File 705/1916 Pt 2 'Arab revolt: Arab reports; Sir M Sykes' reports' [‎133r] (263/450)

(c.) Full settlement of the financial claims of the tribes of the interior.
(a.) Importation of wine, spirits and tobacco to be prohibited.
(e.) The Sultan to be regarded as Ruler of Oman, but the Imam to administer the
^ coun ry accorc mg to the Shara, either personally or through a represen-
▼ tative at Maskat. r j s f
\/0 Free purchase 01 arms ann ammunition to be allowed.
Humaio. was informed m general terms w 7 hat demands could not be considered :-—
. 1- An y demand that implied the non-recognition of the Sultan’s legitimate rights
in Maskat and the interior. °
2. Any demand implying the contravention of treating rights between Great
Britain and the ouican, m which connection wm recognised no one but Saiyid
Taimur.
3. Any demand that might injure or hamper our trade.
4. Any demand for tne discontinuance or the existing arms warehouse
arrangements.
In June letters were received from Humaid al Fulaiti and from the cadi of the
Imam., Abdullah Ibn Rashid al Hashimi, the latter unsigned, unsealed, but purporting
to represent the views of the Imam. Humaid admitted that he |had had no success
with the Imam, and said it was essential that escaped slaves should be returned to
their owners, the purchase of arms and ammunition should be allowed, the excess duty
levied by the Sultan stopped, and the Ulema administer justice. No law but the Shara
would be recognised.
The cadi complained :—-
1. Of the stopping of the slave trade and trade which is consonant with the laws
of Islam.
2. Of the British claim to command the sea, which is common to all.
3. That the British interfere in the affairs of the Sultans of Oman, and support
them in matters contrary to their religion.
4. That the people of Oman are suffering from :—
(a.) The fall in the value of the dollar;
(b.) The increase in the price of food and cloth.
5. Finally he lodged a general complaint against the British from the standpoint of
Islam, for permitting the forbidden, such as the sale of wine and tobacco, and
forbidding the permitted, such as the trade in arms and in slaves.
It was impossible to take action upon a letter which was not from the Imam
himself, and might not represent his views completely, the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. therefore
refused to enter further into the negotiations until the Imam himself had acquainted
him with his terms.
Toward the end of June the Bani Battash, a Hinawi tribe to the south of
Maskat, broke into open hostilities. A force of 500 raided and damaged the date
gardens of the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Hatat. They were reported to have reached Hajar, six hours
from Bait al Falaj, vdiich is the headquarters of the British garrison. The naval
contractor, Khan Sahib Nasib Ibn Muhammad, received a letter from them demanding
1,100 dollars as Zakat in respect of his date gardens in Hajar, but was subsequently
informed by the Imam’s Wali of Hail that 300 dollars would be sufficient. This sum
be paid with Sultan’s knowledge and approval. The latter lost no time in organising
a punitive expedition against the Bani Battash, and towards the end of July
they submitted to him, and surrendered unconditionally their chief town in the
interior, Hail al Ghaf, together with Daghmar, on the coast, where the Sultan proceeded
to build a fort.
From Qaryat, whence he had conducted the Bani Battash operations, the Sultan
went with his successful troops to Sib, but the Imam was in possession of the Samail
forts, and the Sultan dared not trust the local tribes, though they had been profuse in
protestations of loyalty to him. They ultimately went over to the Imam, but their
chiefs were seized and imprisoned by him for having visited the Sultan at Sib. All
the tribes were reported to be suffering under the excessive levies oi Zakat, the tax
being levied doubly, in the interior by the Imam, on the coast by the Sultan.
In July a joint letter was received by the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. from Humaid Fulaiti
and the cadi. They reiterated their former grievances, and mentioned as additional
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