File 705/1916 Pt 2 'Arab revolt: Arab reports; Sir M Sykes' reports' [‎52v] (102/450)

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of a conversation with the editor of an Arabic paper who enjoys his Highness’s
confidence, have recently been published. They are o± value as showing the patience
displayed by the Grand Sherif in his dealings with his unscrupulous enemies. His
remarks mav be translated as follows :—
I would never believe, oh ! my son, before I succeeded to the Emirship of Mecca that
the Unionists would go to the length of rekindling the embers of revolt, and making up
mutual jealousies and rancour among the Arab tribes at a time when they were most in
need of peace for the preservation of the Empire and the maintenance of the honour of
the Faith. But they have actually done all this, and I acquainted you yesterday with
part of what has been established by proof against them. I will now make further
revelations, which will strike wonder in the world of Islam when the day comes for you
to make them public. What has been ordained is bound to come to pass.
When the Unionists realised the failure of their intrigues to create dissension
between me and the Imam Yehya and El Idrissi, they resorted to another stratagem,
which would have imperilled the Holy Provinces and have led to the ruin of their
inhabitants, both men and women, were it not for a merciful Providence. To that end
they actually sent delegates to Jeddah and Yambo, with careful instructions how to sow
the seeds of revolt; and these had secret meetings with some of the tribal chiefs whom
they sought to win over and incite to rebellion against me, in the name of the Faith,
holding out to them fair promises m case of success in their evil mission, as they had
actually done with the Imam Yehya and El Idrissi when they sought to cut off the
communications between Jeddah and Mecca and between the latter town and Medina,
and to plunder the caravans that follow those routes for purposes of trade and the
Pilgrimage. It did not take long to kindle the flame of revolt in the breasts of the'
tribal shaykhs, who were thus misled under the false pretence of protecting the Faith.
Meantime, arms and ammunition were being prepared, and * trenches were dug
clandestinely outside Jeddah, near the tomb ot our Mother Eve (May Allah’s favour
rest on her !) ; and when they had completed their preparations they declared their
well-known revolt, and closed the routes, killing thousands of people. Then they
attacked Jeddah—not, however, before the inhabitants had closed its gates. The
history of this revolt is common knowledge to all. When the sinister intelligence
reached me, I sent word to the Emir of the tribes involved, asking him to sto|? this
incursion, and quell the revolt among his men, promising him all that he might wish of
silver and gold, if such were his object. But I asked him, if his revolt were determined
by another motive, to postpone it until after the Pilgrimage—which was imminent
when he could carry out his intentions. My request was unheeded, and he replied that
nis sole motive was the Jjaith. diien it was that I sent out a force ofmv men under the
leadership of my son, Sherif Faisal, who quelled the revolt, and killed, in the course of the
battle, the Emir of these tribes. This, however, cost the blood of thousands of my men
and his, and peace was ultimately concluded between us on certain conditions, one of
which was that we should make common cause against the Unionists, if the reins of
Government remained in thett hands and they persisted in their hostile intentions
against the Arabs, especially as it was later discovered that becret agents of theirs had
been trying to seduce the shaykhs of those tribes by deceitful promises, After the
conclusion Oi peace these secret agents were caught in Jeddah, and were about to be
killed, when I intervened and let them off, to go back whence they had come, penitent.
This, my son, is a page of the full record of the Unionists’ intrigues, which history
will recom to their eternal shame. Iheir only object in stirring up the Arab tribes was
to fish in troubled waters after the fall of their Empire; then to carry out their evil
intentions m the Holy Provinces, iy the name of the so-called Moslem Government
forgetting that, by so doing, they are only combating Allah and His Prophet in thp
person of the descendent of his Holy House. ^
After all this I might yet have borne with them had they finally acki
that they were not Moslems. But, behold ! oh ye who have eyes" to see with
I have had the calamity to deal!
[The “ Near East,” 8th December, 1916.]
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PRINTED AT THE POREluN OFFICE
1> A
R. HARRISON. 14/12/1916.