Nehme Hamie
Jun, 11/2024
Paris / Izz al-Din al-Qassam is considered one of the most prominent resistance fighters against the British occupation of Palestine, in his life and death. His martyrdom played a major role in igniting the Great Palestinian Revolution (1936-1939), until he became a symbol of Palestinian resistance and an inspiration for it, from one generation to another.
Despite his death more than 8 decades ago, the name of Izz al-Din al-Qassam – known as the “Leader of the Mujahideen” – is still strongly present in talk about the Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation, through the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement, “Hamas.”
Who is Izz al-Din al-Qassam?
He is Muhammad Izz al-Din bin Abdul Qadir al-Qassam, nicknamed “Izz al-Din al-Qassam.” He was born in the Syrian town of Jableh in 1883, after his grandfather had immigrated there from Iraq.
He spent his childhood in Jableh, where he was taught the Qur’an, reading and writing in village schools. But his religious education was at the hands of his father, Abdul Qadir bin Mustafa bin Yusuf bin Muhammad Al-Qassam, who followed the Qadiriyya order associated with Sheikh Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani.
When he was 14 years old, Izz al-Din al-Qassam traveled to Al-Azhar with his brother Fakhr al-Din to study Islamic sciences. After 8 years, during which he studied under a group of sheikhs and learned the fundamentals of religion, jurisprudence, interpretation, and hadith, he returned to Jableh after obtaining a certificate of qualification in Islamic sciences.
Ezz El-Din was influenced by the national movement that was struggling against the British occupation in Egypt, and was present after the failure of the Urabi Revolution. This period played a major role in refining Al-Qassam’s personality and his political and national concepts.
Shortly after his return to Jableh, he decided to travel to Istanbul to learn about the methods of teaching mosque sciences, but he did not stay there long and returned again to his hometown. In 1912, he established a school to teach children and adults after he had been giving private lessons for a period of time.
Simultaneously, he began studying hadith and interpretation at the Ibrahim bin Adham Mosque. Upon completion of his work, he held educational seminars in mosques, until he was appointed as a preacher at Al-Mansouri Mosque, one of the most prominent mosques in the town.
After Italy occupied Libya, thanks to his skills and style of oratory, Izz al-Din al-Qassam attracted people to the mosque and went out gathering people and urging them to join the ranks of the resistance against the occupation.
He was able to recruit a secret battalion numbering 250 young men, and succeeded in collecting the necessary materials for volunteers to join the ranks of the resistance battalion. He also convinced the Ottoman authorities to provide transportation for them to Libya, after he led popular demonstrations in support of Libya in Jableh, the coast, Latakia, and elsewhere.
After France occupied Syria in 1918, Izz al-Din al-Qassam called for raising arms and waging jihad against the French colonialists. He also bought weapons and trained the mujahideen.
Later in 1918, Al-Qassam sold his house and left his coastal village for the mountainous village of Al-Haffa, to help Omar Al-Bitar in the Mount Zion Revolt (1919-1920). After the failure of the revolution, and the French occupation sentenced him to death in absentia, he fled in late 1920 to Palestine with some of his companions.
According to the “ Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestinian Issue ,” Al-Saqam took the Al-Istiqlal Mosque – in the old neighborhood of Haifa – as his headquarters, where the poor of the neighborhood settled after they were displaced from their villages, and he became active among them. He used to give them night lessons and visit them often, which increased his popularity and made him appreciated.
The Qasamiya Jihadist League
Izz al-Din al-Qassam joined the Islamic School in Haifa, and also became involved in the Muslim Youth Association, before returning and assuming the presidency of the association later in 1926. During that period, he called for preparations for jihad against British colonialism, and was active in uniting the ranks of the resistance fighters, using his talent in the art of oratory.
In one of his sermons, Al-Qassam declared that the English were the cause of the calamity, and called for their expulsion from Palestine before they fulfilled their promise to the Jews. He was the first to warn the Palestinians against leniency regarding the immigration of Jews to Palestine, and he was aware of Britain’s role in promoting their settlement, criticizing the brokers who sold the lands to them.
Behind all of this, Izz al-Din al-Qassam was preparing to lead secret actions that were actually more dangerous. Because the experience of the Mount Zion Revolution taught him, he realized the importance of secrecy in planning and organizational work, to avoid any surprise attacks.
In 1921, the Qassam Jihadist League was officially formed, but it went through various stages before its establishment was completed and its ideology was spread. From the development of its idea after the return of Izz al-Din al-Qassam from Al-Azhar, then the psychological preparation of the people, and the stage of selecting the members of the League, through a stage of military preparation and training on available weapons, then the secret practical application by carrying out individual jihadi operations, all the way to the stage of the decision taken by al-Qassam to go out to jihad.
Izz al-Din al-Qassam was able to form secret cells made up of small groups not exceeding five individuals, all of which were meticulously organized. He created specialized units for calling for jihad, others for political communications, and others for spying on enemies and military training.
In 1931, the Qassam League began carrying out its first official guerrilla operations, such as attacking Zionist settlements and preparing ambushes for settlers. The League also aimed to hunt down agents who spy for British intelligence.
The League’s activities stopped for 4 years due to the leaking of some secrets to the British, until Izz al-Din al-Qassam was forced to declare jihad in November 1935, despite not completing his logistical and military preparations.
The assassination of Izz al-Din al-Qassam
Al-Qassam was forced to declare jihad, due to the significant increase in Jewish immigration to Palestine after they obtained the Balfour Declaration, and their expansion into the Palestinian territories that they seized by purchasing homes and lands. During that period, the number of Jews in the country had reached more than 62 thousand, and they owned vast areas.
Al-Qassam fled to the rural areas, and as a result of their tight control over his movements, British forces discovered Izz al-Din al-Qassam’s hiding place on November 15, 1935. However, he was able to escape with 15 members of the Qassam League to the village of Sheikh Zayed.
On November 19, British forces were able to surround them and cut off communication between them and neighboring villages, demanding their surrender. Al-Qassam refused to surrender, so he clashed with it, but the battle was unequal, of course. This is something that Al-Qassam was aware of before he declared jihad.
The League was able to kill 15 members of the British forces, during a continuous battle that lasted 6 hours between the two sides. On November 20, 1935, Sheikh Izz al-Din al-Qassam fell as a martyr along with some of his companions, while the others were wounded and captured.
The martyrdom of Izz al-Din al-Qassam had a major impact on the outbreak of the Great Palestinian Revolt later in 1936, and his killing constituted a turning point in the Palestinian resistance process later. Palestinian opposition to the establishment of a “national homeland” for Jews on their lands was affected by the Qassami rebellion.
Der Friedensstifter 