Mesopotamia

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 69, 26 June 1916, Page 5

Mesopotamia

CAUSES OF THE REVOLT. (Received 8.45 a.m.) London, June 25. Among the causes of the Arab re j volt was Enver Pasha's severity in executing, several chiefs during . his mysterious tour between Aleppo and Mecca ;... also, there was widespread feeling that Islam was endangered by the Young Turks' freethinking tendencies.

(The following notification JWSjissued by the Government of India 011 Xovembor; laying down the policy Of His, Majesty's, government [in respect of the Holy Places: "In view cf the outbreak of war betvyeen Great Britain and Turkey, which to the regret of Great Britain has been brought about by the ill-advised, unprovoked, and deliberate action of the Ottoman Government, His Excellency the Viceroy is authorised by His Majesty's Government to make the following public pronouncement in regard to the Holy Places of Arabia, including the Holy Shrines of Mesopotamia, and the Port of Jeddah, in order that there may be no misunderstanding on the part cf His Majesty's Government in this war, in which no question of a religious character is involved. These holy places and Jeddah will be immune from attack or molestation by the British Naval and Military Forces so long as there is no interference with pilgrims from India to the holy places and shrines in question. At the request of His Majesty's Government the Governments of France and Russia have given them similar assurances."

I The Aga Khan's spirited declaration lof Indian Moslem loyalty was still I more emphatically proclaimed by the 'Hon. Moulvie Rafiuddin Armad, who. | speaking at Ahmednagar in October, 1914, said:—"Assuming that the war i party in Turkey has acquired the ascendancy, I would say that the duty of all Indian Moslems at such a crisis is quite clear. Without mincing matters, ,and in the plainest language possible, we should tell the statesmen of Turkey that they would entirely forfeit the sympathies of their co-religionists in India did they decide to commence hos'tilities against. Great Britain, the greatest Moslem Power in the world. Again, we owe it to our gracious Sovereign to declare at the present time, • when our silence is likely to be misin,terpreted by our enemies that our at•tachment and devotion to him is staunch and unalterable, and shall in no way be affected by the politics (which Turkish statesmen might adopt ill furtherance of their interests at the present juncture."