File 5655/1918 Pt 2 'Mesopotamia: Refugee Camp at Baqubah (1920 – papers)' [‎443r] (896/946)

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Armenians are Gregorians, the remainder being Roman Catholics or Presbyterians. The Moun
taineer Assyrians are Nestorians, while the Urumieh Assyrians are for the most part members of
the Russian Orthodox Church, the remainder being Presbyterians (converted by the American
Mission) and Roman Catholics. The Gregorians hold their services in “A” Area, the Nestorians
in tents allotted to them in the Partiarchal Annexe, the Orthodox and Roman Catholics likewise in
specially reserved tents, all under their own priests. The Presbyterians amongst the refugees
attend service at the American Mission in the camp. In this way the sects are kept separate and
no internal religious strife has arisen, no preferential treatment having been given to any one sect.
CRIME.
One would have thought that this would have been rife amongst these refugees especially
amongst the independent, wild Mountaineers from Kurdistan. On the contrary the only prevalent
crimes that have been are, petty thieving from one another, robbery from the Arab gardens across
the river, disobedience to British orders, and not complying with camp rules and regulations. One
murder occurred through provocation. This was committed by one of the Mountaineer Assyrians.
One case of sedition occurred but both these two cases were promptly and severely dealt
with, and there was no repetition of any serious offence. As a result of refugee depredations on
the Arab gardens, the Arabs retaliated by stealing refugee sheep, robbing from the camp and
waylaying solitary refugees. Proclamations were issued however, Arab patrols put out on the other
side of the river, and Refugee Patrols from the Assyrian Contingent round the camp. Fines were
also levied, and eventually the feud between Arabs and Refugees was reduced to a minimum.
Three months ago, numbers of Armenian refugees secretly ran away from the camp
and other places to seek work, thus increasing the unemployed and poor in Baghdad. The
became rather grave, but prompt measures were taken, and many of them returned to the
INDUSTRY.
Although from the labour point of view the refugees proved themselves to be poor workers,
they have been industrious in other directions, according to their own tastes. They also show
not a little ingenuity in their pursuits. The Armenian and Urumian Assyrians run most of the shops
in the bazaar and have turned out to be quite good business men, their shops showing a good profit
for the past year. The Mountaineers turn to more homely occupations. In one of the Sections
they put up a home made loom, quite primitive, and they have turned out a considerable amount
of cloth for their national costumes, the wool being taken from their sheep which are tended by
their own people. Knitting is the occupation of their women, and making up the cloth from the
loom into the national costumes. The Baz tribe of the Mountaineers are the skilled workers of the
nation, boasting masons, blacksmiths, silversmiths and metal workers, all of whom have been
employed in one way or another. During the summer the men in their spare time, along with the
women and children dug down their tents and built muttie walls round them.
INTERNAL ADMINISTRATION OF THE PEOPLE.
For the administration of the internal affairs of the Refugees, concerning all matteis connected
with their customs and national life, with which it was decided not to interfere, committees consist
ing of representatives of the people, were elected. One committee to lepiesent all the Aimenian
refugees in the camp, consisting of nine members and headed by a priest of the Gregorian Church
was elected, to deal with Armenian affairs. A committee called the Mountaineer and Patriarchal
Committee, afterwards changed to the National Assyrian Committee, with the Patriarch as its head
was appointed. Each tribe had its Maliks or a Rais (headman) representative on this committee.
A sub-committee of this National Committee was elected for the Urumian Assyrians, with represen
tatives of Northern, Central and Southern Urumia as its members.
The duties of these committees have been the settling of legal and other disputes between the
people, questions of national customs and religious duties, and all other questions relative to then
internal life. They have acted as the official organ and mouthpiece to the British Administration
in everything concerning the welfare, the past and the futuie of the Refugees.
At this point I might mention about the Refugee Animals. When these anived in the camp,
they were all gathered together in one place and receipts issued to owners. As time went on, a
considerable number died, many had to be shot on account of disease and age, and many eie
stolen. Most of the receipts in this way became useless and new ones had to be issued. 1 ms led
to quarrels and disputes between would-be owners and actual owners. I he work of claiming
these animals and settling the disputes was done by the committees.
Although a constant source of trouble, these committees have done extraordinarily well in the
internal administration of the camp, when one remembers that their natural methods of adminis
tration are in direct variance with ours, thus their teaching and training to our methods being
necessitated
Taken on the whole, the administration of these Refugees has not presented such a great
difficulty as might have been anticipated by any one taking under their care some 45,000 (foity-hve
thousand) uneducated, ignorant, semi-civilized refugees, and submitting them to Bntish discipline
and order. . ,,,11
Some trouble was- experienced by a certain faction of the Assyrian people headed by a
“ Parvenu ” who caused discontent firstly in the Assyrian Contingent from which he was promptly
expelled, and secondly by working secretly amongst the ignorant people, m a wild endeavour o
undermine the Patriarchal Authority and grasp the governing power on the return of the people to
their homes. He failed lamentably, but he is stiil a person to be watched carefully.
Although the refugees have had daily their “ grouse ” in my opinion they have been nappy
and contented during the past fourteen months under the British, in whom they have P ut tlie
confidence and hope. And although the longing for their fatherland is so strongly implanted in
them that it has led many of them into trouble, they have realized up to the present the difficulties
standing in the way of their repatriation, and accepted the decisions and orders of the British
Administration, philosophically and willingly.