al-Husayni

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Husayni (also spelled Husseini) is the name of a prominent Palestinian clan formerly based in Jerusalem. Several members of the clan held important political positions such as Mayor and Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and founded and led many Palestinian nationalist groups to fight against Jewish immigrants coming into the British Mandate Palestine, such as the Holy War Army, the Palestine Arab Party and the Arab Higher Committee. Conflicts involving these groups included, the 1920 Palestine riots, the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine, 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

The Husaynis belonged to the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam, in contrast to most of the Arab population in Palestine that followed the Shafi school.[1]

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[edit] History

Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni led Palestinian irregular forces against the Jeiwsh militias during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. He died in combat in Qastal.
Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni led Palestinian irregular forces against the Jeiwsh militias during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. He died in combat in Qastal.

The Husaynis migrated to Jerusalem in the 1200s as Crusader influence in the Levant region waned. During the British Mandate era the clan had hundreds of members and its several branches encompassed thousands. They were mostly concentrated in the Old City, however a large number of clan members also lived in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Jarrah, the German Colony, Katamon, Baqa and Musrara.

The Husaynis were a major force in rebelling against Muhammad Ali who governed Egypt and Palestine in defiance of the Ottoman Empire. This solidified a cooperative relationship with the returning Ottoman authority. The clan took part in fighting the Qaisi tribe in an alliance with a rural lord of the Jerusalem area Mustafa Abu Ghosh, who clashed with the tribe frequently. The feuds gradually occurred in the city between the clan and the Khalidis that led the Qaisis, however these conflicts dealt with city positions and not Qaisi-Yamani rivalry.[1]

The Husaynis later led resistance and propaganda movements against the Young Turks who controlled the Ottoman Empire and more so against British Mandate government and early Zionist immigrants.[1] After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, most of the clan relocated to Jordan and the Gulf States. Many family heads that remained in the Old City and the northern neighborhoods of East Jerusalem fled due to hostilities with the Jordanian government - which controlled that part of the city. The Orient House, which belonged to Musa al-Husayni is located there. King Abdullah's assassin was a member of an underground Palestinian organization led by Daoud al-Husayni.[2]

[edit] List of notable members

  • Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni - Palestinian nationalist fighter and founder and leader of the Holy War Army. (Son of Musa al-Husayni)
  • Darwish al-Husayni - Notable member of Arab Higher Committee.
  • Effendi Selim al-Husayni - Mayor of Jerusalem (1888-1897)
  • Hind al-Husayni - Former member of Palestine National Council and founder of orphanage for Palestinian children. (Cousin of Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni)
  • Musa al-Husayni - Mayor of Jerusalem (1918-1920) and Chairman of Palestinian Arab Action Committee. (Son of Effendi Selim al-Husayni)
  • Tewfiq al-Husayni - Notable member of Arab Higher Committee.

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[edit] External links