It is crucial to understand the past in order to understand the present. The link between radical Islam and Nazism is rarely discussed today despite that Nazi literature has been revived in the Islamic world and fosters extremism among Muslims. I am Jewish, but I am also Middle Eastern. I come from a traditional Mizrahi household. My ancestors were indigenous to the Middle East. While I am very familiar with the situation of the 1,000,000 Middle Eastern Jewish refugees, it has always astounded, and even offended, me that the situation of my relatives who suffered and endured in refugee camps is rarely addressed. While Israel absorbed the survivors of the Holocaust, it also absorbed an even larger number of Jews from the Middle East who faced intense persecution under Islamic regimes that became very Nazi-like in their treatment of Jews. Being Jewish was criminalized in modern-day Arab countries. The land confiscated from Jews by Arab governments is estimated to be more than 100,000 square kilometers (which is roughly five times the size of the State of Israel).
Here is a brief description of Haj Amin al-Husseini derived from the YouTube video above. Al-Husseini helped to organize the Farhud pogrom in Iraq which claimed the lives of hundreds of Baghdadi Jews and sparked their exodus from Iraq:
In 1941, Haj Amin al-Husseini fled to Germany and met with Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, Joachim Von Ribbentrop and other Nazi leaders. He wanted to persuade them to extend the Nazis' anti-Jewish program to the Arab world.
The Mufti sent Hitler 15 drafts of declarations he wanted Germany and Italy to make concerning the Middle East. One called on the two countries to declare the illegality of the Jewish home in Palestine. Furthermore, "they accord to Palestine and to other Arab countries the right to solve the problem of the Jewish elements in Palestine and other Arab countries, in accordance with the interest of the Arabs and, by the same method, that the question is now being settled in the Axis countries."
In November 1941, the Mufti met with Hitler, who told him the Jews were his foremost enemy. The Nazi dictator rebuffed the Mufti's requests for a declaration in support of the Arabs, however, telling him the time was not right. The Mufti offered Hitler his "thanks for the sympathy which he had always shown for the Arab and especially Palestinian cause, and to which he had given clear expression in his public speeches....The Arabs were Germany's natural friends because they had the same enemies as had Germany, namely....the Jews...."
In 1945, Yugoslavia sought to indict the Mufti as a war criminal for his role in recruiting 20,000 Muslim volunteers for the SS, who participated in the killing of Jews in Croatia and Hungary. He escaped from French detention in 1946, however, and continued his fight against the Jews from Cairo and later Beirut. He died in 1974.
The Husseini family continued to play a role in Palestinian affairs, with Faisal Husseini, whose father was the Mufti's nephew, regarded until his death in 2001 as one of their leading spokesmen in the territories.
I have often raised the specter of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany in my postings, using them as a warning from history-specifically the folly of appeasing evil-as was done in Munich in 1938. Recently, I pointed out the fact that Mein Kampf, translated into Arabic, is still a top seller in the Middle East. Millions in that part of the world still regard Hitler as a hero and martyr. Why? Simple. He killed 6 million Jews. Today, you hear all the voices of those who are fighting the State of Israel insisting that they are not anti-Jewish-only anti-Zionist. This is a falsehood perpetrated to convince the world that the Palestinians are innocent victims of Israel and its policies. Today, there is an organization in the Middle East called the Muslim Brotherhood, founded in 1928 by Hassan al Banna, an anti-Semite. This organization actually gave birth to the radical Islamic movement. Today, they insist that they are moderate. They only want to bring democracy to Egypt, which is their historic base. They oppose the autocratic government of Hosni Mubarak. In actuality, they are still a radical organization, one that has given birth not only to the Muslim Student Associations in the US, but Hamas as well. One of their earliest leaders from the 1920s was the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini. He was not only the most important Islamic leader of his time, but he was also a rabid anti-Semite and ally of Hitler.
Husseini was appointed Grand Mufti of Jerusalem in 1921 by the British, who controlled the region after World War I. It was a disastrous choice, but made for what appeared to be political reasons. In reality, Husseini hated the British, and wanted them out of the Holy Land. He also hated Jews and fought relentlessly to keep them from migrating into the Holy Land. On countless occasions in his life, Husseini spurred his followers to go out and kill Jews.
He also did his part to put that idea into practice outside the Middle East. Eventually having to flee Jerusalem, he found his way to Nazi Germany, where he was given refuge by Hitler.
Husseini reviews Bosnian Muslim recruits to Waffen SS July 1943
Residing in Berlin during World War II, Husseini made numerous radio broadcasts back to the Middle East urging his followers to fight Jews. More importantly, during World War II, he was instrumental in helping form a Muslim division in Bosnia to fight on the German side. That division also participated in mass killings of Jews in that region. It is believed that Husseini actually visited Auschwitz and hoped that Germany would sweep through the Holy Land, where they would complete the "Final Solution".*
In summary, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, a leader of the Muslim population in the Holy Land and an important early figure in the Muslim Brotherhood, was a war criminal.
After the war, Husseini made his way to France, where surprisingly, he was protected. Though charges against him were outstanding in Tito's post-war Yugoslavia, he was never extradited, and in the end, this monster was never prosecuted because the Allies did not want to set the Arab world against them (sound familiar?) He was able to return to the Middle East, where he continued his efforts to drive out Jews. Then came 1948 and the establishment of the State of Israel. Husseini was relentless in his calls for war and to drive the Jews from the Middle East. Beginning in 1947, he began his relationship as mentor to a young Yassir Arafat in his work to establish Fatah and eventually the PLO. What resulted was the beginning of modern Islamic terrorism.
Husseini died in Beirut in 1974. Yet, his legacy of hate and anti-Semitism, a mentality he did so much to further, is still alive today. I would urge the reader to learn more about Husseini and connect the dots between Husseini, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and yes, the Muslim Student Associations in America.
* Icon of Evil, Hitler's Mufti and the Rise of Radical Islam, David Dalin and John Rothman. New York, Random House, 2008, pp 51-52.
gary fouse fousesquawk
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I am a journalist and researcher, and have written numerous research and investigative pieces. My work has been published with several notable organizations, including CAMERA on Campus, the Jewish Policy Center, Pajamas Media, and the Investigative Project on Terror.
My interests include ethics and epistemology, history, economics, and international relations.
I graduated from the University of California, Irvine with distinguished honors, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English. Presently I am pursuing a Master's degree at USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism in the field of Broadcast Journalism. I can be reached at Reut AT reutrcohen DOT com.
2 comments. Leave a comment:
Thank you for posting this. I had no idea about Al Husseini. Thank you for sharing your history too.
I have often raised the specter of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany in my postings, using them as a warning from history-specifically the folly of appeasing evil-as was done in Munich in 1938. Recently, I pointed out the fact that Mein Kampf, translated into Arabic, is still a top seller in the Middle East. Millions in that part of the world still regard Hitler as a hero and martyr. Why? Simple. He killed 6 million Jews. Today, you hear all the voices of those who are fighting the State of Israel insisting that they are not anti-Jewish-only anti-Zionist. This is a falsehood perpetrated to convince the world that the Palestinians are innocent victims of Israel and its policies. Today, there is an organization in the Middle East called the Muslim Brotherhood, founded in 1928 by Hassan al Banna, an anti-Semite. This organization actually gave birth to the radical Islamic movement. Today, they insist that they are moderate. They only want to bring democracy to Egypt, which is their historic base. They oppose the autocratic government of Hosni Mubarak. In actuality, they are still a radical organization, one that has given birth not only to the Muslim Student Associations in the US, but Hamas as well. One of their earliest leaders from the 1920s was the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini. He was not only the most important Islamic leader of his time, but he was also a rabid anti-Semite and ally of Hitler.
Husseini was appointed Grand Mufti of Jerusalem in 1921 by the British, who controlled the region after World War I. It was a disastrous choice, but made for what appeared to be political reasons. In reality, Husseini hated the British, and wanted them out of the Holy Land. He also hated Jews and fought relentlessly to keep them from migrating into the Holy Land. On countless occasions in his life, Husseini spurred his followers to go out and kill Jews.
He also did his part to put that idea into practice outside the Middle East. Eventually having to flee Jerusalem, he found his way to Nazi Germany, where he was given refuge by Hitler.
Husseini reviews Bosnian Muslim recruits to Waffen SS July 1943
Residing in Berlin during World War II, Husseini made numerous radio broadcasts back to the Middle East urging his followers to fight Jews. More importantly, during World War II, he was instrumental in helping form a Muslim division in Bosnia to fight on the German side. That division also participated in mass killings of Jews in that region. It is believed that Husseini actually visited Auschwitz and hoped that Germany would sweep through the Holy Land, where they would complete the "Final Solution".*
In summary, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, a leader of the Muslim population in the Holy Land and an important early figure in the Muslim Brotherhood, was a war criminal.
After the war, Husseini made his way to France, where surprisingly, he was protected. Though charges against him were outstanding in Tito's post-war Yugoslavia, he was never extradited, and in the end, this monster was never prosecuted because the Allies did not want to set the Arab world against them (sound familiar?) He was able to return to the Middle East, where he continued his efforts to drive out Jews. Then came 1948 and the establishment of the State of Israel. Husseini was relentless in his calls for war and to drive the Jews from the Middle East. Beginning in 1947, he began his relationship as mentor to a young Yassir Arafat in his work to establish Fatah and eventually the PLO. What resulted was the beginning of modern Islamic terrorism.
Husseini died in Beirut in 1974. Yet, his legacy of hate and anti-Semitism, a mentality he did so much to further, is still alive today. I would urge the reader to learn more about Husseini and connect the dots between Husseini, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and yes, the Muslim Student Associations in America.
* Icon of Evil, Hitler's Mufti and the Rise of Radical Islam, David Dalin and John Rothman. New York, Random House, 2008, pp 51-52.
gary fouse
fousesquawk
Post a Comment
Comments and feedback are welcome and appreciated. Please stay on topic and avoid profanities unless it is relevant to the discussion. By commenting on the site, you agree that you are not impersonating anyone else and that you are solely responsible for the content you post. In commenting on the website you agree that you are not violating copyright or intellectual property rights of others. Spam and commercial posts are not permitted and will not be published. Disagreement and debates are welcome, but comments which are slanderous, demeaning, obscene, resort to ad hominem, and/or are of a threatening nature will not be published. Opinions expressed in the comments section do not necessarily reflect the views of the website’s author. The author of the website reserves the right to reject or remove comments at any time and for any reason.