'Kurdistan and the Kurds' [‎52r] (103/122)

Kurdistan itself. Pew of them could face a careful cross-examination,
for the dominant factor in almost every case would prove to be self-interest.
It is as difficult “ to distinguish the fat from the lean,” to quote an Arab
proverb, as to distinguish the disinterested patriot from the self-seeking
time-server in Oriental politics.
Supposing, however, that the independence of Kurdistan is conceded
by the Peace Conference, the question of its future ruler remains to be
solved. The chief candidates are apparently Sureya Bey Bedr Khan, ‘Abd-
ur-Rizzaq Bedr Khan, Abd-ul-Qadir, Mahmud ibn Hafit ibn Kakha, agha
of the Bazanji, and Mahmud, chief of the Milli Kurds. Sureya Bedr Khan
can probably be disregarded as a serious political factor in the problem ;
he is a journalist and a theorist who has long lost touch with his native
country; and his whole family during their long exile in Damascus have
probably vanished from the memory of most living Kurds. It is hardly
credible that a Kurd almost unknown in his own country should be able
to unite into a single whole the diverse elements that go to form the
Kurdish nation ; none the less, the work that he has done for his country
must not be depreciated, for he, more than anyone else, has familiarised
the outside world, and especially the British people, with the idea of a free
Kurdistan. Further, he would be unwelcome to many Kurds as his family
is of Arab origin, of the Bani ‘Abbas; similar objections are raised to the
claims of ‘Abd-ur-Rizzaq. ‘Abd-ul-Qadir also has probably lived too long in
Constantinople to have any real influence in the country ; he seems, more
over, to be involved in family quarrels. Mahmud, the leader of the
agitation at Suleimaniyah, clearly has no following in Northern Kurdistan ;
he has failed to find more than a very few supporters outside the gates of
his native town ; and his claim to be a descendant of the Prophet would
have small weight among people on whom the yoke of Mohammedanism sits
but lightly. It is said that the Yezidi of Jebel Singar might adhere to his
cause ; but they are so backward and ignorant that their votes could not
be expected to have much influence in a ballot of all Kurdistan.
Another candidate who has recently come forward is General Sherif
Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , who bases his claim on his superior education and European
culture ; it is understood, however, that at present he has few adherents.
Another point which tells in his favour is that he is a man possessed of
a strong personality and that his long residence abroad, while it may have
put him out of touch with local affairs in Kurdistan, has, nevertheless,
given him a broader outlook than that of any of his rivals. He is, more
over, the only candidate who has conceived and is ready to carry out a
definite line of policy. In this connection it is matter of considerable
interest to recall the views which he expressed on the independence of
Kurdistan at an interview with Sir Percy Cox in June, 1918, and which
may be taken fairly to represent educated, if somewhat Europeanised,
public opinion in Southern Kurdistan. It must, however, be remembered
that he has been absent from his country since boyhood, and that couse-