Title
Description
Izz ad din Al-Qassam was a controversial Muslim religious activist in the 1920–30s. He opposed foreign influence on Arab lands and led resistance movements in multiple countries against the French, Italians, British, and Zionists. After immigrating to Palestine, he became popular among lower classes and disenfranchised Arab tenant farmers, some of whom moved to Haifa after their farms were sold to Jews. His radical political views brought him into conflict with other secular Arab leaders. Al-Qassam organized hundreds of men into small cell groups to carry out violent acts. His dramatic martyr-style death inspired masses of Arabs towards violent resistance, which erupted in the 1936–39 Arab Revolt. Modern groups such as Hamas, derive their ideology from the vision of Al-Qassam.