Parliament Learns Mufti Paid Palestine Government Official

The Grand Mufti is an officer of the Palestine administration and draws an annual salary of $3,000, by virtue of his being president of the Moslem Supreme Council, it was revealed today in the House of Commons by Dr. Drummond Shiels, undersecretary for the colonies. Dr. Shiels explained that the Council performs the dual function of looking after the judicial and religious side of Moslem life and that because of his judicial functions, the Mufti receives a salary.

Commander Kenworthy jocularly inquired whether “the Mufti’s propaganda against His Majesty’s Government is part of his religious duties.” The ensuing laughter brought an objection from Howard Bury, who questioned whether it was in order to “ask questions passing reflections on distinguished strangers visiting England.”

Major Banks, Conservative M. P., inquired whether the Colonial Office had taken any action in connection with the Mufti’s incitement of the Syrian Moslems against the French authorities, as revealed by a letter written by the Mufti and published in a Syrian paper, for which the latter was suppressed. Dr. Shiels said that the High Commissioner of Palestine had dealt with the matter and the Colonial Office did not propose to pursue it any further.

The question of the MacMahon-Husseini correspondence of 1915, in which Sir Henry MacMahon was said to have promised Sheriff Husseini, former King of the Hedjaz, that the Arabs would get Palestine, if they aided the Allies in the War, was also discussed. Dr. Shiels said that this correspondence would not be published as had been several times suggested in the House of Commons. He pointed out that publication had been considered by previous governments and it was always decided that such action was undesirable. He said, too, that the Inquiry Commission had made it clear that it was concerned only about the construction put on this correspondence and not on the merits of it, ###