File 705/1916 Pt 2 'Arab revolt: Arab reports; Sir M Sykes' reports' [‎127v] (252/450)

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Annexed to the despatch is a copy of a telegram to dated the 25th August,
informing him that the Indian Government did not wish any portion of his telegram of
the 7 th August to be published.
IDKISI OF ASIR.
The Resident at Aden telegraphed to Simla on the 15th September [252 A.P.],
suggesting that the moment was opportune for the conferring an honour on Idrisi •
the doing so would certainly serve as a sop after his recent humiliation at Comfida.
The Resident is of opinion that too much capital should not be made of his comparative
inaction ; this has not been without cause up to date, and his long enmity with the
Turks is a useful asset to us.
Ab the last moment the copy of a long rambling letter, dated the 20th August,
from Idrisi to the Resident at Aden, casting aspersions on British officers, has come to
hand ; it is printed in Appendix G.
IBN SAUD.
I he Secretary of State for India telegraphed to the Viceroy on the 19th September
[I.O., P. 3827], in regard to suggestions recently made by the C.P.O. at Basra: (1) He
said that the policy of encouraging an Arab State or confederation of States was not
dead [as had been suggested], and that any repudiation of it should be avoided.
(2) That any reference to the treaty with Ibn Saud should be confined to article 1 [see
Arabian Report, IX, N.S., p. 3], as it could not be admitted that article 2 was bindino-
on us as against other Arabs. (3) Ibn Saud should be encouraged, as proposed, to unite
with the Sherif in his own interests and that of other chiefs. (4) The question of
communicating the treaty with Ibn Saud to the Sherif was under consideration.
[The agent of the Arab Bureau at Basra has reported to Cairo that sons of two
well-to-do inhabitants had recently reached that place from Damascus by way of Medina
and _ Koweyt, having escaped disguised as Bedawin. They reported that Qasim,
Anaizah, and Buraidah were completely under the control of Ibn Saud.]
IBN RASHID.
Basra agent of the Arab Bureau also reports, on the same authority as above,
that it was thought unlikely that Ibn Rashid would oppose the Sherif; but much
more that he would loot Tewfik Ibn Faraon, Turkish emissary to Ibn Saud, who
had left Medina by the same caravan as the Basra young men and had quitted it at
uraidah He came to buy on behalf of the Turks, and was believed to have 20 000L
or 30,000k with him.
MASKAT.
Q+k laS ^ S °^i e tiaS COme from Maskat > though nothing of a date later than the
9th August. The C.P.O. at Basra reports to the Arab Bureau that then but little
interest was taken m the Sherifs revolt. The Sultan had observed that he had for
ong ee n an advocate of the course adopted, and had expressed satisfaction at the
reports of the Sherd s successes. The Khojas, a large element of the British Moslem
subjects, disbelieved, or were indifferent to, the stories. Most of the Sunnis, who
cr V e « tle r ®P orts ’ saw them matter for satisfaction; many, however, did not
credit them and some resented the Sherif s action.
BAHREIN.
New® bas also come from Bahrein, though here again nothing is of later date than
the beginning of August. In a report, dated the 1st August, Captain Fowle, officiating
po i ica agent, reports on the state of feeling. He sums 1 up thus :—
Turkish r^l° ^ a ^ iran ^ s ’ e ^ ier ^hia or Sunni, have, or ever will have, any desire for
n 2 ‘ ,“^ s W as the Turkish Empire remains an entity there will always be,
mongs re Sunnis, an under-current of pro-Turkish sympathy, and since this
en imen is ased as much on political as on religious grounds, it will not be very