Rashid Al Khuzaie A Jordanian prince and a political activist supporting the Palestinian cause and the Christian community during the Ottoman rule

Rashid Al-Khuzai (1850-1957), a Jordanian tribal sheikh. He is considered one of the protectors of freedom of religions and the first pioneers of the principle of dialogue of civilizations. He also contributed to the establishment of many national movements in the Arab and Islamic worlds.

his biography

Rashid Al-Khuza’i was born and died in Jabal Ajlun, the city of Kufranja. He belongs to the Banu Awf, the princes of Ajlun from the time of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, and the descendants of the Qudsa’ of Jordan, which was among the most powerful tribes of Jordan, including the stubborn kings who ruled Jordan before the Ghassanids, and Jerash was the capital of their kingdom. Rashid Al-Khuzai descended from her, who ruled a large area of ​​the Levant, including some parts of Palestine and all of Jordan during the period of Ottoman rule. As for Rashid Al-Khuza’i, he ruled the region of Jordan and parts of Palestine up to the city of Nablus in the west, before the arrival of the Hussein bin Ali Al-Hashemi family to Jordan in that era, as he opposed the Jordanian monarchy since the arrival of Abdullah I bin Hussein to the Emirate of Transjordan, and supported the efforts of King Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud in the unification of the Arabian Peninsula under the name of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Overview

He is Prince Sheikh Rashid Ibn Al-Khuza’i Ibn Dergham Ibn Fayadh Ibn Mustafa Ibn Salim, one of the princes and sheikhs of the Al-Fraihat tribe, one of the tribes of Bilad al-Sham. His predecessor was one of the princes of the Freihat tribe who ruled that region during the Ottoman rule of the Levant, which nominated him to become one of the most important sheikhs of Mount Ajloun who ruled the Emirate of Transjordan during the period of Ottoman rule.

Rashid Al-Khuza’i was a political leader who fought against colonialism. He was famous for his opposition to the British Mandate in the Levant and his support for the Palestinian and Libyan revolution in the early twentieth century. He directly led a campaign of support and advocacy for the Izz al-Din al-Qassam revolution in Palestine in 1935 AD and 1936 AD. It is noteworthy that Rashid al-Khuza’i was the only prince Among the Arabs and the only one in all Arab capitals who stood by Sheikh Izz al-Din al-Qassam in his revolution and who once sought refuge in the mountains of Ajloun with a number of revolutionaries, Rashid Al-Khuza’i, accompanied by his tribe, protected them and provided supplies to them, and as a result Rashid Al-Khuza’i was besieged in Jordan Abdullah I bin Al-Hussein and the British Mandate over Transjordan pursued him and bombed his area and killed many of his supporters, which prompted him to leave Jordan for Saudi Arabia. As a result, the Ajloun Mountain Revolution began in Jordan in 1937.

Rashid Al-Khuzai witnessed the establishment of the emirate by King Abdullah I (1882-1951) until the early years of King Hussein bin Talal (1935-1999). Prince Al-Khuzai also witnessed the events of the transfer of the throne to King Talal in 1952, following the assassination of the founding king at the end of his days, when he died in 1957 AD.

Rashid Al-Khuza’i was a member of many nationalist movements, including the Arab Nationalist Movement and the Jordanian People’s Party, which was formed in 1927 AD. Al-Khuza’i led the Irbid demonstration in which people from all over Jordan participated in protesting against the execution of the Englishman Fouad Hijazi, Atta Al-Zeer and Muhammad Khalil Jamjoom in Acre prison following the revolution. Al-Buraq in 1930 AD. Al-Khuza’i also participated in the Islamic Conference in Jerusalem, as well as his participation in the Bludan Conference, which called for restoring the natural unity of Syria (Bilad Al-Sham), which was chaired by the then Prime Minister of Iraq, Naji Al-Suwaidi.

Rashid Al-Khuza’i led the Executive Committee party. He also headed the Jordanian National Congress of the Jordanian National Movement, which was held on August 6, 1933 AD, when he was exposed to an assassination attempt after the conference ended.

His role in the Palestinian cause

Prior to the formation of the Transjordan Emirate and before the emergence of local governments, the mandate of Al-Khuza’i and members of his tribe, the “Fraihat clan” during the Ottoman rule, extended to include large areas from the Hauran and Daraa plains to Irbid, Ajloun, Jerash, and even the city of Nablus in the west, prompting Rashid Al-Khuza’i to support the Palestinian revolution, as He was providing direct protection to the Palestinian revolutionaries and their leaders in the mountains of Ajloun and providing them with supplies and weapons through an area called Generous Ford near Ajloun, in addition to his direct meetings with Amin al-Husseini and Palestinian leaders and leaders of the Jarrar family, al-Abd al-Hadi and Izz al-Din al-Qassam, as well as his direct financing of weapons and money to the Palestinian revolutionaries through intermediaries. In addition to Rashid Al-Khuza’i’s multiple visits to Palestine, these visits were accompanied by Jordanian fighters who were sent to fight in Palestine under the direct command of the Palestinian revolution. Rashid Al-Khuzaie provided support for Al-Qassam. Which established multiple and specialized organizational units in order to support the efforts of the resistance, and worked to link political contacts with Prince Rashid Al-Khuzai of Transjordan. And King Faisal in Syria and Amin Al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Palestine. So he supplied al-Qassam and his men with money, weapons and security, and the outskirts of Ajloun received the revolutionaries. Prince Rashid bin Khuza’i was one of the first supporters of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam revolution, who took refuge for a short time in the mountains of Ajloun with a number of revolutionaries, and they were under the protection of Rashid al-Khuza’i, and Rashid al-Khuza’i continued to support al-Qassam and oppose the king Abdullah I and the British Mandate, which led him to a direct confrontation with the Jordanian regime and the British Mandate, which tried to liquidate Al-Khuza’i by bombing his positions and killing many of the Jordanian revolutionaries loyal to him at that time, forcing him to leave Jordanian lands for Saudi Arabia.

As a result, the Jabal Ajloun Revolution began in 1937 against King Abdullah I and his monarchy in Jordan.

his death

He died in Kufranja in Ajloun, his hometown, in 1957 AD.