[Dempsey]

In the book Inside Hitler's Bunker by Joachim C. Fest, the author quotes a document where the hopless Hitler in his last days in the bunker, assessing before his stuff what he saw was his greatest mistake in his management of the war: his failure to galvanise the Arab world to raise against Britain (as Britain did in WWI), when it was easy to do since the Arabs where pro Nazis. Hitler wishs to use more the Arab card doesn't mean he had any respect for them. He even called them "lacquered half-monkeys."


Given the good relations between Hitler Germany and the Arab world was based on their merit as the best tool to neutralize British Empire, how would be their relations if the Nazis had won the war? Than they were remote and still enjoyed the aura of the WWI's Revolt in the Desret and the picturesque gold-clad Beduin sheiks. How would the Nazis see the Arabs as they are seen today dwelling in Europe without the old Valentino chic? Would it be different from today's view on the Arab world? Much of the Arab support for Nazi Germany came from the disillusionment of Britain's broken promises after WWI, would it be different with Hitler Germany? Do Arab nostaligic view on Nazism has any base?

Francis R. Nicosia, The Third Reich and the Palestine Question (London,. 1985):

The Jews were driven out or exterminated in the pathological pursuit of racial purity; the Arabs were simple instruments, used or ignored depending upon whichever approach best served to neutralize Britain.

Arab observers usually missed Nazism's special regard for empire and their own subordinate place in the Nazi racial scheme. (In a recent article, Stefan Wild shows how Hitler deigned to perpetuate Arab ignorance by permitting the deletion of passages 'offending the mentality and sensitivity of race-conscious Arabs' from a projected Arabic translation of Mein Kampf.) Indeed, so taken were many Palestinian Arabs with the anti-Jewish message of Nazi ideology that they failed to link the worsening of their own predicament with Nazism's rise. In the vulgar wording of the German Consul in Jerusalem, the Arabs were 'too primitive politically to fully appreciate the fact that Germany and German Jewish policy were greatly intensifying their problem'. That there were Palestinian Arabs who professed admiration for a doctrine that held them in such utter contempt must be counted as the other great irony of Nazi Germany's growing impact on Palestine in the 1930s.

The Third Reich and the Palestine Question - Page 86

Wolff again met with the Mufti and other sheiks from Palestine one month ... that the Arabs were too politically naive to recognize and fully accept the link between German Jewish policy and their problems in Palestine.

Timotheus Wurst, the German consul in Jaffa, effectively summarized this prevailing attitude in 1935, observing that the Arab attitude was conditioned primarily by the anti-Jewish policies of the Hitler regime and to some degree by the disciplined, militaristic and intensely nationalistic posture of the NSDAP. He further noted that many Arabs hoped to pursue the aims of Arab nationalism in Palestine and elsewhere by creating a movement based on based on the National Socialist model and experience.

http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/3381

It was in 1899 that Houston Stewart Chamberlain, a British born germanofile, published his book "Die Grundlagen des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts" ("The Foundations of the nineteenth century"). This book would make a huge impact on nationalistic and anti-Semitic Germans and later laid the foundations for Nazi ideology. Chamberlain acquired German citizenship in 1916, during the First World War, that is. He later joined the Nazi Party, was close to Goebbels and Hitler, but died in 1927, six years before the Nazis would come to power.
Chamberlain was fascinated by the powerful will of the Arabs and Islam ("der Mohammedanismus"), and by the way Muslims are facing death.[1

Nazi Party philosopher Alfred Rosenberg, a strong admirer of Houston Stewart Chamberlain, hated the Christian churches, especially the Roman Catholic Church, but he did admire the creative power of both Confucius and Mohammed. They had a purpose and showed the way forward for others. Mohammed forced many people to follow his doctrine, Confucius created longlasting Chinese "Volkstum" (traditions or customs of the people), Rosenberg wrote in his "Mythus des 20. Jahrhunderts" ("Myth of the Twentieth Century").[2 At the same time Rosenberg was worried about the increasing number of Muslims ("Mohammedaner") in Africa and Asia:

"Everywhere in the colonies where racial mixtures occur, the mongrels ("Mischlinge") enthousiastically embrace Islam. At the same time Islam promises freedom to the negroes by means of a common struggle against Europe. The Indian Basvani writes. "I tell you Europeans to be on guard. An old Indian man says: ‘Be on guard when you see the tears of awakening: Already does the East wake up, the Hindus and the Muslims in India, Egypt, Persia, Algeria and Afghanistan suffer under the domination of aggressive imperialism of the West."

More than ever must the white races be on guard against the perhaps once united hatred of the colored races and mongrels led by the fanatical spirit of Mohammed. "[3

Yet, Rosenberg's "Mythus" was translated into Arab – initially in abridged form – and even enjoyed a certain popularity in the Arab world. Bernard Lewis notes that "the Arabs, though classsed as Semites in Nazi literature, were accorded a very different treatment by the rulers of the Nazi state."

"Despite some initial reluctance and continuing uncertainty, due more to political than ideological considerations, the Nazis decided that the Arabs might be useful to them, and made some effort to win Arab sympathy for Nazi ideas and to mobilize Arab support for German purposes."[4

The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin Al-Husseini who was the closest Arab ally the Nazis ever had, pressed Rosenberg in 1943 to instruct the Nazi press to drop the term "anti-Semitism," because this term had a negative connotation affecting the Arab world which sympathized with the Nazi cause. One year later, Al-Husseini said it is better to replace the term "anti-Semitism" by "anti-Judaism." Thus, it becomes clear it is about a struggle against the Jews, and not against the Arabs.[5

As early as February 1933, that is a few weeks after Hitler became Reich Chancellor, the Mufti sent a telegram to Berlin addressed to the German consul-general in Jerusalem saying he looked forward to spreading Nazi ideology in the Middle East and Palestine.[25 The first congratulary telegrams to Hitler upon his election as Reichs Chancellor came from Arabs.[26

In Berlin, the Nazis were quite surprised. They had never expected this. Hitler was not yet interested in courting the Arabs whom he and other Nazis regarded as "inferior Semites."[27 Besides, Hitler had other priorities at the time. Palestine was a British mandate, and Hitler did not want to provoke the British by meddling into Palestian affairs.[28 In the first six years of Nazi rule a number of high ranking Nazis still believed that German Jews could emigrate to Palestine or another place. This was bound to change after the war broke out.

Nazi propaganda in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon was increasinly successful:

"When the Prophet Muhammad's birthday was celebrated in 1937, German and Italian flags and photographs of Hitler and Mussolini were carried prominently by Arab demonstrators in Palestine, while Arab newspapers hailed this demonstration as a ‘significant gesture of sympathy and respect... with the Nazis and Fascists in their trials at the hands of Jewish intrigues of international financial pressure.'"[30

When Hitler proclaimed the Nuremberg Race Laws in 1935, not so few Palestinian Arabs sent him telegrams congratulating him.[31

In October 1939, the Mufti fled to the Iraqi capital of Baghdad where his status was equal to that of a government minister.]32 Once safely in Iraq, Al-Husseini continued to plot against the British, and not just against them. The already German friendly Iraqi government was overthrown by a military coup on April 1, 1941, and the even more pro-German Rashid Ali El-Kailani became prime minister. The coup plotters had received German, Italian and Japanese support. Al-Husseini played a decisive role in the coup d'état.[33 In exchange for information and cooperation, he received vast amounts of money from the Axis powers (via the Italian embassy in Baghdad).[34

Yunis es-Sebawi became Minister of Economic Affairs. Es-Sebawi also happened to be the same one who had previously translated Hitler's "Mein Kampf" in Arab.[35 Hitler issued a directive in May 1941, expressing his support for the new Iraqi leaders:

"The Arab Freedom Movement is, in the Middle East, our natural ally against England. In this connection, the raising of rebellion in Iraq is of special importance."[36

During his stay in Baghdad the Mufti was very anxious to deepen his relations with Nazi Germany. In 1940, he wrote two obsequious letters to Franz von Papen, the German ambassador in Turkey. And in January 1941, he wrote a letter to Hitler himself stressing the common struggle against the Jews and "the very warm sympathy of the Arab peoples for Germany and the Axis countries."

"The Arab peoples everywhere are prepared to act against the common enemy and give enthousiastic support to the Axis countries with a view to contributing to the defeat of the English-Jewish coalition."[42

After he had been forced to flee from Baghdad, the Mufti wanted to meet Hitler and Mussolini personally. But initially, Hitler was not very charmed by the idea to form alliances with Muslims most of whom were "semites." On August 22 1939, nine days before the outbreak of the War, Hitler indicated that he did not have a high regard for the people of the Far East and "Arabia" (the Arabs). He even called them ‘"lacquered half-monkeys."

"We will continue to stir up unrest in the Far East and Arabia. Let us think of ourselves as masters (‘Herren') and consider these people as best as lacquered half-monkeys who need to feel the knout."[43

But it was during the war that Hitler began to show more respect for the peoples and religions of the East (Islam, Confucianism, Buddhism). "While the Germans were lured into superficial theological discussions, the teachings of Confucius, Buddha and Mohammed offered a broad spiritual base for religious minded people," he said in June 1942.[44 By that time Haj Amin Al-Husseini, had become his ally. Hitler was favorably impressed by Al-Husseini's "blond hair and blue eyes," and believed "that in more than one case the Mufti's ancestors must have been Aryan, he probably had the best Roman blood streaming through his veins.[45 This had also been noted in December 1937 by a writer in Rosenberg's Nazi newspaper "Völkische Beobachter." The Arabs are not pure semites, this Nazi says. Look, for example, at "the Mufti of Jerusalem, whose red beard and blue eyes reveal the dominant Circassian strain of this mother."[46

During the war most Arab leaders did not conceal their preference for Nazi Germany, and the Nazis were well aware of this. A large party of the Arab owner classes hoped that Germany would win the war.[49

One of the Arab leaders who was rather pro-German and pro-Mufti was King Farouk of Egypt. In May 1941, the British intercepted a secret personal letter from the king addressed to Hitler saying that "he (King Farouk) was filled with strong admiration for the Führer and respect for the German people, whose victory over England he desired most sincerely."[50

The Mufti traveled to Berlin in November 1941 to meet Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop and Hitler. In his meeting with Hitler the Mufti stressed that "the Arab peoples are Germany's natural friends fighting common enemies: Britain, the Jews and Bolshevism." Five months earlier Hitler had invaded Russia ("Operation Barbarossa"), and now the Arabs could be very useful allies if an "Arab legion" would be formed. "The Arab world is strongly convinced Germany will win the war," Al-Husseini told the Führer. He wanted Germany to issue a declaration "that Germany does not occupy Arab lands and understands and recognizes Arab aspirations for independence and freedom, just like it is committed to eliminating the national-Jewish homeland." (This is the same declaration he had already discussed with Mussolini.)

Hitler responded "that Germany is committed to the uncompromising struggle against the Jews." Germany will force each European nation to deal with the Jewish question. He also stressed that Germany was engaged in very heavy battles to open the entry to the Caucasus area. He expected the German armies to reach the southern Caucasus in the not too distant furture. "As soon as this is the case, the Führer would issue a declaration that the hour of liberation (of the Arab peoples) has come. The Mufti would then be the most qualified spokesman for the Arab world."

Himmler, Haj Amin Al-Husseini and the SS "Handzar division"

Ever since his first meeting with Grand Mufti Haj Amin Al-Husseini, did Himmler develop a stronger admiration for Islam. (The book cover of Klaus Gensicke's study on the Mufti and National Socialism shows a photograph of Himmler bowing deeply when he shakes hands with the Mufti.) The SS Reichsführer probably read a German translation of the Koran. Some authors claim he ordered an investigation into the Arabic text of the Koran to find out whether it predicted that Hitler would complete Mohammed's work.[61The Mufti sent Himmler a telegram on October 6, 1943, congratulating him on his birthday and expressing the wish of achieving "even closer cooperation to achieve our common goals in the year to come."[62

On november 2, 2003, Himmler sent a telegram to his friend "Haj Amin Al-Husseini, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem," referring to the "natural alliance" between Nazis and "freedom-loving Muslims":

"The National Socialist movement of Greater Germany has, since its inception, inscribed upon its flag the fight against the world Jewry. It has therefore followed with particular sympathy the struggle of the freedom-loving Arabs, especially in Palestine, against Jewish interlopers.

In the recognition of this enemy and of the common struggle against it lies the firm foundation of the natural alliance that exists between the National Socialist Greater Germany and the freedom-loving Muslims ("freiheitsliebenden Mohammedanern") around the world."[63

It was with the help of high level Nazis that a "Central Islamic Institute" ("Islamisches-Zentral Institute") was opened in Berlin on December 18, 1942. The most prominent Nazi guest was Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. In his speech Al-Husseini referred to the Jews as "the bitterest enemies of the Muslims who since time immemorial have confronted Muslims with cunning and trickery." World Jewry and their capital control the British. "This war has been unleashed by world Jewry."[64

It was this kind of language and this kind of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that Himmler, Rosenberg and Goebbels liked so much. With Himmler's help the Mufti opened an "Imam school" in Guben, near Cottbus, in April 1944. This school was run by Himmler's SS and it was here that imams were being trained who had to inspire and motivate Muslims fighting in the SS ranks.[65

Already in his meeting with Hitler did Al-Husseini press for the creation of an "Arab legion." Initially, Hitler was not very enthousiastic about the idea, but his views changed after the defeat in Stalingrad. He now badly needed good and well motivated fighters. Himmler and his assistant
Gottlob Berger wanted to select Muslims from Bosnia-Hercegovina for military service into a special SS-army ("Waffen SS") division.

Himmler believed that Islam taught its followers to be good soldiers who can count on Allah's mercy when they die in battle. For Himmler Islam was a natural ally of the German Reich. As Bosnian Muslims were rooted in European history, they could provide an important link between Arab Muslims and National Socialism.

Himmler raised this matter with Hitler in December 1942, but the latter waited until February 1943 to give his final approval. One month later, Himmler and Al-Husseini met in Berlin to discuss the formation of a Muslim Waffen SS unit, the so-called "13th SS Division Handzar" (also spelled as "Handschar" or "Hanjar": the Handzar was the dagger of Turkish officers and policemen during the Ottoman Empire). Most members of the Handzar division were Bosnian muslims.[66 (Many Bosnian Muslims, though, refused to join the Nazi ranks and quite a number of Bosnian Muslims did everything to protect Jews, who had never been their enemies before, and so did the Italians in the areas under their control, in Mostar for example.[67)

In the very year of Handzar's formation, 1943, there were a lot of problems, however. The division was first transfered to France and then to Germany to receive training. There was much discontent among the rank and file resulting even in a serious mutiny in France. (Eight German officers were killed.) Sauberzweig was furious and knew no mercy. The mutiny was brutally suppressed. The men were looking for action in their home country Bosnia and they were finally sent back in February 1944 to fight Tito's partizans. The fighting started in March and lasted through the summer. The men from the Handzar division committed terrible war crimes against local Serbs, killing thousands of civilians indiscriminately.[70 After the war, Tito's Yugoslavia wanted to try Haj Amin Al-Husseini as a war criminal, but the Grand Mufti, Nazi collaborator and Himmler friend, escaped justice once again.

The Soviets did not take any action against Al-Husseini. They had every reason to. Al-Husseini's men were fighting in Hungary in the final stages of the war. They killed many Red Army soldiers. The men from the SS Muslim divisions (Handzar was not the only Muslim division) were better fighters now. The reason why the Soviets declined to indict the Mufti as a war criminal and Nazi ally was quite simple: in the first years after the war, the Mufti was highly popular in Egypt and most other Arab countries (this would change in the 1950s and 1960s, though), and the Soviets were courting the same Arab regimes and governments. They wanted to counterblance US and British influence and policies in the Middle East.