ملف ٧٠٥/١٩١٦ الجزء ١ "انتفاضة عربية - تقارير" [و‎‎٢‎٤‎٩] (٤٩٤/٤٥)

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the coming victory. Then, when on the eve of this imaginary victory, they
heard that the Turkish forces, which had been retiring slowly and in compact
Then, when on the eve of this imaginary victory, they
order, had suddenly swung round and had begun to advance, the English com
mand, realising that they could not hold their ground against the gallant
^ attacks of the Turks, gave the order to retreat. This was the first stage of their
discomfiture in Lower Mesopotamia. By toning down, from a feeling of delicacy, the
expression used by the British press concerning us, Turks, during the Balkan War, we
may say that these defeated troops “ hung their heads and returned in a dazed
condition to the spot whence they had come ” (the original English expression is
doubtful), and, though the} T struggled hard to recover themselves, Turkish traditional
prowess displayed itself in Lower Mesopotamia as elsewhere and whenever the enemy
tried to raise his head, he wms made to reel under the descending blows. And now,
these “ proud ” English who consider it an honour to scuttle, did not succeed in getting
away and have surrendered their arms to us. And it is an honour for these arms
strength to save themselves. They began the campaign with unfortunate natives
raised in India, but later consented to add some pure English blood. For some time
back we have been fighting in Lower Mesopotamia not the unfortunate slaves whom
England drives to the slaughter, but with the real English themselves. In fact the
people who have been defeated by us on the banks of the Tigris are not the Italians,
the Russians, the Belgians, or French, but haughty Albion with all her pomp, majesty,
and pride.
The same paper of the 30th April gives in heavy type an official announcement
of the proposal of General Townshend that he should be allowed to march away with
his troops on condition of paying 1,000,000L and handing over all his guns. The
proposal is characterised as “ contemptible.”
5 “ r t J have spoken to many Mohammedans in India on the subject of the declaration
W 1 of war against Turkey, asking them their real opinions, and I have reason to believe
t that my visit to Syria during 1913-14 and my superficial knowledge of the Koran
rf induced them to speak more freely to me than they otherwise would have done.
W must first of all be remembered that the masses in India are uneducated, and
Ti f' therefore at the mercy of the intellectualist agitators. Being often well-informed men,
r h°f they have been able to take advantage of the ignorance of the masses and have tried to
rs ie instil pro-Turkish sentiments, which unscrupulous priests have often supported by
irn)S> nnrvtaLrYns from the Koran. The masses, not knowing Arabic, are easily
t’tet tif which have been dripping with blood of hundreds of thousands of innocents, to be
es. b surrendered to gallant troops like ours.
The fall of Kut-el-Amara is not simply the fall of a fortified position or the
fZolfi inevitable sequel of a vagabond raid. General Townshend is at the same time a
symbol of the staggering blow dealt to British prestige and influence in the East.
The enemy have for some time back quite realised this, and, seeing that their campaign
in Lower Mes >potamia was about to end in a tragic disaster, they put forth all their
MOHAMMEDAN FEELING IN INDIA.
Extracts from a Letter by Captain Bray, l&th K.G.O. Lancers, I.A.
irces®
to ^
to destroy their religion, we were
would, I am convinced, settle all
that the feudal system exists in
doubts once and for all. We must remember, too,
India, and what the head of the clan thinks the clan
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