY THIS ORGANIZATION--WITHIN ALGERIA'S ISLAMIST
MOVEMENT. MANY DEDICATED SUPPORTERS OF THE FIS ARE
LIKELY T0 REMAIN OPPOSED TO ANY AFFILIATION WITH
HAMAS, PARTICULARILY SINCE MANY ALSO BELIEVE NAHNAH
WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR BETRAYING AN EARLIER ARMED
ISLAMIST LEADER (BOUYALI) IN THE 1980'S.


17. (C) NONETHELESS, WE ARE SKEPTICAL OF CLAIMS
THAT HAMAS' FOLLOWING WOULD EVAPORATE WERE THE FIS
TO BE AGAIN ALLOWED TO FUNCTION LEGALLY. FOR ONE
THING, A P0RTION OF FORMER FIS SUPPORTERS ARE
REPULSED BY THE TERRORISM FOR WHICH THEY HOLD THE
FIS ACC0UNTABLE. IN ADDITION, HAMAS ALSO HAS
DEVELOPED A DISTINCT BASE OF ITS OWN, LARGELY
THROUGH PATIENT GRASSR0OTS WORK. DURING THE
UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE ELECTION CAMPAIGN, HAMAS WILL
SEEK TO BROADEN ITS APPEAL T0 THE MASS OF FIS VOTERS
FROM 1990 AND 1991 WHO PRESUMABLY SEEK ALTERNATIVES
AFTER YEARS OF DISAPPOINTMENT. IN 1995, MANY OF
THESE VOTERS TURNED TO PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
NAHNAH. (ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIAL RESULTS, NAHNAH
WON 25 PERCENT--ABOUT 2.8 MILLION VOTES--IN THE 1995
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTI0N. WE EVEN HEARD STORIES THAT
ARMED GR0UPS URGED V0TERS IN SOME ALGIERS
NEIGHBORH0ODS T0 VOTE F0R NAHNAH.)


18. (C) THERE ARE TWO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
FUNDAMENTAL STRENGTH OF THE HAMAS ORGANIZATION.
FIRST, THE NEW LAW REGULATING POLITICAL PARTIES
OUTLAWS LINKS BETWEEN POLITICAL PARTIES AND
NON-POLITICAL ASSOCIATIONS, SUCH AS STUDENT GROUPS
AND CHARITY ORGANIZATIONS. HAMAS WILL REORGANIZE
THESE TIES WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE LAW. SECOND,
SOME DOUBT THAT HAMAS COULD MAINTAIN COHESION IF
NAHNAH DEPARTS THE SCENE SUDDENLY. INDEED, THE
FOCUS ON NAHNAH PREVENTS OTHER MEMBERS 0F THE HAMAS
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND MAJLES ASH-SHOURA FROM
BUILDING THEIR OWN REPUTATIONS. (BY CONTRAST, THE
FIS HAD, IN BASEBALL TERMS, "DEEP DEPTH;" WHEN
ABASSI MADANI AND BENHADJ WERE ARRESTED IN JUNE
1991, ABDELKADER HACHANI AND MOHAMED SAID ABLY LED
THE PARTY TO ELECTORAL VICTORY IN DECEMBER.) HAMAS'
SECOND ECHELON LEADERS ARE USUALLY UNDER FORTY YEARS
OLD, AND THEY HAVE TIME T0 BUILD THEIR NATIONAL
CREDENTIALS. M0REOVER, WITH HAMAS EXPECTED TO WIN
MANY SEATS IN THE NEXT, ELECTED PARLIAMENT, THESE
YOUNGER LEADERS MAY GAIN A MORE PROMINENT ROLE.
0VER COMING WEEKS, IF TIME AND RESOURCES PERMIT, WE
WILL DEVEL0P DETAILS ON THE FUTURE LEADERS 0F
ALGERIA'S DOMINANT ISLAMIST 0RGANIZATION.

NEUMANN