File 705/1916 Pt 1 'Arab revolt: reports' [‎290r] (127/494)

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The traditions in Abdel D&wud clearly say that those
Moslems who will copuet with the Turks or join them shall
be treated as infidels and shall go to hell. The
Ulemas in some countries pass over these traditions
because they fear that the Islamic prestige will be
destroyed, and it is better to have a head than to be
without it. The Arabs in the part of Yemen up to
SANA are tired of the Turks and hate them heartily but
they cannot b§r themselves eject them and overcome their
trained troops and artillery. I dor not think the Imam
and Idrisi can do it themselves. Though the Arabs hate
the Turks they are more afraid of them now in consequence
of the delay in ejecting them from LAH'hJ as’ it magnifies
bEeir power in their eyes and they also fear a terrible
retribution from them.
ADEN.
Mak&lla Sultan reported that early in May a Sayid
who had passed through the AUDHALI and AULAKI'reported
to him that the Imam had not yet come to any decision,
but was contemplating a move towards the Hadhranaut.
The Makalla and Audhali in such case will oppose
him, and think that with the natural difficulties of
their country on their side, they should be able to
resist any advance of the Turks or of the Imam.
H E S (0 P 0 T A M I A.
To the British offloors who wore arranging tho
exchange of our wounded from KUT Halil Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , Commander-
in-Chiof of tho Turkish forcos in Irak, spoko very
freely on tho question of tho Arab attitude. At first
ho proposed tho exchange of Indian sick for Arab
prisoners of wars but later ho wont back on this, and
rofucod to accept Arabs in exchange all. Ho said
| that most of thorn vroro condemned to death, and would
| 6 nly be shot if the?/ returned; and that in any case
* ho did not want them.
Ho said that 90 per cent of Turks wnro good
soldiers, and 90 per cent of Arabs wore bad. He said
their desfcro was only to got taken prisoner, and that
tho whole lot of them wore unreliable. Under protest
ho esc opted from hio condemnation some of the Arabs of
MOSUL and Syria, who wore, ho said, sufficiently
n Turkicod" to have some virtue. Kasim Boy, his Chief
of Staff, agreed with what ho said, and it seemed to bo
tho view shared by tho younger officers wo mot. I
suggested to them tho case of Sami Boy, tho son of
Houssa Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. : and thoy said that t he Russian War of
*60 and tho Defence of Kars fell on a different footing,
v/hon tho Arabs were still loyal to tho Ottoman Empire.
Lieut. Hohmod Riza classed the Kurd tribes with the
Arabs in disloyalty and disinclination to fight.
This may lent solour to previous reports of disaffection
among some 0 ub~*tribofj of th© Mi Hi conf ©deration.