Evening star., 1946-06-23

most explosive force in the unsettled
Middle East, has made the best of
opportunities offered him in complicated
international affairs of the last 26 years.
Frequently and bitterly outspoken
against the British and the Jews, the
history of those years shows him to
have been favored constantly by political
chance.
The Allies have told how he created
Arab agitation against them, including
the United States and Russia during
World War II. Yet there has been no
definite move to add his name to the
list of persons accused of war crimes.
However, the Mufti has been on previ-
Gus man wanted" lists. Once the
British offered 100000 UNITED States)
whom he has considered himself a
master, it is known that large group
regards him as an unacceptable leader.
Contradictory confusion extends in
this man to his physical bearing, in
which warm blue eyes, whitening beard
and mien of benign righteousness make
him seem a man with only the best
feelings toward all humanity.
Drops Family Name.
A synthetic strain runs from the
beginning through the career of Hal
Amin Mohammed ell Husseini. The last
word is his family name and means he
is descended from the Prophet Moham-
med through Fatima, only daughter of
Islam's founder. His foes point out that
thousands of undistinguished Arabs
possess that name through religious
descent, and furthermore that his claim
is somewhat indirect.
Records show that his family's original
name was Aswad, which means 'black"
and came originally from Yemen, a
tiny Red Sea country opposite Equatorial
Africa. In the 10th century the Aswads
travelled into Palestine, and one of them
eventually married a far-removed grand
daughter of Fatima. The name was
hyphenated into AsWad- -Husseini. Later,
contrary to Arabic custom the undesired
Aswad was dropped, and the family
became prosperous landholders IN
Palestine.
The rank of Mufti, bestowed upon
Amin's father by the Turkish Caliphate,
signified that the bearer was an elder
statesman for the community. Amin's
elder half brother, Kemal, was similarly
honored.
Amin was born in Jerusalem in 1893
and, as younger son, no great prospects
were held for him. He went to Arab and
Turkish schools, attended AL Azhar Uni
versity, Islam's great center of learning.
at Cairo, and took pilgrimage to Mecca
and Medina. subsequently achieving the
right to prefix Hal" to his name. Since
his university studies were not COM
pleted he never has been able to take
the title Of sheik. ~
Served in Turkish Army.
uhring World War I, Hal Amin served
in the Turkish Army. After Turkeys
capitulation he served the British. in the
public security department, and then
became a sercret service operative for
the French in Damascus, a center of
Arabic activity.
Returning to Jerusalem he became a
school teacher and writer for fevent
Arab newspaper, Southern Syria, and
began writing inf1ammatory Jew-baiting
articles government investigation
which followed deadly rioting in Jeru-
salem in 1920, blamed his activities for
a considerable part of the agitation.
Before he could be arrested, Hal Amin
found refuge in Transjordan. He was
convicted and sentenced in absentia to
10 years in prison for sedition, but the
first British high commissioner for
Palestine, Sir Herbert Samuel. granted
him pardon. When the Mufti, Amin's
brother, died, Sir Herbert chose Amin
to succeed him.
His youth (he was 30. coupled with
his lack of training in the Koran,
aroused some opposition among other
Moslems. His family, however, was one
of the two leading Arab families of
Palestine, and the other had the other
important political plum, the mayoralty.
A few months later the British estab-
Holieu oupl eIHe MooleH SouICI 1oI
the mandate. The top three candidates
offered to Sir Herbert by the Arabs were
all members of the Neshashibi clan, the
Husseinis' political foes. Students of the
period say one of them was persuaded
to withdraw in the interests of harmony
and the new Mufti was named chairman
of the council. This gave him charge