Jaffa Arab recalls 1930s/40s: Most of the Arabs in Israel were in favor of Nazi Germany, Imam at 50-100 Mosque attendees prayed for Hitler

There were 50-100 people praying in the mosque. I remember the imam delivering sermons and praying for the victory of Abu-Ali. Abu Ali is Hitler. So that the British who ruled the country at the time, and who were Hitler's rivals, would not understand who he was talking about, the Arabs called Hitler: Abu-Ali.

The Arabs were very afraid that they would be heard speaking adoringly of Hitler, in mosques and cafes, and accused of collaborating with the Germans. And indeed that is what happened to our imam. Shortly after his sermon in favor of Hitler, the British arrested him...

Most of the Arabs in Israel were in favor of Nazi Germany. The Arabs also listened to Radio Turkey. There was no ban on this, even though Turkey was with the Germans.

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From the events of '36

From the events of '36 I have the memory of a child. So the gangs acted and terrorized the Jews. The one who organized them was Hassan Salame. The members of the gangs wanted to harm the Jews who bought agricultural goods from the West. They would lie in wait in the wadis and on the roads for Arab merchants who smuggled vegetables and fruits to the Tikva market. If they caught the smugglers, they would beat them, throw the goods at them, and the poor people returned home without the money and without the goods. The ones who benefited from all this were us children. We collected everything that was left in the field and brought it home. I still remember from that time, that every day at 9:30 someone would come with a bicycle and bring newspapers from Egypt. He would also come to Beit Dagon and sell newspapers. I was six years old, but I could not read. My brother would read and I would hear what was going on in the world, but I didn't always understand these politics. Although I didn't go to school, I was always curious and loved to learn.

Among all the brothers, I was the closest to the father. He would take me everywhere, even to pray. I learned a lot from this, because I saw a lot. There were 50-100 people praying in the mosque. I remember the imam delivering sermons and praying for the victory of Abu-Ali. Abu Ali is Hitler. So that the British who ruled the country at the time, and who were Hitler's rivals, would not understand who he was talking about, the Arabs called Hitler: Abu-Ali.

The Arabs were very afraid that they would be heard speaking adoringly of Hitler, in mosques and cafes, and accused of collaborating with the Germans. And indeed that is what happened to our imam. Shortly after his sermon in favor of Hitler, the British arrested him and imprisoned him without trial.

In that period, incitement and attacks on the Jews began. The Mufti, Haj Amin Al Husseini, who was one of the leaders of the instigators against the Jews, was arrested by the British.

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I worked at this cafe for two years, and I only had two days off. During the war, the British prevented the Arabs in the country from listening to Berlin radio. When the British found out that they were hearing this radio, they would close the cafe for three months. But in the cafe where I worked, they heard Radio Berlin, and I, the little one, watched out for the British police.

Hassan Abu-Havila, the owner of the cafe, asked me to sit outside, in the dark, to warn if the police were coming, who patrolled the street every evening.

Two Arab policemen and an English policeman. (In the Jewish cities, two Jewish policemen and an English policeman used to walk.) The Arabs listened to Radio Berlin, because they thought that only he was telling the truth. They were sure that what the Americans were saying was a lie. Most of the Arabs in Israel were in favor of Nazi Germany. The Arabs also listened to Radio Turkey. There was no ban on this, even though Turkey was with the Germans. The policemen were wearing shoes with metal on the soles, so I could hear them coming from a distance..

The Nazis recruited in Muslim areas.

"13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian)" ( Wiki )

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13th_Waffen_Mountain_Division_of_the_SS_Handschar_(1st_Croatian)

"How Nazis courted the Islamic world during WWII" ( Deutsche Welle )

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/how-nazis-courted-the-islamic-world-during-wwii/a-41358387

"Hajj Amin al-Husayni: Wartime Propagandist" ( Holocaust Encyclopedia )

Source: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/hajj-amin-al-husayni-wartime-propagandist

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