The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem is the

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 ...

cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

in charge of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

ic holy places, including the

Al-Aqsa Mosque Al-Aqsa Mosque (, ), also known as Jami' Al-Aqsa () or as the Qibli Mosque ( ar, المصلى القبلي, translit=al-Muṣallā al-Qiblī, label=none), and also is a congregational mosque located in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is situate ...

. The position was created by the British military government led by

Ronald Storrs Sir Ronald Henry Amherst Storrs (19 November 1881 – 1 November 1955) was an official in the British Foreign and Colonial Office. He served as Oriental Secretary in Cairo, Military Governor of Jerusalem, Governor of Cyprus, and Governor of No ...

in 1918.See Islamic Leadership in Jerusalem for further detailsThe terminology was used as early as 1918. For example: states that Storrs wrote on November 19, 1918 "the Muslim element requested the Grand Mufti to have the name of the Sharif of Mecca mentioned in the Friday prayers as Caliph" Since 2006 it has been held by Muhammad Hussein.

History

British Mandate

While Palestine was under British Mandate, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem was a position created by the British Mandate authorities. The creation of the new title was intended by the British to "enhance the status of the office". When

Kamil al-Husayni Kamil al-Husayni ( ar, كامل الحسيني, also spelled Kamel al-Hussaini; 23 February 1867 – 31 March 1921) was a Sunni Muslim religious leader in Palestine and member of the al-Husayni family. He was the Hanafi Mufti of Jerusalem from ...

died in 1921, the British High Commissioner

Herbert Samuel Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel, (6 November 1870 – 5 February 1963) was a British Liberal politician who was the party leader from 1931 to 1935. He was the first nominally-practising Jew to serve as a Cabinet minister and to be ...

appointed

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 ...

to the position. Amin al-Husayni, a 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 Is ...

of Jerusalem, was an

Arab nationalist Arab nationalism ( ar, القومية العربية, al-Qawmīya al-ʿArabīya) is a nationalist ideology that asserts the Arabs are a nation and promotes the unity of Arab people, celebrating the glories of Arab civilization, the language and ...

and Muslim leader in the

British Mandate of Palestine British Mandate of Palestine or Palestine Mandate most often refers to: * Mandate for Palestine: a League of Nations mandate under which the British controlled an area which included Mandatory Palestine and the Emirate of Transjordan. * Mandatory P ...

. As Grand Mufti and leader in the

Arab Higher Committee The Arab Higher Committee ( ar, اللجنة العربية العليا) or the Higher National Committee was the central political organ of the Arab Palestinians in Mandatory Palestine. It was established on 25 April 1936, on the initiative o ...

, especially during the war period 1938-45, al-Husayni played a key role in violent opposition to

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

and closely allied himself with the Nazi regime in Germany. In 1948, after

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

occupied Jerusalem,

Abdullah I of Jordan AbdullahI bin Al-Hussein ( ar, عبد الله الأول بن الحسين, translit=Abd Allāh al-Awwal bin al-Husayn, 2 February 1882 – 20 July 1951) was the ruler of Jordan from 11 April 1921 until his assassination in 1951. He was the Emi ...

officially removed al-Husayni from the post, banned him from entering Jerusalem, and appointed

Hussam Al-din Jarallah Hussam al-Din Jarallah ( ar, حسام الدين جار الله; 1884 – 6 March 1954) was a Sunni Muslim leader of the Palestinian people during the British Mandate of Palestine and was the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem from 1948 until his death. ...

as Grand Mufti. On the death of Jarallah in 1952, the Jordan's

Jerusalem Islamic Waqf The Department of the Jerusalem Awqaf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs, together with its board the Islamic Awqaf Council, is the Jordanian-appointed organization responsible for controlling and managing the current Islamic edifices on the Temple Moun ...

appointed Saad al-Alami as his replacement. The Waqf appointed

Sulaiman Ja'abari Sulaiman Ja'abari ( ar, سليمان الجعبري, 1912–1994) was a Sunni Muslim religious leader of the Palestinian people and the fifth Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. He became Grand Mufti in 1993 until his death in 1994. Ja'abari was born in Heb ...

in 1993, following the death of al-Alami.

Palestinian Authority

After Ja'abari's 1994 death, two rival muftis were appointed: the

Palestinian Authority The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine,

(PA) nominated Ekrima Sa'id Sabri, while Jordan named Abdul Qader Abdeen, head of the Religious Appeals Court. This reflected a discrepancy between the

Oslo I Accord The Oslo I Accord or Oslo I, officially called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or short Declaration of Principles (DOP), was an attempt in 1993 to set up a framework that would lead to the resolution of th ...

, which envisaged a transfer of authority from Israel to the PA, and the

Israel–Jordan peace treaty The Israel–Jordan peace treaty (formally the "Treaty of Peace Between the State of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan"), he, הסכם השלום בין ישראל לירדן; transliterated: ''Heskem Ha-Shalom beyn Yisra'el Le-Yarden'' ...

, which recognised Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem holy sites. Local Muslims endorsed the PLO's view that Jordan's action was an unwarranted interference; Ja'abari's popular

mandate Mandate most often refers to: * League of Nations mandates, quasi-colonial territories established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, 28 June 1919 * Mandate (politics), the power granted by an electorate Mandate may also r ...

meant that Abdeen's claim "soon faded away altogether" and he formally retired in 1998. Sabri was removed in 2006 by PA president

Mahmoud Abbas Mahmoud Abbas ( ar, مَحْمُود عَبَّاس, Maḥmūd ʿAbbās; born 15 November 1935), also known by the kunya Abu Mazen ( ar, أَبُو مَازِن, links=no, ), is the president of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian Nati ...

, who was concerned that Sabri was involved too heavily in political matters.Yaniv Berman
"Top Palestinian Muslim Cleric Okays Suicide Bombings"
''Media Line'', 23 October 2006. Abbas appointed

Muhammad Ahmad Hussein Muhammad Ahmad Hussein ( ar, محمد أحمد حسين) is the incumbent Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. He was appointed in July 2006 by Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian National Authority. Abbas raised Hussein as an immediate succe ...

, who was perceived as a political moderate. However, shortly after his appointment, Hussein made comments which suggested that

suicide bombing A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout histor ...

was an acceptable tactic for Palestinians to use against Israel.

List

from the creation of the role in 1920 until his death in 1921 *

Mohammad Amin al-Husseini Mohammed Amin al-Husseini ( ar, محمد أمين الحسيني 1897 – 4 July 1974) was a Palestinian Arab nationalist and Muslim leader in Mandatory Palestine. Al-Husseini was the scion of the al-Husayni family of Jerusalemite Arab notabl ...

from 8 May 1921 to 1948, exiled by the British in 1937 (but not dismissed as Mufti) * Hussam ad-Din Jarallah from 20 December 1948 * Saad al-Alami from 1953 to 6 February 1993 *

from 17 February 1993 (Jordan) / 20 March 1993 (PA) to 11 October 1994Nazzal 1997 pp
xlix

110
/ref> * ''Abdul Qader Abdeen (Jordan) from 11 October 1994 to 1998''Nazzal 199
p.lvii
/ref> * Ekrima Sa'id Sabri (PA) from 16 October 1994 to July 2006 *

from July 2006

Sources

Citations