ملف ٧٠٥/١٩١٦ الجزء ٢ "انتفاضة عربية: التقارير العربية؛ تقارير السير م. سايكس" [ظ‎‎١‎١‎٥] (٤٥٠/٢٢٨)

Jeddah at the end of July. Ibrahim Bey is an ardent supporter of the Arab cause
and, in spite of his being a Christian, has been elected a member of the Arab Party.
In this report, Ibrahim Bey said that he had a discussion with a number of natives
respectable people, in the house of the Sherif’s agent at Jeddah. The general opinio^’
was that if the Sherif should fail in his attempt his failure would, beyond doubt be^
severe blow to the moral position of Great Britain and to its influence over the Arab
Chiefs and Emirs in Arabia and Mesopotamia, as well as in India, Egypt, and elsewhere.
In fact it would annoy the whole Mohammedan world, which, although it looks at
present on this movement with displeasure and uneasiness, on account of the fears that
are entertained about the integrity of Islam, yet would be prepared to respect the
Arabian Government if it succeeded in replacing Turkey ; and these feelings would be
intensified if the new Arabian Government were seen to be on the way to prosperitv
and success, and that no loss had been caused to Islam by its establishment.
The Sherif s Operations.
On the 29th September the D.M.I. telegraphed to Colonel Marsh a revised estimate
of the Turkish forces in the Medina area, showing a total in all of 8,900 infantry,
1,000 camelry, and 36 guns, sixteen of the latter being old-pattern field guns. Fakhri
Pasha was in command.
The Haj.
Sir H. McMahon telegraphed on the 3rd October [No. 842 (R)] that Colonel
Wilson had reported the safe arrival at Mecca of the Holy Carpet and the Egyptian
pilgrimage. r
The Arab Prisoners.
The explanation of the defection of the Arab prisoners who, having been sent from
gypt and Jeddah for that purpose, refused to join the Sherif’s forces, is given in the
above-mentioned report of Ibrahim Bey Dimitri. He says that he found the Turkish
prisoners were permitted to move about freely, no effort being made to put them under
control. They spread “all sorts of false reports and poisonous ideas” about the town.
^ t art “ ler b men wil ° come from Egypt fell a prey to pro-Turkish intriguers
at Jeddah, and two days after their arrival they refused to go to Mecca on the plea
that they could not fight against their Caliph and their co-religionists IF O
187454.] & l •
Opinion in Afghanistan.
, Kabul.-ln his diary for the week ending the 23rd August last fl.O.P., 3988]
the British agent at Kabal records that a special Darbar had been held by the Amir,
at which all the ‘ elders and men of light and learning,” the remnants of the German
mission and the members of the Shvra were present. The object of the meeting was
to consider the Sherif s action. The speaker who opened the discussion said that the
ewA qu been . 1 received consternation all over the Moslem world;
that the Sherif had been guilty of obvious disloyalty, perfidy, and treachery against
ns mg o s am and his Caliph, and that owing to his misdeeds the Sherif
deserved the universal abhorrence and curse of the Moslem world. Those present
enthusiastically joined m this denunciation. r
T l f Tt Ti 1St ’ b° we ,7 er ( be observ ed that the British agent was not one of the “ men of
light and learning who were present : he had to rely on report
2 Aan^an-yhe British agent here. too. speaks of a discussion of the revolt
clbm ar A r v, h QK b J th ? J Go 1 vern , or 0n the lst A «g™t. The Mullahs, he heard,
condemned the Sherif and declared him a Kafir, and prepared a memorial to be sent
b n nLl mir P r ayl ti t b\ d - lare ? Jel,ad a S ainst the British - But his report, too,
at !r y ’- f0r I i han Sah [ b Nur - ul -Islam, the British representative, was not present
at the discussion ; he says that “ I did not attend it, as I was not invited.”
IBN SAUD.
: mfl JA a j ® a T tele S ra P he d on the 27th September to Simla that he
p-iven to tho Tn • °i SO l ne T 11 ^ 1118 conscience in regard to undertakings
could avoid it f b 111 b is treaty with them, and that he would not, if he
o d it, act against them. He had already urged him to arrest Ibn Faraon