"كتيّب سوريا (بما في ذلك فلسطين). لندن: إدارة استخبارات الأركان البحرية، يونيو ١٩١٩" [و‎‎١‎٢‎٠] (٧٣٨/٢٤٤)

DOMESTIC AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS
233
Conflicts owing to religious differences occur between adhe
rents of rival Christian churches almost as readily as between
Moslems and Christians or Jews. In the latter cases the con
flicts have generally a political or economic cause associated
with the religious difference. For example, the emergence of
some bad feeling between the fellahin of Palestine and the
Jewish colonists is due primarily to the dispossession of the
former by the latter. Where religious fanaticism still exists
(e. g. in Homs and Hama) it is mainly directed against foreigners.
Even that is everywhere disappearing owing to increased
contact with Europeans and the influence of European educa
tion. The custom by which Moslems, Jews, and Christians live
in separate quarters of large towns helps to minimize conflicts.
Similarly in the country districts villages are usually either
Moslem or Christian or Druse, and so forth. Villages with a
mixed population are exceptional. It must be added that the
improved legal status of Jews and Christians in recent times
has been mainly a concession to foreign pressure and that the
toleration hitherto granted by Moslems has been that of a
superior and a conqueror to an inferior and conquered people.
It is also true that a sense of alienation between adherents of
the various faiths is never far distant and may be fanned at
any moment into passionate animosity. In illustration it may
be noted that both Moslems and Christians believe that the
ritual murder of (Moslem and Christian) children at pass-
over time is practised by the Jews when they can secure
a victim.
Family groups as social units have still the wider scope that
used to belong to them in ancient times. Sometimes a man s
kindred are legally treated as his substitutes. Blood revenge
was forbidden by Ottoman law, but was still practised even by
the sedentary population and still more by the Bedouin. If a
murderer has evaded pursuit for a certain time his act may be
atoned by a payment of money. The position of women is
subordinate among all classes and faiths. The effect of Euro
pean influence in this matter is specially noticeable amongst
Christians. The complete veiling of the faces of Moslem