Minister of Education Reports

The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem

During World War II

Second Cousin to Yasser Arafat

The Heritage of Evil

The man appointed the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem by the British in 1921, Haj Amin Al Husseini, hated both the British and the Jews. Curiously, the man responsible for his appointment was Sir Herbert Samuel, a Jew.[1] Husseini had been sentenced to ten years in prison by the British in 1920 for inciting riots. Beginning a tradition of allowing Palestinian people to not only escape the consequences of their crimes but receive reward, Samuel had even amnestied Husseini, who had fled to Transjordan.

Perhaps it was because Husseini had appeared to quiet the disturbances in 1921 that Samuels was cuckolded into the appointment. But Husseini was organizing small groups of suicide squads that we know by an all too familiar term, Fedayeen. Clearly the tactics we have seen employed by Yasser Arafat over the years demonstrate nothing new.[2]

There was not a united front in British policy during the years of the Mandate by no means. This writer has long been aware that many British officials were busily involved in pursuing their own agendas. Not the least of these were those officials located in Egypt. It was Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen, former head of British military intelligence in Cairo, and later Chief Political Officer for Palestine and Syria, who wrote in his diary that British officials “incline towards the exclusion of Zionism in Palestine.”[3]

According to Meinertzhagen, Col. Waters Taylor (financial adviser to the Military Administration in Palestine 1919-23) met with Haj Amin a few days before Easter, in 1920, and told him “he had a great opportunity at Easter to show the world...that Zionism was unpopular not only with the Palestine Administration but in Whitehall and if disturbances of sufficient violence occurred in Jerusalem at Easter, both General Bols [Chief Administrator in Palestine, 1919-20] and General Allenby [Commander of Egyptian Force, 1917-19, then High Commissioner of Egypt] would advocate the abandonment of the Jewish Home. Waters-Taylor explained that freedom could only be attained through violence.”[4]

We can see from the study of history how the foundations of current policies and attitudes were actually founded in the machinations of people from another generation. It is small wonder to the person who believes the promises of the Bible that God has allowed the British Empire to slip into such a decline since these events occurred.[5]

The Grand Mufti would reward Sir Samuel's misplaced confidence in him with the great riots of 1929 and 1936 that targeted Jewish settlements. But evidence of the man's perfidy would not be that long in appearing. Just three weeks after the meeting between the two, where the Mufti assured “that the influences of his family and himself would be devoted to tranquility,” riots in Jaffa and other places would leave 43 Jews dead.

One of the illusions of these current days that has been perpetrated is that the Palestinians cause has been always directed toward the establishment of something that has never existed, a Palestinian State. Had this been the goal it would seem the more likely that the resistance to the British occupation would have been intense. The Mufti had actually served in the Ottoman army in World War One, and that empire had controlled the land of Palestine for some 600 years. In fact, the Mufti in a letter to Churchill in 1921 demanded that Palestine be reunited with Syria and Transjordan. The relationship that Arafat has had with these regions is founded upon their hopes of eventual territorial gain.[6]

Yasser Arafat has followed the lead of his cousin in another area as well. Haj Amin consolidated his power by assassinating those rival clans who considered cooperating with the Jews. Not only this, he took control of all Muslim religious funds in Palestine. Following his lead, it has been remarked by Palestinian observers who dared speak that when Arafat came into the area impoverished but rose to a point where he now owns in several places including France estates that are sometimes referred to as palaces.

As the Grand Mufti used his authority to gain control over mosques, schools, and courts, so has Yasser Arafat. No Arab could reach an influential position without being loyal to the Mufti in his day and Arafat has a similar hold upon the land today. As it was then so it is now no Muslim in Palestine could be born or die without being beholden to the strong man in charge. Arafat learned his lessons well.

Though the Mufti was officially dismissed from his position following the riots of 1936, this was not the position taken concerning him by those who were supportive of him.

During the war the Mufti was involved in mobilization of support for Hitler. Though he continued to be politically active, the Mufti's influence declined after the defeat of the Arab armies by the Jews in 1948.

The information concerning the kinship of Arafat and the Mufti came from Marvin Byers author of the book Yasser Arafat- An Apacalyptic Character?[7]

[1] Sir Herbert Samuel, the first High Commissioner for Palestine, was the first unconverted Jew to serve in a Cabinet office. His appointment made him the first Jew to govern in the land of Israel for 2,000 years.

[2] There is some evidence that Husseini, had hoped to emulate the deeds of Kemal Attaturk in Turkey. As he drove the Greeks from his country, Husseini hoped to eject the Jews.

[3] Article - The Mufti's Mayhem by Mitchell Bard. This information can be collaborated in many places.

[4] If you follow the sequences of information being presented, you can see that the riots that earned Husseini his ten year sentence were actually encouraged by the British. They did in fact withdraw troops in order to leave the Jews at the mercy of the rioters.

[5] God did promise to bless those who blessed the Jew and curse those who cursed him.

[6] But Jordan has had cause to fear Arafat as well. He has tried in the past to overthrow the present kingdom.

[7] Published by Hebron Press, Miami, Florida.