'Summary of the Hejaz Revolt' [‎81v] (14/30)

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2. All Hejaz wished it as a proof of independence, and as sncti it would help the Arab ranqp
o. It was desirable to distinguish the new repine it Mecca from the old state of don/l
Turks, and emphasize the return to the prior state of Sheridal independence. The E'nir did nMr ( ' nCe | 0 " '
title to imply any lordship over, or interference with, other Arabian Princes, and he lov'dlv"?
agreements with Great Britain. If the latter ha.d any doubts of his good faith, he would' lemon^ n u J
not pressing his request. u by
There were obyious objections to His Majesty's Government recoffnizinir a '• Kine* of H . a a —. u „ „
While that nation was still m pw only, and tin- prince who claimed ich recXtion wl? ?
from bemg m a position to substantiate his pretension. Sot only were our actual treaties and a^WnJt-
with other Arab pnnces a bar, but we could hardly have been expected to P ive what amounted to
h blank ch^cpie on thie political organization of Arabia in the future. Feeling that this title was a matter
about which consultation with our Allies (and especially the French Government) had to take place before anv
lormal recognition in explicit terms could be given, and also that our relations to other Moslem princes and
peoples had to be considered carefully. His Majesty's Government instructed Colonel Wilson merely to send
a congratulatory telegram to Sherif Uussein. Finally the title recognized by His Majesty's (iovernmeut
after discussion with their Allies was King of Hejaz, and Hussein was not to be addresaed as '• His Majesty "
but as " His Lordship." i '
In January, 1^18, King Hussein again raised the question of his title and sought the recognition of His
Majesty's Government to the title of King of the Arabs, -stating such recognition would benefit his cause
and help to refu+e enemy propaganda about the annexationist aims of the Entente Powers in Arab countries.
Rarly in February, His Majesty's Governmect replied to this request by stating they were much touclied
at the readiness and frankness with which King Husaein had caused to'be forwarded to the High ('om-
missioners in Egypt a message from .lemal Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. 1. to Sherif F-isal and Gaafar Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. {fee Appendix D.i.
and that the polit y of His Majesty's Government and their AJlies was to stand for the cause of the liberation
of the oppressed nations and that they tvere determined to stand by the Arab peoples in their struggle for
the reconstruction of an Arab world in which law should once again replace Ottoman violence. But tie
actual question at issue was waived.
W ith reierence to the letters of Jemal I. to King Hussein there appears to be no doubt that practically
since the outbreak of the Arab revolt the Turks had been despatching messages to Hussein and his sons.
VV hether all these messages duly arrived at their destination or not is unknown, but the first iuformation
received by British authorities of such correspondence was in January, 1918, when Hussein forwaided to the
High Commissioner in Cairo the letters from Jemal Pa-sha I. aoove mentioned. Hussein left the answer to
the High Commissioner, but informed his son Feisal that the official answer to the Turks should be that the
sword must be the sole arbiter between the Arabs and the Turks.
In .'une. ]l)18, Hussein informed the High Commissioner that an emissary bearing a letter froni
Jemal II. had arrived at Feisal's headquarters stating that the writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. was instructed by his Government to
communicate with the Arabs and accept just demands from them. King Hussein had telegraphed to
Feisfil instructing* him to reply in the same sense as on the occasion of the previous peace overtures, i.e.. that
the sword must decide." I here is. however, irrefutable evidence that Sherif Feisal replied at once to this
letter ana was prepared to enter into "conversation" with Jemal II. This may merely have indicated »
desire to temporise.
In Jun*. r.)]6. the Porte issued a proclamation deposing Sherif Hussein from the Emirate of Mecca and
on tne 1st July, 11)16, appointed in his place fc herif Ali Haidar(of the family of Abd el Mutailib, Emir. i85i-.'t).
an* 881-82, and of the Dhuwwi Zeid clan, hostile to Hussein's clan of the Abaddah. Ali Haidar proceeded
to amascus where he interested himself chiefly in propaganda work, he then proceeded to Medina where lie
arme on the .ibth July, 1016, and on the 9th August issued a long diatribe against Hussein for having:
■ rown off the i urkish yoke, and on the 13th August wrote to Ibn Saud inciting him to take measures against
the bhenf Hussein. ■
In No\otcber, 1916, a literary deputation from Constantinople visited Medina.
Damascu^ ^ c ^' Ali Haidar left Medina with his three sous and made good his return to
l 1918, information was received that a special mission to King Hussein was contemplated
J the lurks, its leader to be either the late or the present Sheikh el Islam. It was to go down to Medina
T I ti y and get into touch with Mecca and make certain propositions to Hussein in the name o
nwimr / i 1 t Vi muc - h lul P ortanc e ^as attached to this mission by British authorities as it was realized that
b< li. verl 't I f 0f t ^ e it h ad practically no chance of getting through, and no member tj
iTatatilfe prooeeded Deraa. The Sheikh el Islam returned home. The Grand Mufti of
of thp mil a . was a tt^'Biher of the mission and who probably knew better than his colleagues t e s
1 wa^ opportunely fell ill and made no attempt to start for the south.
, JBN SAUD, EMIR OF NEJD.
tribe of*th^A^S^and^f W&S f ?V ud . ed alout ^ ^ by Mohammed ibn Saud, said to be " f ^
ibit Ahd el VVahhab, tho ■ s ■ ^. u " Ura ! )le lineage. He was the earliest important convert made t'V '
was propa^at d throu ■hout^t he V[ Va ^ St 0 f ^areindah (Ayaina), and it wat; with his sword tha
t conquest afield. Between
•■■•can uea uxna 1 ' " tmauw jjiiia^cuelraq and Kerbela, » Turkish
representative, the sa.-kinV^ n 1 "!? MecOft, and pillyged JVIedina driving ou ^ ^ K , w ei f
m 11 i^ioa Wahabi army rav 'I ! ^ South was the furthest extension ol the v - ^hdul,
to Baghdad. Ha-uran and all but reached Damascus, whilst Sauds sc ,
BOUtb of th e Grea^Desen 1814 he Was acknowledged by almost all Arabia except Yemen and the districts