Palestine Arab Opposition to Grand Mufti: Two Petitions Against His Presidency of Moslem Supreme Cou

Ragheb Bey Nashashibi, the Mayor of Jerusalem, acting on behalf of the Palestine Moslem Opposition to the Grand Mufti at the Moslem Congress which was held under his auspices in Jerusalem in December, has filed two petitions to-day with the Palestine High Court, the first contending that the Mufti has no right to the Presidency of the Moslem Supreme Council because he receives a salary as Mufti, and asking that he should therefore be removed from the position, and the second demanding that the Moslem Supreme Council should publish a statement of its accounts to meet the charges of misusing funds which are being made against the Grand Mufti.

A Conference of the Palestine Moslem opponents of the Grand Mufti was held in Jerusalem on December 11th., while the Moslem Congress was in session, with Ragheb Bey Nashashibi, the Mayor of Jerusalem, in the chair. About 1,000 Moslem notables from all parts of the country were presebt, among them two of the five members of the Moslem Supreme Council. A number of resolutions were adopted by the Conference, one of them declaring the determination of the participants to dethrone the Grand Mufti.

There was a report current last October (given in the J.T.A. Bulletin of October 2nd.) to the effect that the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin el Husseini, may not continue in office as President of the Supreme Moslem Council. The Government, it was said, was expected to act on the report made by the Committee which was appointed in 1926 by Lord Plumer, the High Commissioner at the time, in order to recommend a revision of the regulations of the Supreme Moslem Council, providing among other things, for a system of election to the Council, instead of appointment by the Government as hitherto.

The report of the Committee was submitted to the Government in 1929, but was never published, and no action has been taken on it, so far, the Palestine Government explaining that “action on this report was postponed owing to the August 1929 disturbances”.