Fahmi Bey al-Husseini ( ar, فهمي الحسيني, 1886-December 25, 1940) was the mayor of Gaza, his hometown, from 1928 to 1939 while

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

was under the

British rule The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

Career in law

Al-Husseini studied law in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

and upon graduation returned to Gaza where he became a prominent lawyer. He was then assigned as a member of the Land Court of

Nablus Nablus ( ; ar, نابلس, Nābulus ; he, שכם, Šəḵem, ISO 259-3: ; Samaritan Hebrew: , romanized: ; el, Νεάπολις, Νeápolis) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a populati ...

but resigned soon after his appointment. He reentered work in his legal profession and subsequently was appointed Magistrate of Nablus. He was later appointed a member of the Central Council, and then resigned again to continue his work as a lawyer.Fahmi al-Husseini 1928
Municipality of Gaza. On December 1, 1923, he launched ''al-Haquq'' ("The Rights") magazine and was its editor-in-chief. Al-Husseini published the ''Sawt al-Haq'' ("Voice of the Truth") newspaper on October 6, 1927 and around the same period he translated into

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

the famous

Hanafi The Hanafi school ( ar, حَنَفِية, translit=Ḥanafiyah; also called Hanafite in English), Hanafism, or the Hanafi fiqh, is the oldest and one of the four traditional major Sunni schools ( maddhab) of Islamic Law (Fiqh). It is named aft ...

book on legal proceedings, ''Sharh Majallat al-Ahkam'' ("Commentaries on the Codified Hanafi Commercial Law", prepared in four volumes in

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

during the Ottoman period by Allama Ali Haidar.Palestinian Personalities - H

Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs The Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs (PASSIA) was founded in Jerusalem in March 1987 by Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi and a group of Palestinian academics and intellectuals. PASSIA is a member of the Palestinian NGOs N ...

Mayor

Also in 1927, al-Husseini, a political ally of the

Nashashibi Nashashibi ( ar, النشاشيبي; transliteration, Al-Nashāshībī) is the name of a prominent Palestinian family based in Jerusalem. After the First World War, during the British period, Raghib al-Nashashibi was Mayor of Jerusalem (1920–19 ...

family, became a member of the Palestine Free Party from 1927, which defended all aspects of personal freedom. He was elected mayor of Gaza on May 5, 1928. In 1930, a number of Gaza notables, mostly members of the city's municipal council, complained to the high commissioner of Palestine about al-Husseini. They were angered at the decision to allow al-Husseini to maintain his legal practice while he served as Gaza's mayor, stating he was occupied with his own private business "to an extent as to neglect the interests of the town

aza Aza or AZA may refer to: Places *Aza, Azerbaijan, a village and municipality *Azadkənd, Nakhchivan or Lower Aza, Azerbaijan *Aza, medieval name of Haza, Province of Burgos, Spain *Aźa, a Tibetan name for the Tuyuhun kingdom *Aza, a Hebrew roman ...

which is more needy of organization than any in this country."Feldman, 2008, p.50. However, during his tenure, Gaza was extended to the coast (

Rimal Rimal or Remal ( ar, حي الرمال, , sands) is an upscale neighborhood in Gaza City located from the city center. Situated along the coastline, it has been considered the most prosperous neighborhood of Gaza.Jacobs, 1998, p.455. The main st ...

district), the local hospital and market were completed, the streets were widened, and the city received electricity in 1938 in cooperation with the Palestinian Electricity Company. Al-Husseini also oversaw the establishment of the municipal hall of Gaza along

Omar Mukhtar Street Omar Mukhtar Street ( ar, شارع عمر المختار) is the main street of Gaza City, in the State of Palestine, running from Palestine Square to the Port of Gaza in the Rimal district, separating the Old City's al-Daraj and Zaytoun quarters. ...

. In addition to the latter street—which he named after the

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

n revolutionary

Omar Mukhtar Omar al-Mukhṭār Muḥammad bin Farḥāṭ al-Manifī ( ar, عُمَر الْمُخْتَار مُحَمَّد بِن فَرْحَات الْمَنِفِي ; 20 August 1858 – 16 September 1931), called The Lion of the Desert, known among ...

—he also named several other new streets in Gaza including Imam Shafi'i Street, Firas Street, and Jamal Fahmi Pasha Street. In 1938, during the Arab revolt in Palestine, the British Mandate authorities had him arrested on charges of being a member of the anti-British leadership in Palestine. He, along with Mousa Sourani, was imprisoned in the Sarafand Jail. Al-Husseini was stripped of his post as mayor by the British in 1939 and was replaced by

Rushdi al-Shawa Rushdi Sa'id Shawwa Bey ( ar, رشـدي الحـاج سعيـد الشـوا) (b. 1889 – 5 December 1965) was the mayor of Gaza from 1939 to 1952. He was born in his father's house (former mayor Sa'id al-Shawa) in the al-Turukman section of ...

. Al-Husseini died on December 25, 1940.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Husseini, Fahmi 1886 births 1940 deaths Arab people in Mandatory Palestine Mayors of Gaza City 20th-century Palestinian lawyers 20th-century journalists from the Ottoman Empire Arab people from Ottoman Palestine 20th-century writers from the Ottoman Empire Istanbul University Faculty of Law alumni