File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [‎142v] (295/995)

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Division, but owing' to our military weakness we.were unable to take similar
action in Sliamiyali Division where we only had some 300 men and 2 guns.
The Division which has already borne a bad reputation, vide Administra
tion Report for 1918, became the focus of intrigues.
Meanwhile the announcement of the terms of peace with Turkey had as
anticipated an unfavourable effect on public opinion and it enabled the extrem
ists to rally to their cause much useful material in the form of ex-Turkish offi
cials, and the fairly large body of public opinion who wished for the main
tenance of the Turldsh Empire and resented the acquisitions of 'Greece.
Coming as it did at the beginning of Ramadhan and synchronizing with our
evacuation of Enzeli and Resht, and reports of Bolshevik successes in other
parts of the world, it gave the extremists an opportunity of which they were
not slow to avail themselves to represent us on the one hand as pursuing an
anti-Islamic policy and on the other hand as rapidly growing weaker.
At this point other foreign influences commenced to make themselves felt
notably the United States Consul' and other United States citizens whom I
have every reason to know make it their business to convey to the extremists
m detail all references in the English press unfavourable to the local and
Imperial policy of His Majesty’s Government, potably articles from the Times
which are freely referred to by extremists in their public speeches and conver
sations. Tn this connection we know that £7,000 in Turkish gold reached the
extremists in Karbala during may and June.
Certain Shamiyah Chiefs, whom we were as already explained unable to
arrest directed their energies to cause a rising in the Samawah Rumaithah area
realising no doubt that this is strategically the most vulnerable point in our
communications m Mesopotamia. This area has never been penetrated by our
troops and is m fact impenetrable : for the past year it has been in an unsatis
factory An East India Company trading post. state, see my despatch of 20th July, 21256, reporting events leadino-
up to recent punitive expedition there. The outbreak occurred at Ruimiithah
on July 3rd : had we been able to despatch troops in adequate numbers prompt
ly to the scene it would not I think have spread and the situation in Shamivuh
where no rising took place for another 15 days, would have been dealt with bv
diplomatic means. But we were not in a position to do so and the risinn
slowly spread m consequence. * ‘ °
Objectives oe Present Rising.
vr •? 1 tri | )e l k^en led to believe that it is a holy war and the Chief
Mu,] tab id of Karbala is actively preaching jihad and has sent hundreds of
emissaries all oyer the Middle Euphrates districts in this connection The
Chiefs of tribes m Hillah and Diwamyah Divisions have mostly followed their
•tribesmen rather than led them. The demands cf the rebel ifaders so far as
formulated are the complete expulsion of the British from Mesopotamia and
an Islamic Kingdom. ’ To the Mujtahids this means the theocratic State
which is their ideal. To the tribes it means no Government at all or Govern
ment by Chiefs whom they can ignore at will: to a small mincritv of towns
people it connotes an Amir. J b
r i i 1 d °i 1 Ji 0t f lllnk ? lat t J le rebels 1 llave any agrarian grievances: taxation is
light and the harvest good : were there any such grievances the area of disturb
ance would not be limited as now to the Shi‘ah districts within reach of Haiaf
and Karbala, bribes do not of course like paying taxes any more than other
people but this would not of itself have been cause of rising* had we not been
weak and bad not external causes above referred to existed.
Telegram—Cypher R. Ordinary.
Erom—Civil Commissioner, Baghdad.
To—India Office, London.
Ho. 9474.
Dated 6 th August, 1920.
My telegram of 5th August, 9450.
Extract from private letter from Major Pulley Political Officer at Hillah
dated August 3rd since received begins:—I have been trying to find out bv
questioning wounded prisoners and others what spirit is " animating them.
Ihe rank and file are not filled with a spirit of fanaticism.
They’ tell me that they are poor cultivators to whom life or death is a
matter of indifference. 1 hey also say that they have to do as they are told bv
neii saikals and have mi choice in the matter at all. I believe it is true that
the fallah Arabic for ‘peasant’. It was used by British officials to refer to agricultural workers or to members of a social class employed primarily in agricultural labour. is absolutely in the hands of his sarkal, that to refuse to obey his
sarkal would mean certain death whereas to obey or attack means a possible
chance ot loot and a chance at any rate of life. The sarkals seem to me to be
like the feudal barons. Many of them were small men of no acconnt until we
made them poiverful and rich. Ihey now ha\ 7 e a g’reat deal of power in their
hands and think they can rule the country. They are also I believe worked
*
l