"تقارير إدارية ١٩٢٠-١٩٢٤" [ظ‎‎١‎٩‎٠] (٤١٢/٣٨٥)

50
Sheikh of Mohammerah. —The political history of Khtmstan during' 1924, is
the history of the revolt of the Sheikh of Mohammerah against the Central Gov-*
ernment as personified in Sirdar Sipah, and its sequeL
In the annual report for 1923, H. M, Consul wrote :—-
" In spite of the, settlement of this long-standing dispute (i .e., the revenue
question) between His Excellency and the Central Grovemment, there
are still plenty of rocks ahead. The Central Government is deter
mined to assert its authority throughout Arabistan, or rather
Khuzistan as it is to be known in future, and it is not to be supposed
that the Sheikh and his, Arab tribesmen will watch the process with
folded hands."
This forecast proved only too correct. The Sheikh who was still simmering
with resentment over the revenue settlement which he declared to have been
forced on him by the British became mdre and more annoyed as minor forms
of encroachment began to multiply. The Persian Government announced its
intention of sending a Karguzar to Abadan who was also to act as Deputy
Governor ; the Adliyeh at Shushtar began to summon Arabs, living in the
Sheikh's territory to attend the Court ; a salt monopoly in the Sheikh's terri
tory was given by the Ministry of Public Works to an Iraqi subject without the
Sheikh being consulted in any way ; a Rais-i-Baladiyeh was appointed for
Abadan although the Sheikh's revenue agreement provided that all indirect,
tares were to be collected by himself ; steps were taken to asses.s the value of
the Sheikh's date gardens with a view to further laxation ; heads of Persian
departments in Ahwaz, instigated by the Russian Consul, met constantly and
abused the Sheikh and the Commander of the Persian troops in Khuzis.tan did
his best to foment trouble among the Arab tribes.
Reports continually reached the Sheikh from Teheran that the Minister of
War harboured sinister designs against him. His suspicions were aggravated
by the persistent propaganda of Saqt-ul-Mulk the Governor General and Colonel
Reza Quli Khan who had s;icceeded Colonel Baqir Khan as Commander of the
Khuzistan detachment. The latter admitted to H. B. M. Consul that for six
weeks he had steadily^dinned into the Sheikh's ears the fact that Sirdar Sipah
and the Amir-i-Gharb were bent on overthrowing the Sheikh as soon as the posi
tion in Luristan allowed troops to be brought into Dizful.
When therefore the Sheikh received an official letter from the Prime
Minister informing him that his firmans were cancelled, his indignation knew no
bounds. He at once realised that this gave him an excellent opportunity to rally
his tribes round him. He visited the Chaab Chiefs and informed them that the
unconstitutional Government of which Sirdar Sipah was the head was bent on
depriving them of the lands which they and their forefathers had owned for
generations. His harangues met with such a favourable response that he lost
no time in taking the Chaab Chiefs over to the Beni Turuf countrv and scaling
Qorans with them as well. In all the written undertakings entered into with
his Chiefs it was stipulated that whatever happened no harm was to be caused
by Arabs to the persons or property of foreigners. Once the Sheikh was
thoroughly satisfied as to the loyalty of his tribesmen and of the notables of
Dizful and Shushtar w^ho had also sealed Qorans with him, his attitude began
to harden in spite of the insistent advice of H. M. Vice-Consul that he should
abandon his warlike preparations pending the conclusion of the negotiations
proceeding in Teheran. He roundly asserted that he could not tolerate the
presence of Persian troops in Arabistan and that he would insist on his revenues
being restored to their prewar basis. He spent monev lavishly and his follow
ing increased daily.
The Sheikh was convinced that so favourable a moment for defending his
rights would not recur, and it was with considerable disappointment that he
received the news of Sirdar Sipah's recantation of the attitude he had taken up
towards the Sheikh's firmans. He was, still hesitating what course to pursue
when the arrival of a threatening telegram from the War Minister threw the
tat once more mto the fire. He regarded it as proof positive of Sirdar Sipah's
sinister intentions and made up his mind to a struggle a outrance. While he
was m this mood Amir Mujahid arrived suddenly'from Ram Hormuz. The
Sv ? WaS tll ? (3er or d e rs of banishment from the country, was not sjow to
profit by the occasion ; the Arab Chiefs were called in to hear the contents'of the
threatening telegram and responded by throwing their aqals and chafiyehs on
the ground and vowmg to follow the Sheikh to the death. The most bidding