Fahmi Bey al-Husseini (, 1886-December 25, 1940) was the mayor of

Gaza Gaza may refer to: Places Palestine * Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea ** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip ** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Mandatory Palestine * Gaza Sub ...

, his hometown, from 1928 to 1939 while

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

was under the

British rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...

Career in law

Al-Husseini studied law in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

and upon graduation returned to Gaza where he became a prominent lawyer. He was then assigned as a member of the Land Court of

Nablus Nablus ( ; , ) is a State of Palestine, Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 156,906. Located between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a ...

but resigned soon after his appointment. He reentered work in his legal profession and subsequently was appointed Magistrate of Nablus. He was later appointed a member of the Central Council, and then resigned again to continue his work as a lawyer.Fahmi al-Husseini 1928
Municipality of Gaza. On December 1, 1923, he launched ''al-Haquq'' ("The Rights") magazine and was its editor-in-chief. Al-Husseini published the ''Sawt al-Haq'' ("Voice of the Truth") newspaper on October 6, 1927 and around the same period he translated into

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

the famous

Hanafi The Hanafi school or Hanafism is the oldest and largest Madhhab, school of Islamic jurisprudence out of the four schools within Sunni Islam. It developed from the teachings of the Faqīh, jurist and theologian Abu Hanifa (), who systemised the ...

book on legal proceedings, ''Sharh Majallat al-Ahkam'' ("Commentaries on the Codified Hanafi Commercial Law", prepared in four volumes in

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

during the Ottoman period by Allama Ali Haidar.Palestinian Personalities - H

Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs The Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs (PASSIA; ) was founded in Jerusalem in March 1987 by Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi and a group of Palestinian academics and intellectuals. PASSIA is a member of the Palestinian NGO ...

Mayor

Also in 1927, al-Husseini, a political ally of the

Nashashibi Nashashibi (, transliteration: ''Al-Nashāshībī'') is the name of a prominent Palestinian Arabic family based in Jerusalem. After the First World War, during the British period, Raghib al-Nashashibi was Mayor of Jerusalem (1920–1934). A br ...

family, became a member of the Liberal Party which was founded in 1927, which defended all aspects of personal freedom. He was elected mayor of Gaza on May 5, 1928. In 1930, a number of Gaza notables, mostly members of the city's municipal council, complained to the high commissioner of Palestine about al-Husseini. They were angered at the decision to allow al-Husseini to maintain his legal practice while he served as Gaza's mayor, stating he was occupied with his own private business "to an extent as to neglect the interests of the town

aza Aza or AZA may refer to: Places *Aza, Azerbaijan, a village and municipality *Azadkənd, Nakhchivan or Lower Aza, Azerbaijan *Aza, medieval name of Haza, Province of Burgos, Spain *Aźa, a Tibetan name for the Tuyuhun kingdom *Aza, a Hebrew roman ...

which is more needy of organization than any in this country."Feldman, 2008, p.50. However, during his tenure, Gaza was extended to the coast (

Rimal Rimal or Remal () is a neighborhood in Gaza City located from the city center. Situated along the coastline, it was considered the most prosperous neighborhood of Gaza.Jacobs, 1998, p.455. The main street that runs through Gaza, Omar Mukhtar ...

district), the local hospital and market were completed, the streets were widened, and the city received electricity in 1938 in cooperation with the Palestinian Electricity Company. Al-Husseini also oversaw the establishment of the municipal hall of Gaza along

Omar Mukhtar Street Omar Mukhtar Street () is the main street of Gaza City, in the State of Palestine, running from Palestine Square to the Port of Gaza in the Rimal district, separating the Old City's al-Daraj and Zaytoun quarters. Gaza's hotel strip is a part o ...

. In addition to the latter street—which he named after the

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

n revolutionary

Omar Mukhtar ʿUmar al-Mukhtār Muḥammad bin Farḥāt al-Manifī (; 20 August 1858 – 16 September 1931), called The Lion of the Desert, known among the colonial Italians as Matari of the Mnifa, was a Libyan revolutionary and Imam who led the native res ...

—he also named several other new streets in Gaza including Imam Shafi'i Street, Firas Street, and Jamal Fahmi Pasha Street. In 1938, during the Arab revolt in Palestine, the British Mandate authorities had him arrested on charges of being a member of the anti-British leadership in Palestine. He, along with Mousa Sourani, was imprisoned in the Sarafand Jail. Al-Husseini was stripped of his post as mayor by the British in 1939 and was replaced by

Rushdi al-Shawa Rushdi Sa'id Shawwa Bey () (b. 1889 – 5 December 1965) was the mayor of Gaza from 1939 to 1952. He was born in his father's house (former mayor Sa'id al-Shawa) in the al-Turukman section of the Shuja'iyya neighborhood. His mother, Hafiza Sha� ...

. Al-Husseini died on December 25, 1940.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Husseini, Fahmi 1886 births 1940 deaths Arab people in Mandatory Palestine Mayors of Gaza City 20th-century Palestinian lawyers 20th-century journalists from the Ottoman Empire Arab people from Ottoman Palestine 20th-century writers from the Ottoman Empire Istanbul University Faculty of Law alumni