Husayni (Arabic: الحسيني 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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History
The Husaynis claim descent from Husayn ibn Ali (the son of Ali). They migrated to Jerusalem in the 12th century after Saladin drove out the Crusaders from the city and much of the Levant. 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, Baka and Musrara.[2]
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 the 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; King Abdullah's assassin was a member of an underground Palestinian organization led by Daoud al-Husayni. The Orient House, which belonged to former mayor Musa al-Husayni is located there.[2]
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)
- Adnan al-Husayni – Director-General of Muslim Waqf which is responsible for Islamic religious sites in Jerusalem such as the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
- Daoud al-Husayni – General-Inspector of Army of the Holy War and aide of Amin al-Husayni. Co-founder of Palestine Liberation Organization.
- Darwish al-Husayni – Notable member of Arab Higher Committee.
- Faysal al-Husayni – Founder and leader of Arab Studies Society, head of Fatah organization in West Bank and Palestinian Authority Minister for Jerusalem Affairs. (Son of Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni)
- Hind al-Husayni – Former member of Palestine National Council and founder of orphanage for Palestinian children. (Cousin of Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni)
- Hussein al-Husayni – Mayor of Jerusalem (1910–1915)
- Ishaq Hatem al-Husayni – Author and President of Al-Quds University
- Jamal al-Husayni – Secretary of Palestinian Arab Action Committee and Supreme Muslim Council, founder of Palestine Arab Party and delegate of Arab Higher Committee.
- Kamil al-Husayni – second Grand Mufti of Jerusalem (1908–1921) (son of Mustafa Taher al-Husayni; brother of Amin al-Husayni)
- Mohammad Amin al-Husayni – Palestinian nationalist leader, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem (1921–1948), founder of Army of the Holy War, leader of Arab Higher Committee. His granddaughter married Ali Hassan Salameh the founder of PLO's "Black September".
- Musa al-Husayni – Mayor of Jerusalem (1918–1920) and Chairman of Palestinian Arab Action Committee. (Son of Effendi Selim al-Husayni)
- Mustafa Taher al-Husayni – first Grand Mufti of Jerusalem (1860s–1908)
- Selim al-Husayni – Mayor of Jerusalem (1882 to 1897)
- Serene al-Husayni – Major contributor to Palestinian costumes. (Daughter of Jamal al-Husayni)
- Tewfiq al-Husayni – Notable member of Arab Higher Committee.
- Leila Shahid – Palestinian envoy to European Commission (daughter of Serene al-Husayni).
- Lena al-Husayni – Executive Director of the Arab American Family Support Center.(Great granddaughter of Sheikh Aref al-Husayni, Sheikh of al-Haram al Sharif).
- Rafiq al-Husayni, Chief of Staff of President Mahmoud Abbas
See also
References
External links
- Ilan Pappe: The Rise and Fall of the Husainis (Part I), Autumn 2000, Issue 10, Jerusalem Quarterly,
- Ilan Pappe: The Husayni Family Faces New Challenges: Tanzimat, Young Turks, the Europeans and Zionism 1840-1922, (Part II) Winter-Spring 2001, Issue 11–12, Jerusalem Quarterly,
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