British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume II - Page 902

CHAPTER XXII.

(c) To appoint Muftis from among the three candidates to be elected by the special Electoral College in accordance with a special regulation to be passed by the Council; provided always that the election of Muftis in Beersheba District shall be made by the Sheikhs of the Tribes;

(d) To appoint the Director and Mamours* of Awqaf and all Sharia officials;

(e) To control the General Waqf Committee and all other committees and Waqf Administration;

(f) To dismiss all Waqf and Sharia officials and all officials employed in any Moslem Institutions maintained from Waqf Funds. When any official is dismissed, notice thereof shall be sent to the Government with the reasons for dismissal;

(g} To inquire into all Moslem Awqaf and to produce proof and evidence establishing the claim to these Awqaf with a view to having such returned to them.

The Council shall enforce the conditions of the dedicator in regard to the manner in which the revenues of such Awqaf shall

be expended .

...... ..... The council shall publish an annual report on its works, together with a statement of its accounts, in a special publication.

The Council, if it thinks fit, may modify or amend or supplement any instructions relating to the administration of Awqaf or publish new instructions relating thereto. Such instructions shall be submitted to the Government for information".

60. An election of a President and members of the Council was held in 1922 in accordance with the Order of 1921. It was at that election that Haj Amin Effendi al Husseini was elected as President. In 1926 the term of office of the members elected in 1922 expired and an election of new members was held. The election was challenged by one of the parties and subsequently declared void by the High Court. The Supreme Moslem Sharia Council Ordinance of 1926** was therefore promulgated by which it was provided that, pending fresh elections, certain named persons should, together with the President, constitute the Council, and that the Council, as constituted, should exercise the functions prescribed by Section 8 of the Order of December, 1921, with certain modifications.

61. The Ordinance of 1926 provided that the High Commissioner should have power (a) to constitute a committee of Moslems for the purpose of preparing a revision of the Order of 1921; and (b) to make regulations concerning the election of members of the Council. A committee was appointed in May, 1926, and reported to the Government in 1928. In 1929 the draft Ordinance sub-
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* Local representatives of the Waqf.
** Laws of 1926. Vol. I, p. 111.

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