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Grand Mufti of Jerusalem
One of the most prominent Arab leaders in Palestine and the Middle East. Some believe that Husseini's collaboration with the Germans was designed to obtain support for Arab national goals from a power that seemed to have good prospects for winning the war. Others link his sympathy for Nazi Germany to his enthusiasim for its anti-Jewish policies, particularly, the Final Solution. Some even perceive a general ideological affinity between totalitarian Fascist and Nazi theories and Islam, as conceived by Husseini. Pre - War Contacts with the Nazis After he had broken with Britain, Husseini sent two emissaries to Berlin to make concrete proposals for collaboration. This occurred in December 1937 and in May 1939. As a result, Wilhelm Canaris, chief of the Abwehr supported the Arab uprising in Palestine. Husseini's Fate is Linked with the Fascist Powers When World War II broke out, Husseini fled to Iraq, where he contributed to the planning of the pro-Nazi revolt. When the revolt was quelled, he went into exile, first in Italy and then in Germany. From October 1941, Husseini linked his fate with the fascist powers. He also was in touch with the Japanese. He sought to pursue Arab national political goals and lend his support to the Final Solution. For the former he set three main goals: the issuance of a joint German-Italian declaration recognizing the independence of the Arab nations and their unity in federation; the establishment of a center for Arab sabotage and propaganda, under his control; and the formation of an Arab army to fight on the Axis side. The German foreign minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop did not make the declaration Husseini wanted, but in a private letter said much of what Husseini wanted to hear regarding Arabs states under British auspices. Neither did the mufti create the center he had in mind, but he did link himself with Axis intelligence. To demonstrate their support for the idea, the Germans dropped two Arab parachutists over Jericho and five over Mosul, Iraq. Husseini's plan to form an Arab legion failed to gain much response. As of 1942, a small German-Arab training section was created, with 130 men. In November 1944, the Arab legion was set up, but it existed mostly on paper. A Moslem Leader in the Service of the Nazis Husseini's contribution to the Axis war effort was more successful in his capacity as a Moslem leader. He recruited and organized Bosnian Muslim battalions in 1943, known as the Handjar (Sword), who were put into the Waffen-SS. They fought partisans in Bosnia, participated in the massacre of civilians there, and carried out police and security duties in Hungary. Husseini also helped boost the fighting morale of the Ostbattaillone. Husseini's Support of the Final Solution Husseini's men attended SS training courses and visited Sachsenhausen. At an early stage the mufti was aware of the extermination of the Jews and he tried to persuade the Axis to extend the extermination to North Africa and Palestine. He also repeatedly proprosed the Luftwaffe bomb Tel Aviv. When he found out that efforts were underway to save Jews by means of various barter arrangements, he did all he could to foil them. After the War - Evading Prosecution When the war ended, Husseini was arrested in France, but in June 1946, he escaped and made his way to asylum in Egypt. Although there was ample proof to arrest him as a war criminal after the war, the Allies made no effort to do so. They were deterred by Husseini's prestige in the Arab world. In 1946, Yugoslavia, asked for his extradition, but the Arab League and the Egyptian government succeeded in having the demand tabled. "Encyclopedia of the Holocaust"
Source (both Pictures and Text):
![]() Copyright © 1997, The Simon Wiesenthal Center, 1. The Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini was later the notorious Nazi who mixed Nazi propaganda and Islam. He was wanted for war crimes and the slaughter of Jews in Bosnia by Yugoslavia. His mix of militant propagandizing Islam was an inspriation for both Yasser Arafat and Saddam Husein: He was also a close relative of Yasser Arafat and grandfather of the current Temple Mount Mufti. "Arafat's actual name was Abd al-Rahman abd al-Bauf Arafat al-Qud al-Husseini. He shortened it to obscure his kinship with the notorious Nazi and ex-Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Muhammed Amin al-Husseini." Howard M. Sachar, A HISTORY OF ISRAEL (New York: Knopf, 1976). The Bet Agron International Center in Jerusalem interviewed Arafat's brother and sister, who described the Mufti as a cousin (family member) with tremendous influence on young Yassir after the Mufti returned from Berlin to Cairo. Yasser Arafat himself keeps his exact lineage and birthplace secret. Saddam Hussein was raised in the house of his uncle Khayrallah Tulfah, who was a leader in the Mufti's pro-Nazi coup in Iraq in May 1941. This page was produced by Joseph
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