ملف ٧٠٥/١٩١٦ الجزء ٢ "انتفاضة عربية: التقارير العربية؛ تقارير السير م. سايكس" [و‎‎١‎٦‎٣] (٤٥٠/٣٢٣)

appreciation of attached
ARAB REPORT No. VII (New Series).
THE situation in which the Sherif now finds himself is somewhat dangerous. The
Turks have evidently not been much demoralised by the losses they sustained in the
reconnaissance at Romani, and still occupy almost as large an area of Egyptian territory
as before. While concentrating formidable forces at Medina they can impress one of
the best informed of our agents with the strength of their potential offensive against
Egypt.
The most favourable news is the entrance of Ibn Sha’alan into the Sherif’s ranks.
The general impression to be gathered regarding the internal condition of Syria
from our agent’s reports is that the Turks deem their best way of keeping Syria
quiet is to endeavour to show that we cannot attack them, but that they can attack
us in Egypt; although weak and unpopular, the Turks can thus produce the
impression in Syria that we are even more feeble than they.
Should the Turks manage to reach Mecca before or during the pilgrimage the
result would be in every way disastrous ; there are great difficulties in the way of the
Turks, and doubtless the Arabs will make a brave resistance, but it must not be
forgotten that in war Turks sometimes make efforts beyond expectation or even
calculation.
The Idrisi affair at Comfida has been satisfactorily settled for the present,
justifying Colonel Wilson’s optimism. In India the excitement regarding the Arabian
revolt seems to have subsided; however, a Turkish reoccupation of Mecca or an
unsuccessful pilgrimage would doubtless serve to raise the ferment in an aggravated
form.
The two appendices by Miss Bell, one on education and one on administration in Irak,
deserve careful study.
The administration, it is to be assumed, is of a temporary nature, and so long as it is
applied to such wild and chaotic country as the area now occupied by us, there is little
to be concerned about, one way of keeping order being as good as another ; however, it
is my opinion that Indian law and Indian method cannot be adopted in areas which may
presently come under our control. Baghdad has been under a rdgime of a continental
European kind'for many years, and the upper and middle classes have lived on terms of
social equality with the ruling race, and have had opportunities of holding the highest
executive offices in the capital of the Empire.
The appendix regarding education also requires consideration. In the Arabs we
have a people who combine exceedingly sharp wits with intense vitality. Sooner or later
the Arab race will make itself felt. It depends upon us now to adopt a really intelligent
attitude towards the Arabs. If our education is merely a stupid infliction of information,
without history, poetry, and the humanities, we shall produce instead of the futile
seditionist of Egypt and the loquacious pleader of India a really dangerous and desperate
Sinn Feiner.
To tackle the educational problem in Irak, we require to study.Ai^b mentality and
[898-5]