File 705/1916 Pt 2 'Arab revolt: Arab reports; Sir M Sykes' reports' [‎211r] (419/450)

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Sir H. McMahon had already intimated to the Sherif on the 25th July that
His Majesty’s Government trusted that, in consideration of the large grant which had
been made to him, he would make “most satisfactory arrangements for the pilgrimage,
which His Majesty’s Government considered to be of paramount importance.
^ The Viceroy telegraphed on the 31st July [P, 3043] that he was issuing a com-
ununique, in regard to the Haj, that it would only be possible to arrange for a reduced
traffic.
Visit of Indian Officers to the Sherif.
On the 2nd August the D.M.J. telegraphed to D.M.I., Cairo, informing him that
the suggestions made by ftisaldar Major Gul Mawaz Khan [see “ Arabian Report,
N.S., II, p. 2] had been rejected by the Indian Government \jihid., N.S., III, p. 3j, but
that the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. had no objection to two or three such officers going to the Sherif
for Intelligence purposes if the War Office should apply for them. H.M.L proposed
sending them if D M. I. Cairo concurred, which the latter did by telegram on the same
day [I.G. 1048]. ftisaldar Major Gul Mawaz Khan and Mir Alum Khan, with two
orderlies, left London on the 5th August and were to embark at Marseilles on the 9th,
full instructions having been sent to General Clayton. Mr. Chamberlain informed the
Viceroy by telegram on the 6th August [P. 3093].
Arab Prisoners in Pgy'pt.
On the 3rd August, Sir H. McMahon telegraphed [No. 656] that 125 gunners with
five officers had been sent to the Sherif with guns and ammunition. Of these three
officers and 112 men had been taken from prisoners of war sent from India. I his he
said must be regarded as an experiment. He said, too, that the M ar Office had asked
for six Arab gunners for Idrisi; he considered the sending of these to be very
undesirable, and added that Arab prisoners who were willing to serve the Sherif were
unwilling to serve other Arab chiefs. , n t n q rx a oovrl
On the preceding day the G.O.C. Egypt had telegraphed to O.I.G.S [LA. 2W6]
that the Arab Bureau strongly advised that men should not be sent to Idrisi ; so
that the officers at Suez who had agreed to go to the Sherif had required much
persuasion to induce them to give their consent, whilst the men had agreed to serve
under their own officers in some place unknown. Though not directly concerned m his
opinion, great risk would be run unless the men were fully conscious of what they ;
were doing and their officers really anxious to go.
The Sherif and the Moslems of the Far Fast.
The G O.C. Singapore reported on the 7th August [O.N. 58] that the Arab feeling
in that nlace m regard to the Sherif and his move was satisfactory, and that the
sympathies of other Mohammedans were gradually inclining to the Sherd ; that the news
of the execution of Arabs by the Turks had caused profound indignation among the
Arabs who were also much 'exercised by the resignation of the Sheik-ul-Islam Ham
Effendi • that Syed Omer Alsagoff, a merchant prince of hingapoie had te.egiaphed
Us congratulatioL and good wishes to the Sherif, Jeddl ItThe dtposal
(Syed) had also offered to place his extensive house property at Jeddah at the d^
of the British Government— an offer which the G.O.C. had passed on to the
Governor district magistrates in the Federated States had reported
as follows (1 in Selangor the Malays were generally indifferent, except that now they
i Udglt intokh with relations andfriends in \ Lk T VtLbld fan's S 3 ) In
(2.) In Perak the natives were V^Neki'sembilan the
Pahang the Malays were m sympathy vat k • p v more
Malays were indifferent; rhe revolt was not condemned m any way by the more
orthodox Mohammedans. naurlcrl • n-ninirm • ato the
He also reported that in Java the Javanese were divided m opinion as to tne
, i t i ^ i p * i that thev would welcome a revolt, but that
Arabs, he had heard from an Arab source that mey
they did not believe that there had been one.
MUSKAT.
[Nil.]