Kamil al-Husayni ( ar, كامل الحسيني, also spelled Kamel al-Hussaini; 23 February 1867 – 31 March 1921) was a

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a dis ...

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

religious leader in Palestine and member of the

al-Husayni family Husayni ( ar, الحسيني also spelled Husseini) is the name of a prominent Palestinian Arab clan formerly based in Jerusalem, which claims descent from Husayn ibn Ali (the son of Ali). The Husaynis follow the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam ...

. He was the

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 a ...

Mufti of Jerusalem from 1908, and in 1918 the British Mandate authorities appointed him as the first " Grand Mufti of Jerusalem", a title they had copied from the Grand Mufti of Egypt. The British referred to him as "the representative of Islam in Palestine and a member of the oldest nobility of the country". wikisource:Palin Report, article 13 Al-Husayni was the son of Mohammed Tahir al-Husayni, who had preceded him as Hanafi Mufti of Jerusalem. Politically, his approach was very different from his father's. During the

British Mandate for Palestine The Mandate for Palestine was a League of Nations mandate for British administration of the territories of Mandatory Palestine, Palestine and Emirate of Transjordan, Transjordan, both of which had been conceded by the Ottoman Empire following ...

, he sought compromise with the

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

s and British authorities.: "These developments were hastened by another important factor, this time of a more personal nature. When the British entered the city the Mufti of Jerusalem happened to be Kamil al-Husayni. From the outset, Kamil al-Husayni went out of his way to be of aid to the British, particularly when it came to working out a suitable arrangement between the authorities of the occupation and the local population, and he made it very much easier for the latter to get used to the idea of a Christian power ruling in Jerusalem. He saw to it that the question of naming the Muslim ruler during Friday prayers did not develop into a political issue, and even his attitude to the Jews and his relations with them were friendly and correct. During the period of tension that followed the April 1920 disturbances, he appealed to the public in the course of a sermon at the al-Aqsa mosque to maintain law and order and to rest assured that the British Government, as was their policy everywhere, would do nothing to hinder the Muslims in the practice of their religion. The British authorities, first military and then civil, were indebted to Kamil al-Husayni for his exemplary conduct. One of the ways in which their esteem for him found expression was the award made to him of the C.M.G." The British appointed him chairman of the Appeal Courts and later director of the Higher

Waqf A waqf ( ar, وَقْف; ), also known as hubous () or '' mortmain'' property is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitab ...

Committee. The British also made him a Companion of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

(CMG). He was succeeded by his brother

Mohammad Amin al-Husayni Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mono ...

References

Bibliography

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Zvi Elpeleg Zvi Elpeleg (1926 – 27 June 2015) was an academic, author, and a senior researcher at the Dayan Institute at Tel Aviv University. Born in Poland, Elpeleg served as a colonel in the Israeli army and later received an ambassadorial appointment. ...

(1992, David Harvey, trans.). ''The Grand Mufti : Haj Amin al-Hussaini, Founder of the Palestinian National Movement'' (London: Frank Cass)

External links

Palestinian Personalities: Al-Husseini, Kamel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Husayni, Mohammed Tahir Arabs in Ottoman Palestine Grand Muftis of Jerusalem Palestinian judges Palestinian Sunni Muslims Palestinian scholars of Islam Sharia judges

Kamil Kamil is a name used in a number of languages. Kamil () is a Polish, Czech, and Slovak given name, equivalent to the Italian Camillo, Spanish/Portuguese Camilo and French Camille. It is derived from Camillus,1882 births 1921 deaths 20th-century Palestinian people