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

MUSLIMUNRESTANDGERMANSUPPORT 41

andtheGulf.Finally,theGovernmentofIndiaopposeddividing
Turkey,becauseitmightalienateIndia'sMuslimsubjects."
ButnoteveryoneinhisgovernmentagreedwithGrey.Someurged
thedissolutionofadecliningTurkeyamongtheGreatPowers.These
includedhisambassadorsinConstantinople,firstLowtherandthen
Mallet.Theyreceivednumerousreportsfromtheirconsulsin
Mesopotamiathatdemonstratedmountingdissatisfactionoflocal
ArabswithTurkishrule. Also,personsoflesserstaturebelievedin
partitioningTurkey,likeDavidG.HogarthandT. E.Lawrence,Ox-
fordarchaeologistsconcernedwithprotectingBritain'sinterestsin
explorationsofancientruinsinnorthernSyriaalongtherouteofthe
Baghdadrailroad.Perhapsmoreimportant,Grey'schiefofficialsin
Cairo,includingafter19IILordKitchener,urgedthatBritainprotect
itselffromthegrowingGermaninfluenceintheOttomanEmpire,
allegedto be adangertoEgyptfromtheeast,byallyingwiththeanti-
TurkishArabmovementinSyriaandIraq.v
ButGreyandtheForeignOfficeheldswayontheissue.Conse-
quentlyBritainofficiallyrejectedopportunitiesbeforeWorldWarI
toencouragetheArabs torevoltagainsttheOttomans.OnlyKitchener
triedto keep alineopentotheArabsbyrespondingto a feeler ex-
tendedtohimon 5 February 1914 fromAbdullah,thesonoftheSharif
ofMecca,duringavisittothekhediveinCairo.Duringthemeeting
AbdullahinquiredwhetheriftheArabsresistedOttomanattempts
to removetheshariffrompower,Britainwouldhelppreventit.
Kitchenerdisclaimedanyinterestininterferingintheaffair."
TheGermans,too,receivedandrejectedapproachesfromanti-
OttomanArabs,butsuchcontactsillustratedtheArabs'anxietyat
theprospectofBritishandFrenchrulereplacingtheTurkishonein
theregion.Forexample,during 1912 and 1913 theCairoconsulate-
generalreportedtoBerlinonSyrian Arabexiles inEgyptledbythe
localpan-IslamistandArabnationalistRashidRida.Ridametwitha
Germanemissaryanddiscussedhisdreamofthecreationofaninde-
pendentArabcaliphate,ofwhichthenewcaliph,theEgyptiankhedive,
wouldruleSyriaandArabia.AlthoughaccordingtoRidatheBritish
andFrenchwereencouraging"theArabrevolutionarymovement,"
theywerenotto betrusted.RidathusaskedGermanyfordiplomatic
supportandassistanceinacquiringarmamentsto beusedagainst