ملف ٧٠٥/١٩١٦ الجزء ٢ "انتفاضة عربية: التقارير العربية؛ تقارير السير م. سايكس" [ظ‎‎٣‎٩] (٤٥٠/٧٦)

8
for the realisation of our cause. These sentiments are not limited to this country only.
The Arabs in Syria and Irak are also very anxious to recover their ancient glory and
their independence. I have received several communications from their leaders on this
subject. The object for which you are here to-day may serve to dispel from the minck
of those who are not acquainted with the true state of things, the attribution to us ^
any intentions which are at variance with our principles, our honour, the fundamentals
of our religion, and the tradition of our family.
“ I swear to you by God Almighty that I did not seek the position you are offering
me, and never gave it a thought on the day when I joined hands in this happy revolt.
I only saw then vvdiat you saw, that we were facing a grave peril and a great calamity,
which might have probably overcome us had we not hastened to suppress them.
“Tou ha. entrusted me with a task of which I am the first to know the cares
and responsibilities. I have always told you that I am one of the people and with
them I stand for righ eousness and fight against injustice. I lend a helping hand to
those who need assis ance, contiding in God and the precepts of His prophet. If you
are firmly set upon carrying your decision, I make it a condition that you help me in
my rule ovei you and assist me with your advice and your actions in all things, in
order that my expectations and yours may be fulfilled to the advantage of the Arabs
and the Moslems. We pray God to help us in every word and action that is agreeable
to Him. In Him we put our trust at all events/’
Aftei this the^ nations proclamation was read nominating the Shenf King of the
Arabs, and entrusting to him the religious supremacy of Islam until such time that
the Moslem world shall have expressed its decision about the caliphate. After the
usual invocation to God and the prophet the proclamation recalls the merits of the
Arabs, the^ founders of the true religion and the pioneers of science, &c. “ God,” it
pioceeds, has cnosen a tribe from the sons of Ismail, • from this tribe he chose the
voreish from the Koreish he ^elected the Beni-Hashem, and from Hashem he singled out
our prop let yam glorious ancestor, i hrough him we came out of the darkness into light.
Your venerated family which brought us to the right path after ignorance is still leading
us, and we cannot make a better choice than the one that God has made, knowing
your untinng^ efforts for our welfare. Al-Bukh ary said : ‘The leadership is to Koreish,
ami txod punches whomever opposes them.’ The prophet said : ‘Koreish will be at
the head as long as there will be two left.’ You are a Koreish, and, what is more, you
are the descendant ot Hashem, and we can declare before God, on the Day of Judgment,
that we have not known a Moslem prince more God-fearing than you, more observant
01 Bs precepts 111 words and deeds, and better fitted to rule over us in a way acceptable
to Gocb Ye have kuown you m times of prosperity and distress, in public as well as in
private life. here the document comments again upon the great virtues, culture, and
noble sentiments of the Arab nation-“ a nation,” it says, ‘‘ which is grateful to its
benefactors—-a nation which deserves to be liberated from its heavy chains and emanci
pated fiom the tutorship of a party of bloodthirsty vandals and deceivers, who do not
possess any pi_ the high qualities and virtues with which the Arab race is endowed It
is a glaring injustice that the Arabs should be kept under Ihe rule of men who ought
tL L and th l 7 sh ? uld be sub j ected to ill-treatment and persecutions in
ame of the same Islam that that gang is undermining. Oh, Lord of the Arabs and
deliverer of Islam from the clutches of its vile enemies, we praise God that has given
you to us, and rendered the armies of God victorious, with /our blesslt and the fp r5
IrsTp/orT/u. Wp pr0mlse bef0re God to % ht —es, and to chensh lose
,, , Arise, our lord, and fulfil the mission that God has pleased to entrust to vou for
the benefit and government of the Arabs, who have pinned their faith for their religious
and worldly interests in your acceptance of the Arab kingdom g
After the reading of the proclamation, Shavkh Find A 1 tri,., .
presented to His Majesty the aspirations of A hi q • A 1 A h ‘ lteeb , stood U P and
martyrs, whose memory has travelled far and ' 1 ' yna ’ ?!''■ that those
of Akb independence Ld in defence of rAr Zt their Uves for the ^