Islamic Endowments In Jerusalem Under British Mandate

Yitzhak Reiter presents a picture of the role of Islam in mandatory Jerusalem through the resources of the Waqf. The prevalent image of institutionalized corruption within the Waqf system is not completely supported by the findings of the study.

Islam in present day Jerusalem is influenced more than ever by political activities and agendas. This publication deals with Islamic activity and Islamic institutions in East Jerusalem under Jordanian and Israeli rule from 1948 until after the peace accords between Isreal, the PLO and Jordan. After the Israeli takeover of East Jerusalem in 1967 Islamic institutions remained Jordanian organs. This study elaborates on the strategy adopted by the Palestinians of establishing a local Palestinian Supreme Muslim Authority serving a political body to handle Palestinian religious and national debate for the future of Jerusalem. One of the features of this debate is the Jordanian-Palestinian-Israeli competence over the holy places in Jerusalem. The waqf (pious endowments) institution, which is in decline in many Muslim countries, has been revived under Israeli rule. The economic resources of the waaf have been mobilized for the political struggle and it serves as a means to preserve the Islamic character of East Jerusalem and to strengthen the Muslim Arab population's attachment to Islamic institution. This study focuses on the role of the Shari'a (Islamic law) Courts in various mechanisms which were developed to facilitate the adoptation of the traditional Islamic institutions to modern conditions.

Yitzhak Reiter presents a picture of the role of Islam in mandatory Jerusalem through the resources of the Waqf. The prevalent image of institutionalized corruption within the Waqf system is not completely supported by the findings of the study.

Dr Kozlowski's important study pioneers a fresh approach to the study of a critical Muslim institution: the endowments or awqaf which almost everywhere in the Islamic world provide support for mosques, schools and shrines. The wealthier Muslims who establish endowments inevitably have an eye on social, political and economic conditions and have traditionally used awqaf as part of an effort to preserve their wealth and influence, especially in periods of change and uncertainty. The book focuses on the use of endowments by Muslims suffering the dislocations caused by the imposition of British rule in India and examines in detail the social and political implications of the controversy over endowments that took place in the imperial courts and councils. The author's observations and insights can be applied to many periods and places in the Muslim world and his novel approach will attract all those interested in the study of Islam.

Concerns about the place of Islam in Palestinian politics are familiar to those studying the history of the modern Middle East. A significant but often misunderstood part of this history is the rise of Islamic opposition to the British in Mandate Palestine during the 1920s and 1930s. Across the empire, imperial officials wrestled with the question of how to rule over a Muslim-majority countries and came to see traditional Islamic institutions as essential for maintaining order. Islam under the Palestine Mandate tells the story of the search for a viable Islamic institution in Palestine and the subsequent invention of the Supreme Muslim Council. As a body with political recognition, institutional autonomy and financial power, the council was designed to be a counterweight to the growing popularity of nationalism among Palestinians. However, rather than extinguishing the revolutionary capacity of the colonized, it would become a significant opponent of British rule under its highly controversial president, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Hajj Amin al-Husayni. Making extensive use of primary sources from British and Israeli archives, this book offers an innovative account of the Supreme Muslim Council's place within a colonial project that aimed to control Palestinian religion and politics. Roberts argues against the standard view that the council's creation was an act of appeasement towards Muslim opinion, showing how British actions were guided by techniques of imperial administration used elsewhere in the empire.