The local politics of Global Jihad: A study on the evolution of militant Islamism in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilwe.

Abstract

Can Jihadists become pragmatics? In Palestinian refugee camp Ain al-Hilwe, located in Southern Lebanon, the Jihadi-Salafi militia Usbat al-Ansar has a long history of catering to the needs of the local refugee population. Integrated into the political system of the camp, the group shares the responsibility for what is now close to 90,000 refugees, as people at the time of writing keep pouring in from a war-stricken Syria. While Usbat al-Ansar might best be known for a wave of terrorism and assassinations launched against both Palestinian leaders and Lebanese officials during the 90s, the group has in recent years chosen a different pattern of behavior. Whereas Usbat al-Ansar still commits to the principle of readying the world for the emergence of a global caliphate through armed jihad, it now participates in a Unified Political Leadership of the Palestinian factions that administer Lebanon's twelve refugee camps. How should we understand this development? The aim of this thesis is to further explore the meaning of Usbat al-Ansar 's venture into national Palestinian politics in Lebanon. Have the Palestinian mainstream movements been able to contain the radical Jihadi-Salafis, or should we understand this formation as a sign of clandestine extremist groups gaining ever more ground in the Palestinian community in Lebanon? I pursue the hypothesis that Usbat al-Ansar has developed from being a clandestine militia, into becoming a significant political and military force in their native camp. This study shows that the group is an integral part of the Islamic Forces, a political constellation which controls a significant part of Ain al-Hilwe.Inviting the Islamic Forces into national Palestinian politics has been a way for the mainstream Palestinian movements to ensure their continued stake in what is the country's biggest and most important refugee camp. Ironically, we will see that the Jihadi-Salafis of Usbat al-Ansar have become one of the most efficient forces when it comes to warding off the present-day volatile, clandestine militias the camp society still suffers at the hands of.