Amin al-Husseini

[[File:Amin Husseini.jpg|thumb|165px|Husseini plotting against da Jooz!]]{{Islam}}{{nazism}}
'''Mohammed Amin al-Husseini''' {{lived|1897|1974}} was the grand mufti of [[Palestine]] and an [[Arab nationalism|Arab nationalist]]. He was a member of the Husayni family, a prominent family of [[Islam]]ic nobles who trace their ancestry to Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the prophet [[Muhammad]]. <!--{{sfn|Elpeleg|2007|p=1}}-->

==World War I==
During the [[World War I|first world war]], Husseini was commissioned into the Ottoman army as an artillery officer and was stationed to the city of Izmir. Husseini later caught an illness during the war, which made him obtain a three-month disability leave from the army.

At the end of the war, he was stationed in Damascus, supporting the Arab Kingdom of [[Syria]] before its collapse after the Franco-Syrian war. It was from this time that Husseini became enamored with Arab nationalism.

==World War II==
In the outbreak of [[World War II]], Husseini was initially neutral, but changed his stance and allied with the axis due to the allied powers (such as the [[British]] and [[French]]) occupying the [[Arab]] world. Many Arab leaders saw the outbreak of World War 2 in [[Europe]] as an advantage to kick out weakening European powers and expel [[Jews]] as well.<ref>[https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/britains-deadliest-enemy/ Grand Mufti al-Husseini: Britain’s Deadliest Enemy?] Warfare History Network</ref>

==Friends in high places==
Husseini is most infamous for his relations with [[Adolf Hitler]] and [[Nazi Germany]]. Despite the [[Nazis]] viewing [[Muslims]] and Arabs as an inferior and primitive race, they changed their views on Arabs and formed alliances with the Arab world over a common goal: [[antisemitism]]. This was based on their stringent [[nationalism]], which they saw as being subverted by Jews. Another factor was that both Germany and the Arab world were victims of post World War I borders disputes drawn by Britain and France, and unlike Britain and France, Germany did not hold any colonies in the Middle East nor did they interfere in any affairs in the Middle East. This made Germany seem more favorable to the Arab world.<ref>Youssef H. Aboul-Enein and Basil H. Aboul-Enein, ''The Secret War for the Middle East: The Influence of Axis and Allied Intelligence Operations During World War II''. Naval Institute Press, 2013. {{isbn|1612513093}}.</ref>

Husseini commanded his forces to be loyal to Hitler when they fought alongside the Axis powers in the [[Middle East]] during World War II. During the late 1930s, he fled Palestine and stayed in French-occupied [[Lebanon]] for a while until he allied with Nazi Germany and [[fascist]] [[Italy]] for using their local military forces as protection and as international allies to aid his nationalist aims in his homeland.<ref>[https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-mufti-and-the-f-uuml-hrer The Mufti and the Führer (November 1941)] Jewish Virtual Library</ref>

==An unsatisfying end==
Unlike other Nazi collaborators, Husseini was never caught despite being wanted by the Nuremberg tribunal. However, he was transferred to Paris and was put under house arrest by Parisian authorities.<ref>[http://www.controverses.fr/pdf/n1/grand_mufti.pdf Le grand mufti de Jérusalem en France HISTOIRE D’UNE EVASION]</ref>

During the crisis of war between [[Israel]] and Palestine, Husseini was involved in the partition of mandatory Palestine to the transition of a divided area for Jews (Israel) and a divided area for Arab Muslims (Palestine).<ref>[https://fathomjournal.org/mandate-100-palestinians-and-the-partition-plan/ Mandate100 | Palestinians and the Partition Plan] Fathom Journal</ref>

Al-Husseini died in Beirut, Lebanon in 1974. Palestinians have long forgotten Husseini, with no books, statues, or any sort of monuments remembering him.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=3q5dFD61V5oC&pg=PA77#v=onepage&q&f=false The Arabs and the Holocaust: The Arab-Israeli War of Narratives] Google Books</ref>

==Legacy==
In the modern era, Husseini was mentioned by Israeli prime minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] as a legitimate example of Palestinian antisemitism, but quickly turned into anti-Palestinian propaganda when he shifted blame of the Holocaust from Hitler to Husseini.

==See also==
*[[Hamas]] - The Palestinian terrorist group indirectly influenced by Husseini.
*[[Davud Monshizadeh]] - Another ally of Hitler in the Middle East, albeit a non-Muslim and an Aryan.
*[[M.S. Golwalkar]] - Ditto, but an Indian Hindu.

==References==
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[[Category:Antisemites]]
[[Category:Fascists]]
[[Category:Muslims]]
[[Category:Nazis]]
[[Category:Racists]]
[[Category:Right-wing activists]]

Categories: Antisemites, Fascists, Muslims, Nazis, Racists, Right-wing activists