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

204 WARBYREVOLUTION

Arabsor anintensificationofthePorte'smilitarymeasuresagainst
Husayn,butprivatelytheyworriedabouttheuprisingandcriticized
theTurksfor havingcausedtherevolt.Kuhlmann,muchlike his
predecessorsattheembassy,blamedJemalPasha'spersecutionsof
theArabsinSyria."
ForabrieftimeduringMarchandApriltheGermansexpected
thefallofMedinato theArabs.ArabforcesundertheSharifof
Mecca'sson,Zaid,hadcapturedaconvoyofIbnRashid's,theyoung
ArabprinceandleaderoftheShammarinnorthernArabia;ithad
beenattemptingtodelivertotheOttomansatMedinafood,guns,
andlivestock.IbnRashidandhisfollowersthenjoinedtheTurks
northwestoftheholycity.ButIbnRashidhadlostinfluenceinhis
ownlands,andtheTurksviewedhimas aburdenratherthana
sourceofsupplyorassistance.Topreventhimfromreturningeast
andpossiblyjoiningtheenemy,theOttomansdetainedhimas a
hostageagainstthegoodbehaviorofhistribesmen.Thisseemedto
produceinBerlinafeelingofpanic,andeventhebizarreideathat
GermanyshouldforceTurkeytotransferthegraveoftheProphet
fromMedinatoJerusaleminordertokeepitunderOttomancon-
trol.Wesendonkopposedthescheme;movingthegrave,heargued,
"wouldbeinterpreted...asrobberyandacrimecommitted[by
Turkey]againstIslam,withtheassistanceorevenattheinstigation
oftheGerrnans.?"
FromthroughoutPalestine,Syria,andMesopotamia,German
agentsreportedrisingArabfeelingsagainsttheTurks.Gerhardvon
Mutius,theconsulinBeirut,denouncedtheOttomansilenceonthe
fightingintheHijazandsouthernPalestine.Thispolicy, heinformed
Berlin,wasproducingthe"wildestrumors"amonglocalArabsofthe
imminentdefeatoftheTurks."Alreadytheyaretalkingamongthem-
selves," hecontinued,"aboutwhattheyasArabswouldstillhaveto
dowiththeTurksifMecca,Medina,Baghdad,andalsoJerusalem
werenolongerinTurkishhands."?WalterRossler,theconsulin
Aleppo,notifiedKuhlmanninMay:"TheattitudeoftheArabsin
Mesopotamiaisevermorethreatening.Allofthemseemto bearmed
inordertounitewiththesouthernArabs,whohavejoinedthepro-
Britishsharif."?