Sheikh As'ad Shuqeiri

(1860 - 1940)

Born in Acre in 1860; graduate in religious law from al-Azhar University, Cairo; supporter of the unity of the Ottoman Empire; elected in Acre to the Ottoman parliament in 1908 and 1912; Acre District Deputy from 1912-14; held many positions in the Ottoman religious judiciary in Palestine; was librarian of the Imperial Library in Istanbul; member of the Shari'a Inquiries Court at Istanbul; appointed mufti of the fourth Ottoman Army in Syria - Palestine during World War I; founder of the Liberal Party (Hizb al-Ahrar) in 1930; became head of the Supreme Muslim Council during the British Mandate; was an active member and leader of the pro-mu'arada faction and became their pillar in the north of the country; father of Ahmad Shuqeiri who later became the first head of the PLO.

Sources: PASSIA