'Personalities. 'Iràq (Exclusive of Baghdad and Kàdhimain), 1919' [‎86v] (177/318)

MUHAMMAD ‘ALI IBN ‘ABDUL GHAFUR.
Banker and merchant of Karbala. An active Persian Nationalist He was one of
the leaders of the Persians of Karbala in the disputes with the Turkish Government m
1905, when he »ed to^ake refuge in the B^Con^ulat. A^Turk^ause^f
Escaped^from Karbala after the fighting between the Turks and of the city
in May 1916. Passed through Nasiriyah and saw the C.PX). in Basrah, on his way to
Persia He was the bearer of letters signed by the people of Karbala to the Wall of Pusht-
i-Kuh and other Persian grandees, describing the outrages committed by the Turks and
asking the Persians for assistance.
MUHAMMAD ‘ALI BAHR AL ‘ULUM, SAIYID.
Son of the Kiliddar of Najaf, summoned by the Wall to Baghdad after the Najaf
troubles of 1915 with a view to effecting a reconciliation. He formed part of the Haiyat
Muslihah, the Conciliatory Party, organised by the Ottoman Government in Najaf. In
March 1916, when he was on a preaching campaign against us m Badrah and Pusht-i-Kuh,
we offered him /500 on condition that he ceased from his unfriendly attitude towards us
and from intriguing with the Wali of Pusht-i-Kuh, and retired to Mashhad in Persia till
the end of the War and a second £500 on his arrival there. He failed to respond but
retired to Najaf. His hostility to us was due to fact that his father suffered severely in
pocket from Colonel Newmarch’s reorganisation of the Oudh Bequest. He was deeply
implicated in the troubles which occurred in the town during the winter of 1917-1918.
Documents captured from the German Political Officer at Anah in March, 1918, showed
that he was President of Islamic Rebellion Committee, and he was certainly concerned
in the plot which ended in the murder of Capt. Marshall. He was brought to trial with
the other conspirators in May and sentenced to death. The sentence was, however,
commuted to transportation for life and ultimately he was allowed to remain in the Iraq.
MUHAMMAD ‘ALI BEHBEHANI, HAjI RAlS AL TUJjAR.
See Rais al Tujjar.
MUHAMMAD ‘ALI IBN SAIYID HUSAIN QAZWINI, SAIYID.
The leading Shi'ah ‘alim of Hillah. Nephew of Saiyid Muhammad ibn Saiyid Mahdi
al Qazwini who died recently at Hillah where he was the leading Saiyid. His nephew
succeeded to his position. On November 11th, 1916, ‘Akif Beg, in charge of 4,000-6,000
men wrote to him that he wanted a clear passage for his troops. The populace refused
consent. ‘Ali sent some tribesmen, who were with him, to Hillah, asking the leading men
to come out under safe conduct. They did so and were seized. The town was then
occupied and much damage was done. A number of leading citizens, were hanged and their
women carried off. Saiyid Muhammad ‘Ali was imprisoned in the house of Saiyid ‘Abdul
Salam ibn Ibrahim and narrowly escaped with his life. He welcomed our arrival.
Although he has declined to accept an official position as such from the Government, he
has rendered great service and wields a great influence among the townspeople, who cheer
fully agree to refer their disputes to him in all cases involving Shi'ah status.
He is a part owner of considerable estates both in the Hillah and Hindiyah districts.
Openminded ; he has consistently rendered us every possible assistance. He is
heartily against the idea of Arab Government or an Arab Amir and has carried the town
with him.
MUHAMMAD ‘ALI IBN JAWWAD AGHA.
Merchant. Town agent in ‘Amarah for Shaikh Salman of the Azairij. Not reliable.
MUHAMMAD ‘ALI KAMMUNAH
See Kammunah Zadah.
MUHAMMAD ‘ALI IBN HAjI MUHSIN.
Together with Saiyid Kadhim ibn Saiyid Ahmad Rashti, presided over the local
administration of Karbala after the troubles of 1915.
MUHAMMAD ‘ALI TALABANI, SHAIKH.
Kirkuk district, Kurd. Has claims to be considered the head of the Talabani family
and runs a well known Takiyah in Kirkuk. Much respected on religious grounds, but
quite puerile and very deaf. Claims among other things, that he is much discussed in
London. Typical of the more grotesque type of divine. Age about 62.