ملف ٧٠٥/١٩١٦ الجزء ٢ "انتفاضة عربية: التقارير العربية؛ تقارير السير م. سايكس" [ظ‎‎٢‎٢‎٣] (٤٥٠/٤٤٤)

9
The Proclamation.
A translation of the full text of the proclamation, supplied by the Arab Bureau,
will be found in the Appendix.
The Egypt, telegraphed to D.M I. on 20th July [LG. 942], in answer to
telegram of same date, that the full text had been printed by the Sherif at Mecca and
that copies had been distributed by him over Syria and Arabia. The proclamation
was issued before the Egyptian authorities knew of its existence. The Sherif refused
absolutely to consider the question of omitting or adding anything; but he has
suggested the issue of a supplement which might be drafted to suit our views or for
publication by us. He does not wish us to issue the original proclamation, but
to allow' his agents to circulate it: he has sent 30 copies to his Cairo agent which are
held up temporarily. A copy was sent by the Sherif to the Sirdar before the question
of omitting the Kaaba incident was raised and before the Sherif’s draft had been
received ; it was forwarded by the latter to the Kadi of Adis Abeba and has
probably been widely distributed.
The High Commissioner telegraphing on the following day [K'o. 601] said that it
was not known to what extent the Sherif had already circulated his proclamation.
When he asked the views of the High Commissioner he had already sent copies to
the Kadi of Abyssinia and, it is understood, to religious leaders elsewhere. The
High Commissioner now understands that his opinion w T as sought in regard to the
manner and form of the publication of the proclamation in countries controlled by the
Allies. He advised the omission of the Kaaba incident and has since suggested that
the proclamation should be recast so as to avoid controversial theological matters.
This he thought would be done. lie added that there was no present intention to
publish it in Egypt.
The Objections of the French Government to the Proclamation.
In this same despatch [No. 601] the High Commissioner expresses the opinion
that the French Government must have based their objections on a brief summary
of the proclamation which tv as sent them by their liaison officer, and doubts whether
the full text could be held to impugn French military or judicial procedure.
Opinion in India and Afghanistan in regard to the Sherif.
The Viceroy telegraphed on 19th July that in Bengal the opinion of educated
Moslems was generally adverse to the Sherif, but that in Assam there was an
inclination to regard the movement with favour. In Afghanistan, the Ameer had
lefused to allow the publication m Sirajulakhbar of a report of a meeting held on
July by the stall of the Habibia College in Kabul, at which the action of the
Sherif was condemned. I he V iceroy added that on 13th July the Afghan postmaster
at I eshawai sent the Ameer a highly coloured report on India s hostile reception of
the news.
Ou. 13th July Sn Arthur Hirtzel had an interview at the India Office with a
native officer of the 18th Bengal Lancets.
lire following note of this interview' has been furnished by the India Office :—
Risaldar Maior Gul Mawaz Khan is a Punjabi Muhammadan, and maybe taken as a o- 0 od repre
sentative ot his own people. His account of the situation is that the vast majority of the Indian Moslems
are too ignorant even of their own religion—to say nothing of outside affairs—to know or care very much
who is Caliph and so far as they think about the Ottoman Caliph they regard him as a bad Moslem for
laving joined the Germans. The political “ leaders and the anjumans are, of course pro-Turk and
Government must reckon with much violent language from them. But they have no influence with the
masses, who care only for what the heads of their clans say. But though the masses are thus indifferent
they are capable of being moved; and if they always hear only one side of the case, f.e., the pro-Turk
sn e, they will naturally believe that to be true. TV hat is essential is to put the other side to them and
he is confident that this can be so successfully done as to make the political agitators neo-lmible. His
suggestions are (1; that some (say 10) carefully selected Indian officers from France should°take leave
MnnlrW In : j; id tln ' e f. to tlie He jf z , it might be arranged that the Grand Sherif
should leceive them and tell them his case. They would then go to India (still on leave) scatter to
their homes, and relate what they had seen and heard; (2) that the Grand Sherif should put out a
proclamation to the Moslem world, which should also bear the signatures of the leading Arab notables •
and that a deputation of these notables, with facsimilies of the proclamation, should visit India and give
lectures or hold meetino-s. »
Opinion in Zanzibar.
The Arab Bureau [No. 9, Intelligence Summary] reports that the Sultan of Zanzibar
sent a message to the Sherif to express, on behalf of himself and his people the