File 705/1916 Pt 2 'Arab revolt: Arab reports; Sir M Sykes' reports' [‎149v] (296/450)

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The Arabs have been styled the enemies of Islam because they have freed them
selves from the Turkish domination, but is it not more correct to say that Turkey has
practically by her own conduct compelled the Arabs to disconnect their country from
Turkey ?
We need not discuss whether Turkey before the war was capable of defending the
safety of the Holy Places, although the Musalmans of Lucknow would not have sucP~ ,
bad memory as to forget the threatened bombardment of Jedda and Yembo by i.lo
Italians during their invasion of Tripoly and the intervention of Great Britain to stop
them from the sacrilege of the Holy Land. But after Turkey joined in the Great War,
to whom did they entrust the safety of the Holy Places ? There is no difficulty in
answering this question if events leading to the participation of Turkey in the war are
scrutinised.
The Turkish military party led by Anwar Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. compelled Turkey, against the
inclinations of the Sultan, the Prime Minister, the Sheikh-ul-Islam, several other
Ministers, and the Heir-Apparent to the Turkish Throne, to join Germany. The
Turkish Heir-Apparent, who was the ablest statesman in the country, was subsequently
murdered because of his peaceful and moderate policy. When Turkey was precipitated
into the war, she withdrew from Arabia the heavy garrison which she had been
compelled to keep there for the purpose of overawing the Arabs, and left the Arabs
practically free to do as they listed. It is a well-known fact that the Arabs have never
been conciliatory to the Turkish domination, and the Turks never succeeded in gaining
their confidence. During the 400 years of the Turkish control of the Hedjaz, the Arabs
have never missed the opportunity of struggling against and throwing away the
Turkish yoke whenever one presented itself. Turkey, therefore, by weakening her
military strength in that part, virtually invited the present revolution in Arabia.
It is a question now whether the Turkish military party, who are the real rulers of
Turkey, will desire to recover the Hedjaz, and whether it will have sufficient value at
all in their estimation to make it worthy of recovery and retention. It is generally
known that Turkey never derived any material benefit whatever from their dominion
over Hedjaz. In fact, the nominal possession of that country annually cost Turkey
crores of rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. in bribes and otherwise. This heavy expenditure was-borne by the
Turks, either that they might reap the fruits of it in the world to come, or that they
would be compensated in this world by purchasing the sympathies and aid of every
Muslim community in their hour of need. In this latter expectation they have been
utterly disappointed. Germany hoped and Turkey believed that, when the call was
sounded from the so-called Khilafat, every Musalman would rise to help the Turks.
But ^ the Muslims outside Turkey were neither so foolish nor so ignorant of their
religious duties as to allow themselves to be led away by the Turkish military party and
German intriguers. Of the two conjectured objects of Turkish expenditure in the
Hedjaz, there only remains the hope of spiritual reward, and it is to be seen whether or
not Turkey is willing to spend her money as before for that purpose.
those people, who are pleased to call the Arabs rebels, perhaps are unaware that
the lurks have never claimed to be the rulers of the Holy Land, nor have they ever
treated the inhabitants of those parts as subjects, and the Arabs would, in fact, never
have borne such treatment. The Sultans of Turkey have always taken pride in calling
themselves the servants of sacred Mecca and holy Medina. No taxes were ever levied
on those cities, but, on the other hand, enormous sums, as we have already stated, were
paid out from the Turkish Treasury as salaries, stipends, presents, &c. The government
of the Hedjaz and the holy cities was entirely in the hands of the Sharif, who was paid
12,00,000 karash per annum as a subsidy. The Turkish representative, called wall,
has always been liable to transfer if he incurred the displeasure of the Sharif According
to M. Mahboob Alam, no less than ten to twelve walies were transferred in a period of
two years, because they did not please the Sharif
Therefore it would be absurd to call the Sharif a rebel, although it may be said
that the Sharif has not acted wisely in asserting his independence, and thus deprived
himself and many others of monetary advantages which they received from the Turks.
But the Sharif s answer to this is that whatever he has done, has been for the purpose
of upholding the sanctity of the holy cities, and for protecting and saving them from
those dangers which the Turks had created.
Previous to the war Turkey had no enemies amongst the big Powers and the
Turkish dominions were safe. But when Turkey joined in the war, the Arab opinion
must necessarily have been that any part of the Turkish dominions was liable to be
invaded by her enemies, and this view must have been strengthened by the invasions of
Gallipoli, Armenia, and Mesopotamia. It is known that when Anwar Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. visited