- Also called:
- al-Hajj Amin or Hajj Amin
- In full:
- Muḥammad Amīn Ṭāhir Muṣṭafā al-Ḥusayni
- Born:
- c. 1895–97, Jerusalem, Palestine, Ottoman Empire
Amin al-Husseini
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Who was Amin al-Husseini?
Amin al-Husseini (born c. 1895–97, died 1974) was the grand mufti of Jerusalem and a prominent Arab nationalist who resisted Zionist political ambitions in Palestine.
In 1921, the British appointed Husseini as grand mufti of Jerusalem and president of the Supreme Muslim Council. By 1936, he chaired the Arab Higher Committee, demanding a stop to Jewish immigration and land transfers. After a revolt against British authority, he fled to Lebanon and reconstituted the committee.
During World War II, Husseini resided in Germany, urging revolt in the Arab world and attempting to prevent Jewish emigration to Palestine from Nazi-occupied countries. After the war, he fled to Egypt.
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What does it mean to be an Arab nationalist?
Arab nationalism is a political ideology emphasizing the cultural and political unity of Arab countries. It emerged in the early 20th century, driven by increased literacy and a cultural renaissance among Middle Eastern Arabs. This led to independence movements from the Ottoman Empire and European powers.
Arab nationalists believe the Arab world is one nation divided into artificial states and seek to unite them politically and economically. The Arab League was founded in 1945 to promote Arab unity, though it faced challenges due to political divisions. Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt was a key figure, but Pan-Arabism declined after his death.
Amin al-Husseini was a grand mufti of Jerusalem and a prominent Arab nationalist who resisted Zionist ambitions in Palestine.
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Why is Amin al-Husseini an important figure in Arab history?
Amin al-Husseini was a significant figure due to his role as the grand mufti of Jerusalem and his prominence as an Arab nationalist who resisted Zionist political ambitions in Palestine.
After World War I, the British appointed al-Husseini as grand mufti of Jerusalem and president of the Supreme Muslim Council. Later, he chaired the Arab Higher Committee, demanding a stop to Jewish immigration and land transfers. When a general strike turned into a rebellion against British authority, al-Husseini fled to Lebanon.
During World War II, he resided in Germany, broadcasting calls for revolt in the Arab world and attempting to prevent Jewish emigration to Palestine from Nazi-occupied countries.
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What role did Amin al-Husseini play in Palestinian politics?
Amin al-Husseini, born in Jerusalem around 1895-97, was a key figure in the Arab resistance against Zionist ambitions in Palestine. In 1921, the British appointed him grand mufti of Jerusalem and president of the Supreme Muslim Council.
Husseini gained control over the Palestinian Arab movement after disagreements with other nationalist groups. In 1936, various Palestinian groups united to form the Arab Higher Committee, with Husseini as chairman. The committee called for a stop to Jewish immigration and land transfers. After a rebellion against British authority, Husseini fled to Lebanon in 1937, where he continued to lead the committee.
Although the British made concessions to Arab demands in 1939, Husseini rejected the new policy, feeling it was insufficient.
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How did Amin al-Husseini influence conflict in the Middle East during his time?
Amin al-Husseini, as the grand mufti of Jerusalem and president of the Supreme Muslim Council, significantly impacted the Arab resistance against Zionist ambitions in Palestine.
As chairman of the Arab Higher Committee, he demanded the cessation of Jewish immigration and the prohibition of land transfers from Arabs to Jews. His rejection of British concessions in 1939, which he felt did not go far enough, further fueled the conflict.
During World War II, al-Husseini resided in Germany, broadcasting messages that incited revolt in the Arab world and attempting to prevent Jewish emigration to Palestine from Nazi-occupied countries.
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How are Amin al-Husseini's actions and beliefs viewed today?
As an Arab nationalist figure, Amin al-Husseini played a significant role in the Arab resistance against Zionist political ambitions in Palestine. After disagreements with other nationalist elements, he came to lead the Palestinian Arab movement.
During World War II, al-Husseini resided in Germany, where he broadcasted messages encouraging revolt in the Arab world and attempted to stop Jewish emigration to Palestine from Nazi-occupied countries.
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Amin al-Husseini (born c. 1895–97, Jerusalem, Palestine, Ottoman Empire—died July 4, 1974, Beirut, Lebanon) was the grand mufti of Jerusalem and an Arab nationalist figure who played a major role in Arab resistance to Zionist political ambitions in Palestine.
Husseini’s exact birth date is unknown; scholars have documented his own use of, variously, 1895, 1896, and 1897. Husseini studied in Jerusalem, Cairo, and Istanbul, and in 1910 he was commissioned in the Ottoman artillery. In December 1921 the British, who had accepted a mandate for Palestine after World War I (1914–18), named Husseini grand mufti of Jerusalem and president of the newly created Supreme Muslim Council—the most authoritative religious body in the Palestinian Muslim community.
Chair of the Arab Higher Committee
Husseini came to dominate the Palestinian Arab movement after a bitter clash with other nationalist elements, notably the Nashashibi family, over personal rather than ideological differences. During most of the period of the British mandate, disagreement between these groups seriously weakened the effectiveness of Arab efforts. In 1936 they achieved a measure of unity when all the Palestinian groups joined to create a permanent executive organ known as the Arab Higher Committee, under Husseini’s chairmanship. The committee demanded a cessation of Jewish immigration and a prohibition of land transfers from Arabs to Jews. A general strike developed into a rebellion against British authority. The British removed Husseini from the council presidency and declared the committee illegal in Palestine. In October 1937 he fled to Lebanon, where he reconstituted the committee under his domination. Husseini retained the allegiance of most Palestinian Arabs, using his power to punish the Nashashibis.
The rebellion forced Britain to make substantial concessions to Arab demands in 1939. The British abandoned the idea of establishing Palestine as a Jewish state, and, while Jewish immigration was to continue for another five years, it was thereafter to depend on Arab consent. Husseini, however, felt that the concessions did not go far enough, and he repudiated the new policy.
Activity in exile
Husseini spent most of World War II (1939–45) in Germany, where he issued broadcasts urging revolt in the Arab world and endeavored to halt Jewish emigration to Palestine from countries occupied by the Nazis. At the war’s end he fled to Egypt, where he directed an increasingly weak and fragmented Arab Higher Committee from exile.