His main political goals were: 1) the establishment of a pan-Arab federation or state, 2) opposing further Jewish immigration to Palestine and Jewish national aspirations in Palestine, and 3) his promotion as a pan-Arab and Muslim religious leader.
Mufti of Jerusalem Amin al-Husayni is one of the leaders in the history of the Middle East, whose name is mentioned a lot, due to his struggle against Zionism in Palestine and his meeting with Hitler during the Second World War. So, who is Amin al-Husayni?
In his speech at the 37th World Zionist Congress held in October 2015, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Mufti of Jerusalem Amin al-Husayni was responsible for the Holocaust during World War II. According to him, the Mufti of Jerusalem had given Hitler the idea of mass extermination of the Jews. So, who is the Mufti of Jerusalem Amin al-Husayni? What was the nature of his meeting with Hitler? Did Netanyahu's accusations have a historical counterpart?
Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Husayni, is one of the most talked about leaders in the history of the Middle East because of his fight against Zionism in Palestine and his meeting with Hitler. Moreover, the discussions about him are not limited to his meeting with Hitler. To some, he is the embodiment of Islam's theological hatred and hostility to Judaism; According to some, he is a hero who laid the foundations of the Palestinian cause.
Mohammed Amin al-Husseini (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.
Let's get to know who Amin al-Husayni is, who was officially the Mufti of Jerusalem between 1921-37, in order to question the historical basis of Netanyahu's accusations, to illuminate other conflicts about his life, and to understand the historical background of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
1. In what environment did he grow up?
Different dates are given for the birth date of Hacı Emin, who was born in Ottoman Jerusalem during the reign of Sultan Second Abdülhamid (1893-1895-1897). He was born as a member of the Huseynites, an elite family that had a say in the administration of Jerusalem. Hüseynîs, who served as mufti of Jerusalem from the 17th century to the beginning of the 20th century, although it was interrupted from time to time, carried out the administration of foundations and religious and legal duties in Masjid al-Aqsa.
Haji Emin received his first education from his father, the Mufti of Jerusalem Tahir al-Huseyni. He learned Turkish very well. He could also speak English, French, and German. He went to Cairo with his cousin in 1911 and studied Islamic sciences in Azhar for two years. Here, he took lessons on philosophy, tafsir, and Islamic movements from Muhammed Abduh and Reşit Rıza, who were important thinkers of the period. While he was in Jerusalem to see his family in 1914, World War I broke out and he left his education in Cairo unfinished.
2. Did he betray the Ottoman Empire?
When the First World War started, Hacı Emin decided to join the Ottoman army, and in 1914, he was enrolled in the Military Academy in Istanbul. Then he starts his duty as an artillery officer. Having worked in Izmir and the Black Sea for a while, Hacı Emin fell ill in November 1916 and was hospitalized in Istanbul. He returned to Jerusalem in early 1917 with permission from an influential acquaintance. It is unknown whether he was officially discharged from the army.
3. Did he defend the idea of Arab unity?
Shortly after the Balfour Declaration issued on November 2, 1917, the British occupied Jerusalem. In such an environment, Haji Emin started political work for the independence of Palestine and founded a literature club in 1918. Then he became the head of the first political organization established in Palestine against the occupation, namely en-Nadil-Arabi. In the same year, they protested the Jewish march to celebrate the first year of the Balfour Declaration with their friends in this organization, and they were also at the forefront of the 1919 revolt.
The main event that Emin al-Huseyni drew attention to took place in April 1920, during the Nebi Musa festivities. According to sources, it was he and his friends who escalated tensions. When the British wanted to arrest him, he fled to Damascus. The solution he envisioned for liberation at this time was the unification of Palestine with Syria under Feisal's kingdom. For this reason, he clung to the idea of Arab unity. However, this process in which he believed in Arab unity would end with the expulsion of Faisal from Syria by the French.
4. How did he become a mufti?
Haji Emin, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the British, went to Jordan when Emir Faisal was expelled from Syria. Meanwhile, he was pardoned by the newly appointed British High Commissioner, Herbert Samuel. The Zionist movement was gaining strength and the British were doing everything to help them. On the other hand, Palestinians lacked a leader to represent them properly. For this reason, Emin al-Husayni became a hero in the eyes of the people because of his actions against the British and the Zionists.
The death of the Mufti of Jerusalem, Kamil al-Husayni, on March 21, 1921, fueled the rivalry between the powerful families of Jerusalem. Haji Emin also participated in the race for mufti, which was aspired by the Carallah family, the Khalidis, and the Budeyris. He didn't have much of a chance in the big family selection, because the chosen one had to get approval from the British High Commissioner. Ultimately, the new mufti would be determined in the interests of the British administration. However, the result was not as expected. This complicated process paved the way for Hacı Emin to become a mufti despite receiving the fewest votes in the council. This situation brings to mind the following question: Why did the British choose a mufti to lead the rebellion against them?
There are also those who consider this appointment as the political genius of Herbert Samuel. Because he tamed a rising figure in actions and demonstrations by giving him an official responsibility. Thus, he won the hearts of the Palestinians, who make up 90% of the population.
5. What are the activities during the years of Mufti?
The powers of Hacı Emin, who became mufti in 1921, were expanded. He took measures to prevent the foundation lands from being sold to the Zionists. He issued fatwas to prevent land sales, and bought the properties of those who wanted to sell their lands due to financial difficulties on behalf of foundations. He pioneered the establishment of orphanages, charities, schools, and sports centers.
In order to draw attention to the Palestinian cause among Islamic countries, he provided the convening of the Islamic Congress in Jerusalem in 1931. He asked the delegates attending the conference to support their countries for the independence of Palestine. At the same conference, a fund was created for the repair of mosques and other structures in Masjid al-Aqsa. With the money collected, some of the religious works in Masjid al-Aqsa were rebuilt and some were repaired. The dome of the Dome of the Rock was also covered with gold during this restoration work. With these activities, Emin al-Husayni gained respect and prestige in the Islamic world.
6. What was the nature of his relationship with the British?
Emin al-Husayni's relationship with the British is one of the issues that the discussions intensified. The Mufti of Jerusalem kept the stability and met the expectations of the British for a while. Until the Burak Rebellion broke out in 1929. With this event, his relationship with the British passed a great test. The escalating tension turned into conflict when the Jews claimed the Muslims' claim on the Burak Wall in 1929. However, Mufti managed to calm the events by using his political and social position, which had strengthened since 1921.
Although overshadowed by various conflicts, Emin al-Husayni's view of the British is clear. According to him, Britain occupied Palestine. The mandate administration serves to establish a Jewish state in the region by hosting Jewish immigration. However, it is possible to criticize his policy against the British and the Zionists. Because he thought that he could persuade the British to cooperate and defeat the Zionists by legal means.
7. Why did the method change?
When the Mufti of Jerusalem realized this fact, it was too late. As the British would never end the occupation, they would do everything in their power to establish a Jewish state in Palestine.
When the events of 1936 broke out, Amin al-Husayni, who saw that he had no other choice, changed his method and led the organization of the Palestinians for the armed struggle. That's why the British colonial administration took him first from the Presidency of the Supreme Islamic Council and then from the mufti. When he learned that the British wanted to arrest him, the Mufti fled to Lebanon one night.
Al-Husayni followed the Palestinian independence struggle led by his brother Abdulkadir al-Husayni from his mountain village in Lebanon. By 1938, the Palestinians had succeeded in taking complete control of some cities. However, England rolled up its sleeves to put an end to this deteriorating situation and deployed 20,000 soldiers to Palestine. Despite their superior military strength, they were unable to suppress the rebellion until March 1939. The resistance of the Palestinians failed to end the mandate, but it showed the British that they had to do something to resolve the issue. Thus, the document called the “White Paper” emerged. In this document, Britain had to explain that it had decided to stop Jewish immigration for five years and that it did not aim to establish a Jewish state in Palestine.
8. Did he play a role in the overthrow of the government in Iraq?
When the Second World War started, the Mufti of Jerusalem, who was not safe in Lebanon, went to Iraq. In Baghdad, where he was received with great joy, statesmen were divided because of him. Prime Minister Nouri al-Said and other pro-British leaders were not happy with him in Iraq. A few months later, he founded the Arab Ummah Party in Baghdad. The aim of the party was to fight imperialism and to organize Arabs for it. For this purpose, he established a secret committee consisting of Raşit Ali, Yunus Sabavi, Naci Şevket, and Salahaddin Sabbağ, known as "Golden Square" officers, Fehmi Said and Mahmut Salman. In their meetings, they were planning to remove the pro-British administration from power. In this regard, although the coup against the pro-British government in May 1941 was successful, it was defeated by a second counterattack in the same year. Haji Emin, who managed to narrowly escape the assassination of the Zionist organization Irgun against him, could no longer stay in Iraq. That's why he went to Iran.
9. What was the nature of the Mufti-Hitler alliance?
During World War II, when Iran was occupied by the Soviets and England, Hacı Emin went to Berlin via Turkey, Bulgaria, and Italy (1941). His head was wanted by the British, and for this reason, it was not possible for him to take refuge in any country in the Middle East. The meeting that lasted for an hour and a half with Hitler on November 28, 1941, and then leading the troops formed from Balkan Muslims against the Soviets, brought along many discussions. In this meeting, the Mufti asked Hitler to issue a declaration addressed to the Arabs; In return, he promised to revolt against the Arab peoples under the British colony. Hitler emphasized in the meeting that it was too early for this demand. This could only be possible when the German armies reached the Caucasus.
Because of his forced alliance with Hitler, al-Husayni is today accused of being a partner in the massacres of the Nazis. However, the Nazis' hatred of the Jews had already manifested in 1933. Jews who were imprisoned in concentration camps after the invasion of Poland in 1939 were subjected to inhumane practices there. The mass killings of Jews had already begun in July 1941, before the Mufti-Hitler meeting. Moreover, Christian Europe hardly needed anyone else's guidance for the massacre of Jews. European history is full of examples of massacres against Jews. Even though the facts are known, the Zionists continue to use this event for propaganda purposes.
10. Why didn't he succeed?
Mufti, who took refuge in France after the defeat of the Axis powers, managed to escape to Cairo in 1946. He set to work to continue the Palestinian struggle from where he left off. He established the Palestinian High Delegation and opened representative offices in many countries. On May 14, 1948, when the State of Israel was established, in the meeting he held in Gaza, he announced the establishment of the General Palestinian Government in order to fight the Jews. He asked Arab countries to support this government. However, this demand would divide the fledgling Arab states into two. During the 10 years that the mufti was in exile, the balance in the region had changed. Jordanian Emir Abdullah did not want an independent state to be established on Palestinian lands because he was dreaming of a “Greater Syria”. While other Hashemite leaders supported him, he was against Saudi and Egypt. Therefore, after 1946, the Mufti would struggle with this balance between the Arab states rather than Israel.
Prior to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, the mufti did not want regular Arab armies to enter Palestinian territory. Instead, he found it appropriate for Palestinian militias to fight; He also demanded that the Arabs provide them with material and military resources. He feared that the Arab states would divide the Palestinian territories among themselves. He wasn't exactly wrong about it. Because an agreement was already made between Emir Abdullah and the Jewish Agency to share the Palestinian lands. On the other hand, Emir Abdullah, realizing that there was a great danger to Haji Emin's plans, did not allow him to command the Palestinian militias. His next step was to disarm these guerrilla units. Under these conditions, the 1948 war ended exactly as Israel and its ally Abdullah wanted. Until his assassination in Jerusalem in 1951, Abdullah was the main obstacle to the Palestinian cause. Other Arab countries were either against him or on his side for their own interests. Therefore, it was a dream for Amin al-Husayni to unite the Arabs against Israel.
After the 1952 Free Officers coup, Nasser supported the Mufti for a while, but his relations with the Muslim Brotherhood would cause them to fall apart in the future. That's why he moved his study center to Beirut in 1959. In the Arab-Israeli war in 1967, Israel enlarged its territory and the Palestinian people became refugees. The Yom Kippur War in 1973 also failed to change the balance. The future of the Palestinian people was getting darker day by day. Arab states as well as Israel had a share in this. The Palestinian issue was so sacred to them that it did not go beyond ensuring their legitimacy in the eyes of their people and being a joker to be used at the negotiation tables where regional tensions were discussed.
After 1950, Hacı Emin al-Hüseynî was also the victim of these political games, constantly seeking new alliances and falling into silence every time. In addition, the Palestinians were torn apart by the newly formed Palestine Liberation Organization and the Fatah movement. Continuing to work despite all this negative trend, the Mufti passed away on July 4, 1974, in Beirut.
Born into a distinguished family in Jerusalem, no one could have predicted that he would die as a refugee far from his homeland because of the Jews.