Through the Eyes of the Mufti

Edited by: Elpeleg, Zvi

Mufti Haj Amin al-Husayni had no chance of prevailing against the well-organized Zionist movement with its international support. The Palestinian Party that he headed after the First World War was split, conflicted and rife with corruption. In particular, it was isolated, with neighbouring Arab countries more concerned with their own problems. In light of this state of affairs, Haj Amin sought to enlist the help of the Arab and Muslim world in favor of the Palestinians. How did he do this? When appealing to the Arab world, he utilized the myth that the Zionists intended to use the Land of Israel as a base from which they would seek to conquer all Arab countries; when appealing to the Muslim world, he said that the Jews wished to destroy the al-Aqsa mosque and build their temple on its ruins. Another of the Mufti's myths is the story of 'the ancient conspiracy', recounting the plot of the British and the Jews to expel the Arabs from Palestine and award the consequently uninhabited land to the Jews. Even though this 'plot' was unsubstantiated, at the time it became anchored in the consciousness of millions of local Palestinians who believed the Mufti's inventions and were alarmed by them. This remains true to a great degree to this very day. The book presents the Mufti's essays - the literal source of those myths, as well as notes and essays which reply to the ideas presented by Haj Amin. [Subject: Middle East Studies, Politics, International Relations]

256 pages

Copyright: 6/20/2009