Moslem Leaders Accuse Mufti As Coward and Intriguer for Power

The accusation of Jewish leaders against the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem as being responsible for the anti-Jewish outbreaks has been substantiated by Mohammed El Feluji, one of the Mufti’s opponents.

While the Mufti’s party is continuing its agitation of slander and boycott against the Jews, Mohammed El Feluji issued a statement defending the Moslems of the village Agour, near Hebron, where a resolution was adopted declaring: “”We find the Moslem Supreme Council incompetent to defend our rights and unrepresentative of the opinions of the majority of the people. We reject the draft ordinance continuing the Mufti in office for life and imposing new taxes upon the peasants. We are convniced that the former elections of the Grand Mufti were irregular.”

El Feluji accuses the Grand Mufti’s party of cowardice in using the recent disturbances to unite all Moslems artificially. “The Mufti appears before the people as a true nationalist and as a defender of the Arabs, while before the government he appears as an enemy of the Jews and as one who seeks to pacify the present agitation. The fact of the matter is that he is always a prevaricator and coward, who opposes his people’s interest to enrich himself and is using the present disaster to increase his influence, trampling upon the people to elevate himself.”

It became known here that the Grand Mufti will institute proceedings against the Tel Aviv Hebrew daily, “Ha’Aretz,” for publishing an article entitled: “The Bloody Hero.” The article constituted an answer to the Grand Mufti’s statement accusing the Jews of starting the disorders.

While the “Doar Ha’yom.” Jerusalem Hebrew daily, was suppressed ostensibly for the publication of Reuveni’s poem, the “Felestin,” Arab paper, reprinted the same poem. The “Felestine” was merely warned by the Acting District Commissioner of Jaffa that the publication of such matter will lead to suspension. The Hebrew daily was closed without previous notice.