Amin al-Husseini

Mohammad Amin al-Husayni ( , often printed with the French transliteration al-Husseini , 1895/1897 - July 4, 1974), a member of the al-Husayni clan of Jerusalem , was a Palestinian Arab nationalist and Muslim leader in the British Mandate of Palestine . From 1921 to 1948, he was the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem , and played a key role in opposition to Zionism and a state for the Jews living in Palestine. As early as 1920, he was active in both opposing the British in order to secure the independence of Palestine as an Arab state and led violent riots against Jews [1] opposing the establishment of a National home for the Jewish people in Palestine. His oppositional role peaked during the 1936-1939 Arab revolt in Palestine . In 1937, wanted by the British, he fled Palestine and took refuge successively in the French Mandate of Lebanon , the Kingdom of Iraq , Fascist Italy and finally Nazi Germany . In Germany he met dictator Adolf Hitler in 1941. He asked Hitler to back Arab independence and requested that Nazi Germany oppose, as part of the Pan-Arab struggle, the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine (the future creation of Israel). In 1947, he requested funds, on humanitarian grounds, from Ahmed Belbachir Haskouri , the right-hand man of the caliph of Spanish Morocco; the latter, in turn, did not hesitate to raise and send those funds. During the 1948 Palestine War he represented the Arab Higher Committee and opposed both the 1947 UN Partition Plan and King Abdullah's ambitions for expanding Jordan by capturing parts of Palestine. After the 1948 War and the subsequent Palestinian exodus , his claims to leadership were discredited in the eyes of some, and he was eventually sidelined by the Palestine Liberation Organization and lost most of his remaining political influence. Al-Husayni died in Beirut , Lebanon in 1974. 'Husseini is the French transliteration preferred by the family itself, from the time when French was the dominant Western language taught in the Ottoman empire. Israel to use Hitler shot for PR - BBC News , 22. july 2009 'The leadership of al-Hajj Amin al-Husayni and the Arab Higher Committee, which had dominated Palestinian political scene since the 1920s, was devastated by the disaster of 1948 and discredited by its failure to prevent it. The socio-economic base underlying the political power of traditional Palestinian notables was severely disrupted.' Rex Brynen, Sanctuary and Survival: The PLO in Lebanon, Westview Press, Boulder, 1990 ch. 2.

Mohammed Effendi Amin el-Husseini ( ; c. 1897; – 4 July 1974) was a Palestinian Arab nationalist and Muslim leader in Mandatory Palestine . Al-Husseini was the scion of a family of Jerusalemite notables, who trace their origins to the grandson of Muhammad . After receiving an education in Islamic , Ottoman and Catholic schools , he went on to serve in the Ottoman army in World War I . At war's end, he positioned himself in Damascus as a supporter of the Arab Kingdom of Syria . Following the fiasco of the Franco-Syrian War and the collapse of the Arab Hashemite rule in Damascus, his early position on pan-Arabism shifted to a form of local nationalism for Palestinian Arabs and he moved back to Jerusalem. From as early as 1920, he actively opposed Zionism , and was implicated as a leader of the 1920 Nebi Musa riots . Al-Husseini was sentenced to ten years imprisonment, but was pardoned by the British. Starting in 1921, al-Husseini was appointed Grand Mufti of Jerusalem , using the position to promote Islam , while rallying a non-confessional Arab nationalism against Zionism. His opposition to the British peaked during the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine . In 1937, evading an arrest warrant, he fled Palestine and took refuge in, successively, the French Mandate of Lebanon and the Kingdom of Iraq , until he established himself in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany . During World War II he collaborated with both Italy and Germany by making propagandistic radio broadcasts and by helping the Nazis recruit Bosnian Muslims for the Waffen-SS . On meeting Adolf Hitler he requested backing for Arab independence and support in opposing the establishment in Palestine of a Jewish national home. At war's end, he came under French protection, and then sought refuge in Cairo to avoid prosecution. In the lead-up to the 1948 Palestine war , Husseini opposed both the 1947 UN Partition Plan and King Abdullah 's designs to annex the Arab part of British Mandatory Palestine to Jordan , and, failing to gain command of the 'Arab rescue army' ( jaysh al-inqadh al-'arabi ) formed under the aegis of the Arab League , formed his own militia, al-jihad al-muqaddas . In September 1948, he participated in establishment of All-Palestine Government . Seated in Egyptian-ruled Gaza , this government won a limited recognition of Arab states, but was eventually dissolved by Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1959. After the war and subsequent Palestinian exodus , his claims to leadership, wholly discredited, left him eventually sidelined by the Palestine Liberation Organization , and he lost most of his residual political influence. He died in Beirut , Lebanon in July 1974. Husseini remains a highly controversial figure. Historians dispute whether his fierce opposition to Zionism was grounded in nationalism or antisemitism or a combination of both. The Continuum political encyclopedia of the Middle East, p 360, Avraham Sela - 2002 A Discourse on Domination in Mandate Palestine, Zeina B. Mitchell - 2013 "Husseini" is the French transliteration preferred by the family itself, from the time when French was the dominant Western language taught in the Ottoman Empire . Mattar , writing on the uncertainty of al-Husseini's birthdate, notes that he wrote both 1895 and 1896 on official documents between 1921 and 1934, which Mattar suggests was due to both years corresponding to 1313 A.H. in the Islamic calendar . Mattar found no documentary evidence for Husseini's claim, written later in life, that he was born in 1897. Laurens argues that 1897 was his likely date of birth, suggesting he was induced by circumstances to make out he was older in giving various dates for his birth, ranging from 1893 to 1897. Elpeleg, 2007 & pp6-7 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFElpeleg2007pp6-7 ( help ) . The socio-economic base underlying the political power of traditional Palestinian Arab notables was severely disrupted.'

Palestinian Arab nationalist and Muslim leader Mohammed Amin al-Husseini ( ; c. 1897 – 4 July 1974) was a Palestinian Arab nationalist and Muslim leader in Mandatory Palestine . Al-Husseini was the scion of a family of Jerusalemite Arab notables, who trace their origins to the eponymous grandson of Muhammad . After receiving an education in Islamic , Ottoman , and Catholic schools , he went on to serve in the Ottoman army in World War I . At war's end he stationed himself in Damascus as a supporter of the Arab Kingdom of Syria . Following the Franco-Syrian War and the collapse of Arab Hashemite rule in Damascus, his early position on pan-Arabism shifted to a form of local nationalism for Palestinian Arabs and he moved back to Jerusalem. From as early as 1920 he actively opposed Zionism , and was implicated as a leader of the 1920 Nebi Musa riots . Al-Husseini was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for incitement but was pardoned by the British. In 1921, Herbert Samuel , the British High Commissioner appointed him Grand Mufti of Jerusalem , a position he used to promote Islam while rallying a non-confessional Arab nationalism against Zionism. During the period 1921–1936 he was considered an important ally by the British Mandatory authorities. His opposition to the British peaked during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine . In 1937, evading an arrest warrant, he fled Palestine and took refuge successively in the French Mandate of Lebanon and the Kingdom of Iraq , until he established himself in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany . During World War II he collaborated with both Italy and Germany by making propagandistic radio broadcasts and by helping the Nazis recruit Bosnian Muslims for the Waffen-SS (on the ground that they shared four principles: family, order, the leader and faith). Also, as he told the recruits, Germany had not colonized any Arab country while Russia and England had. On meeting Adolf Hitler he requested backing for Arab independence and support in opposing the establishment in Palestine of a Jewish national home. At the end of the war he came under French protection, and then sought refuge in Cairo to avoid prosecution for war crimes. In the lead-up to the 1948 Palestine war , Husseini opposed both the 1947 UN Partition Plan and King Abdullah 's designs to annex the Arab part of British Mandatory Palestine to Jordan , and, failing to gain command of the 'Arab rescue army' ( jaysh al-inqadh al-'arabi ) formed under the aegis of the Arab League , built his own militia, al-jihad al-muqaddas . In September 1948 he participated in the establishment of an All-Palestine Government . Seated in Egyptian-ruled Gaza , this government won limited recognition by Arab states but was eventually dissolved by Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1959. After the war and subsequent Palestinian exodus , his claims to leadership were wholly discredited and he was eventually sidelined by the Palestine Liberation Organization , losing most of his residual political influence. He died in Beirut , Lebanon in July 1974. Husseini was and remains a highly controversial figure. Historians dispute whether his fierce opposition to Zionism was grounded in nationalism or antisemitism or a combination of both. Opponents of Palestinian nationalism have pointed to Husseini's wartime residence and propaganda activities in Nazi Germany to associate the Palestinian national movement with European-style anti-Semitism. Mitchell - 2013 "Husseini" is the French transliteration preferred by the family itself, from the time when French was the dominant Western language taught in the Ottoman Empire . Mattar , writing on the uncertainty of al-Husseini's birthdate, notes that he wrote both 1895 and 1896 on official documents between 1921 and 1934, which Mattar suggests was due to both years corresponding to 1313 A.H. in the Islamic calendar . Mattar found no documentary evidence for Husseini's claim, written later in life, that he was born in 1897. Laurens argues that 1897 was his likely date of birth, suggesting he was induced by circumstances to assert that he was older when giving various dates for his birth, ranging from 1893 to 1897. Elpeleg, 2007 & pp 6–7 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFElpeleg2007pp_6–7 ( help ) . In fact, Husayni served the British exceedingly well for the decade and a half after his appointment, at least until 1936 when he felt obliged to align himself with a growing popular rebellion against his former British masters. One indication of how valuable the British perceived the mufti to be is the willingness of the notoriously tight-fisted Mandatory administration to subsidize him. When the revenues of the public awqaf properties declined after the Great Depression of 1929, and with it the revenues of the Supreme Muslim Council, the latter were supplemented by British subventions starting in 1931, which were naturally kept secret.". The socio-economic base underlying the political power of traditional Palestinian Arab notables was severely disrupted.' Gelvin, James L. The Hajj Amin's opportunistic wartime residence and propaganda activities in Nazi Germany certainly was not the proudest moment in the history of Palestinian nationalism. And, certainly, opponents of Palestinian nationalism have made good use of those activities to associate the Palestinian national movement with European-style anti-Semitism and the genocidal program of the Nazis. But it should be remembered that the Hajj Amin was not the only non-European nationalist leader to find refuge and succor in Berlin at this time. While in Berlin, the Hajj might have rubbed shoulders with Subhas Chandra Bose, a leader of the nationalist Congress Party of India, who believed that Germany might prove to be an effective ally in the struggle against British imperialism… Or the Hajj Amin might have bumped into Pierre Gemayel, the leader of a Lebanese Christian group called the Phalange, who believed that Nazi Germany represented the wave of the future… Members of the Stern Gang also sought a tactical partnership with Nazi Germany and even opened negotiations with Hitler's government.

Palestinian Arab nationalist (1897–1974) Mohammed Amin al-Husseini ( c. 1897 – 4 July 1974) was a Palestinian Arab nationalist and Muslim leader in Mandatory Palestine . Al-Husseini was the scion of the al-Husayni family of Jerusalemite Arab nobles, who trace their origins to the eponymous grandson of Muhammad . Husseini received education in Islamic , Ottoman , and Catholic schools . In 1912, he went to pursue further studies in Cairo's Dar al-Da'wa wa al-Irshad , an Islamic seminary under the tutelage of Salafist theologian Muhammad Rashid Rida . After studying there for two years, he went on to serve in the Ottoman army in World War I . At war's end he stationed himself in Damascus as a supporter of the Arab Kingdom of Syria . Following the Franco-Syrian War and the collapse of Arab Hashemite rule in Damascus, his early position on pan-Arabism shifted to a form of local nationalism for Palestinian Arabs and he moved back to Jerusalem. From as early as 1920 he actively opposed Zionism , and was implicated as a leader of the 1920 Nebi Musa riots . Al-Husseini was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for incitement but was pardoned by the British. In 1921, Herbert Samuel , the British High Commissioner appointed him Grand Mufti of Jerusalem , a position he used to promote Islam while rallying a non-confessional Arab nationalism against Zionism. During the 1921–1936 period, he was considered an important ally by the British authorities. His opposition to the British peaked during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine . In 1937, evading an arrest warrant, he fled Palestine and took refuge successively in the French Mandate of Lebanon and the Kingdom of Iraq , until he established himself in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany . During World War II he collaborated with both Italy and Germany by making propagandistic radio broadcasts and by helping the Nazis recruit Bosnian Muslims for the Waffen-SS (on the grounds that they shared four principles: family, order, the leader and faith). On meeting Adolf Hitler he requested backing for Arab independence and support in opposing the establishment in Palestine of a Jewish national home. Upon the end of the war he came under French protection, and then sought refuge in Cairo to avoid prosecution for war crimes . In the lead-up to the 1948 Palestine war , Husseini opposed both the 1947 UN Partition Plan and King Abdullah 's designs to annex the Arab part of British Mandatory Palestine to Jordan , and, failing to gain command of the "Arab rescue army" ( jaysh al-inqadh al-'arabi ) formed under the aegis of the Arab League , built his own militia, al-jihad al-muqaddas . In September 1948 he participated in the establishment of an All-Palestine Government . Seated in Egyptian-ruled Gaza , this government won limited recognition by Arab states but was eventually dissolved by Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1959. After the war and the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight , his claims to leadership were wholly discredited and he was eventually sidelined by the Palestine Liberation Organization , losing most of his residual political influence. He died in Beirut , Lebanon in July 1974. Husseini was and remains a highly controversial figure. Historians dispute whether his fierce opposition to Zionism was grounded in nationalism or antisemitism , or a combination of both. Opponents of Palestinian nationalism have pointed to Husseini's wartime residence and propaganda activities in Nazi Germany to associate the Palestinian national movement with antisemitism in Europe . Mattar , writing on the uncertainty of al-Husseini's birthdate, notes that he wrote both 1895 and 1896 on official documents between 1921 and 1934, which Mattar suggests was due to both years corresponding to 1313 A.H. in the Islamic calendar . Mattar found no documentary evidence for Husseini's claim, written later in life, that he was born in 1897. Laurens argues that 1897 was his likely date of birth, suggesting he was induced by circumstances to assert that he was older when giving various dates for his birth, ranging from 1893 to 1897. In fact, Husayni served the British exceedingly well for the decade and a half after his appointment, at least until 1936 when he felt obliged to align himself with a growing popular rebellion against his former British masters. One indication of how valuable the British perceived the mufti to be is the willingness of the notoriously tight-fisted Mandatory administration to subsidize him. When the revenues of the public awqaf properties declined after the Great Depression of 1929, and with it the revenues of the Supreme Muslim Council, the latter were supplemented by British subventions starting in 1931, which were naturally kept secret.". The socio-economic base underlying the political power of traditional Palestinian Arab notables was severely disrupted." There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

Palestinian Arab nationalist (1897–1974) Mohammed Amin al-Husseini ( Arabic : محمد أمين الحسيني ; c. 1897 – 4 July 1974) was a Palestinian Arab nationalist and Muslim leader in Mandatory Palestine . Al-Husseini was the scion of the al-Husayni family of Jerusalemite Arab nobles, who trace their origins to the Islamic prophet Muhammad . Husseini was born in Jerusalem, Ottoman Empire in 1897, he received education in Islamic , Ottoman , and Catholic schools . In 1912, he pursued Salafist religious studies in Cairo. Husseini later went on to serve in the Ottoman army during World War I . At war's end he stationed himself in Damascus as a supporter of the Arab Kingdom of Syria , but following its disestablishment, he moved back to Jerusalem, shifting his pan-Arabism to a form of Palestinian nationalism . From as early as 1920, he actively opposed Zionism , and as a leader of the 1920 Nebi Musa riots , was sentenced for ten years imprisonment but pardoned by the British. In 1921, Herbert Samuel , the British High Commissioner appointed him Grand Mufti of Jerusalem , a position he used to promote Islam while rallying a non-confessional Arab nationalism against Zionism. During the 1921–1936 period, he was considered an important ally by the British authorities. His appointment by the British for the role of grand mufti of all Palestine (a new role established by the British) helped divide the Palestinian leadership structure and national movement. In 1937, evading an arrest warrant for aligning himself as leader of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine against British rule, he fled and took refuge in Lebanon and afterwards Iraq . He then established himself in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany , which he collaborated with during World War II against Britain, requesting during a meeting with Adolf Hitler backing for Arab independence and opposition to the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine. Upon the end of the war , he came under French protection, and then sought refuge in Cairo . In the lead-up to the 1948 Palestine war , Husseini opposed both the 1947 UN Partition Plan and Jordan 's plan to annex the West Bank . Failing to gain command of the Arab League 's Arab Liberation Army , Husseini built his own militia, the Holy War Army . In September 1948 he participated in the establishment of an All-Palestine Government in Egyptian-ruled Gaza , but this government won limited recognition and was eventually dissolved by Egypt in 1959. After the war and the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight , his claims to leadership were discredited and he was eventually sidelined by the establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1964. He died in Beirut , Lebanon, in July 1974. Husseini was and remains a highly controversial figure. Historians dispute whether his fierce opposition to Zionism was grounded in nationalism or antisemitism , or a combination of both. Opponents of Palestinian nationalism have pointed to Husseini's wartime residence and propaganda activities in Nazi Germany to associate the Palestinian national movement with antisemitism in Europe . Historians also note that Husseini was not the only non-European nationalist leader to have cooperated with Nazi Germany against Britain, citing examples of Indian , Lebanese, and even the Jewish militant group Lehi cooperation. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ). In fact, Husayni served the British exceedingly well for the decade and a half after his appointment, at least until 1936 when he felt obliged to align himself with a growing popular rebellion against his former British masters. One indication of how valuable the British perceived the mufti to be is the willingness of the notoriously tight-fisted Mandatory administration to subsidize him. When the revenues of the public awqaf properties declined after the Great Depression of 1929, and with it the revenues of the Supreme Muslim Council, the latter were supplemented by British subventions starting in 1931, which were naturally kept secret". The socio-economic base underlying the political power of traditional Palestinian Arab notables was severely disrupted."