Hamas announced Thursday a competition for composing an official anthem for the movement. The deadline for submission of entries is in December.
Activists say the anthem will be sung at the movement's rallies and will compete with the famous Palestinian anthem "Biladi Biladi", identified with the PLO. Since its founding, Hamas has made use of many songs, but none of them has been adopted as an official anthem.
"In recognition of the role of an anthem in expressing principles, hopes and ideas, and the manner in which it can lend voice to the will to confront danger and defend Palestinian life and land, and make every possible sacrifice, the Hamas movement will sponsor the project of creating an anthem that expresses its unique outlook. The anthem will stand side by side with the Palestinian national anthem," the movement said.
Hamas activists have also defined the qualifying criteria: the lyrics and refrain should be "patriotic, underscoring the connection to all of Palestine, and the anthem should also be characterized by faith, and belonging to the Islamic movement."
In addition, the organizers require the hymn to be written in classical Arabic. The wording should be lofty and yet catchy, and the anthem should also not exceed six stanzas. One of the stanzas must be "cathartic," and have the "natural cadences of a refrain." The competition guidelines allow composers to submit more than one entry. |