War by Revolution. Germany and Great Britain in the Middle East in the Era of World War I

BRITAINASWARTIME"REVOLUTIONARY" 171

Onlya fewdisagreedthatBritaincouldprotectitspositionin In-
diaandtheMiddleEastfrompan-IslamismandaGerman-ruled
TurkeybynotonlydefeatingtheOttomanEmpirebutdismember-
ingit.OnewhodownplayedthedangeroftheTurkish-Germanalli-
ancewas T. W.Holderness,theunder-secretaryintheIndiaOffice.
Hecautionedthat"bothfromthepasthistoryofMohammedanism
andfromtheeventsofthepresentwar,...pan-Islamismas amotive
force can easily beoverrated."In alengthyreply toHirtzel,Holderness
emphasizedIslam's"wantofcohesionanditssectariandivisionsand
animosities"andhowit"isinspiredbynationalityratherthanby
creed.t"Holderness,however,hadnosuggestionsforBritishpolicy.
During]anuaryandFebruaryBritaincontinuedtosolidifyits alli-
ancewiththeArabs.Cairoarrangedfor agroupofulamasfromthe
localal-AzharUniversitytopublishaproclamationto Arabsoldiers
intheTurkisharmyaccusingtheTurksofdeceivingtheArabsand
robbingthemofthecaliphateandtheKoran.Incontrast,thestate-
mentsaid, theBritishandFrenchhadbefriendedtheArabs, even
encouragingtheuseoftheArabiclanguageintheirMiddleEastern
andAfricanempires.'
Meanwhile,theSharifofMecca,althoughprivatelyuneasyabout
his negotiationswithBritainandaboutnewsfromSyriathatthe
situationtheredidnotfavor an Arabrevolt,assuredtheBritishofhis
loyalty."Hussayn'sallegianceseemedconfirmedby asteadystream
ofinformationreachingCairo'snew ArabBureauemphasizingthe
sharpeningofdifferencesbetweentheArabchieftains,thesharifand
IbnSaud,andtheTurks."Stillotherreports,particularlyfroman
Arab spy(MustafaBey,awealthyDamasceneliving inEgyptandcode-
named"Maurice")whowasvisitingConstantinopleandSalonika,
discussedtheanti-TurkishattitudesofArabsandthepossibilityof
exploitingdisaffectionintheOttomanEmpireandarmy,"Thisand
otherinformationalsoindicatedthatGermanattempts,including
thoseofOppenheim,toattractArabbackingin SyriaandArabiahad
generallymisfired."
Thenon 18 FebruarythesharifinformedCairoofhissatisfaction
withtheagreementhehadreachedwithBritain.He alsowarnedof
impendingGermanactivityinArabiaandEastAfrica.TheTurks,he