Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19
YOUNG TURKS TROUBLES IN YEMEN

I Yemen. where their comra les had died
oy thousands or maladies and prNations.
The author has perhaps in his enthusi-
asm for his subject forced the true nots
" the case and represented Arabia az
electrified and as having risen as one soul
to strike blow for liberty. equality and
independence.
The authors book gives the Impression
of having been largely inspired by ex.
travagant reports OF irresponsible parties
wholly unfamiliar with the country or
people.
One writer holds tina. tho revolt In the
Yemen I'm 1904 was chiefly due TO tine
schisms in the Moslem faith, schisms
which melted armed hostiities In 1893
under Cheikh Abdul Wahab. against
whose partisans in upper Egypt. as i'm
Arabia, Mohammed Ally. the pacha Of
Egypt. made war from 1918 10 1919.
Vandalism indeed hundred years ago
was a cause OF strife. hit 1t is some
what strained to write Wahabites az
"Moslem Puritans'' now Arabia is slow
to change. but time and perpetual con-
fiict have worn down the aSperities Of
old issues. The struggle for life counts
for more now than the Schisms OF the
past: Sunnite. Chiite and Wahabite have
agreed to disagree.
The truth is. Arabia IL a vast AMI
complicated system OF tribes. I'm which
religious divisions rartake more OF the
nature or preteNtS than principles. Under
the first caliphs, tho first four resided
In tho holy cities of Medina and Mecca,
which depended directly upon the Com
mandcr of the Faithful until 1924.
About this time tho Cherihan Valid
Mohammed- -Alaoui of the Koreitchite
tribe. to which the Prophet Mohammed
belonged. declared the Independence oe
Arabia, which was maintained until 1917.
In ll@ the powerful tribe Aney zech, con-
tribes from central Arabia to the Persian
gulf. II was in 1919 that the Sultan
Mahmoud charged Mohammed Ally. then
Turkish pacha OF Egypt. to retake for
the caliphate the sacred cities Of Medina
/ and Mecca and suppress Wahabisn,
since 1919 tho struggle has gone on be-
| tween the porte. who aspired 10 take AL
Arabia. and the cherifat. which still hoped
to maintain its power and save the indie
nendence of "Araby the RIcst'' Tho
Turks. I'm order to avoid conflict in the In
terror, established themselves on the
coast. and at Yambo. the port of Medina:
at Djeddah. the port OF Mecca; at Hodef-
da. the port of Sanaa. and finally at
Moka and Cheikh Said. the ports OF the
Hadramant.
In 1856 the Hediar was I'm revolt, but
an opnortune change In the cherif and
an adroit application OF the
P0rte'S theory OF divide i'm order 70
n.,,;,. reign" enabled the porte TO
install Ibu-Aoun as its agent
at Mecca
From 1850 the Turkish wallis or Hediar
commenced a series OF intrigues which
ended In the establishment I'm 1872 or
Turkish wallis in -assyr. i'm Yemen and
in Taft
Until the Instruction of 1924 the I'm
vasion and occupation of Arabia BY the
Turks has been effected by the gradual
occupation. even though defeated in. In.
field, OF the five principal cities. Yamho.
Djeddah. Medina. Mecca and Taft fand
subsequently Hodeida and Mokao In
each OF these Turkey maintains strong
garr1sons. 1t should be said. however.
tnat the occupation Of Arabia was barren
or results. The authority of the vail did
NOT extend beyond the fortified cities The
trlDeS were quite independent of their so.
called conquerors, so-called because fhs
Arabs refused to admit the authority OF
the ottoman tribunals. refused TO be con-
scrlpted. refused to pay taxes but on tho
contrary obliged the Turkish government
to pay them considerable sums whenever
| caravans traversed their respective terri
torial limits.
word as to the relations of certain
| powers with this Kaleidoscope govern
ment OF Arabia will be in place here
When Turkey had established a vail At
Djeddah and undertook the invasion OF
the HedJar. England. France and Russia.
who had Mussulman subjects to protect.
established consulates at Djeddah. These
consuiates often. according to the policies
dictated by their governments. intrigued
with the cherif or with the Turk This
interference eliminated in the horrible
massacre of Christians in 1853. and again
in 1895.
This brief retrospective is necessary 60
appreciate properly the present situa-
uon. repeat that the present move
ment is scarcely religious at all, but
rather the elimination OF a protest on
the part OF the Arab tribes, which. "a
heretofore. ended in the revolts which
are numberiess. The Arabs are born
freemen and will not suffer enslavement,
and only their divisions and tribal feuds
have permitted the stranger to occupy
their territory. To dignity and confound
this spirit of racial Independence with
the nationalism OF the Indian, the Per-
sian or the Egyptian is simply misleading
and illuSory.
The Young Turk government has been
unfortunate in that it did not promptly
apply the remedy which
Neglected Hussein Hilmi Pacha pro-
p, posed for the racification
.ASoeuJ' OF Arabia in 1909. Arabia
was suffering from the evils of the Ha-
indian rule. The emrs of that country
were in a conciliatory and receptive
mood. Tie advent OF young Turkey
created in Arabia as elsewhere great
hopes. The Arab would get rid forever
of the corrupt officials. who plucked
them whenever 1t was possible. and oc-
cupied in their country posts OF emol-
ument ard trust which belonged OF right
to the native and not to the foreigner
The Young Turks recognized the JUS
tice of these demands which they more
than all others appreciated. because like
the Arabs they had suffered from the
same tyranny of Abdul IIamid. The
Young Turks promised reforms. Arab
schools, Arab functionaries and Arab
taxes. Alas, Their new masters delay
ed. under the fatal influence OF the Arab
rocrastination "bokra," the eternal and
everla sting tomorrow, which came not.
Left with their Turkish schools, Turkish
functionaries and Turkish taxes, the
Arabs revolted. and the opportunity
which Hussein Hilmi Pacha presented to
parliament was namely rejected. In place
of this wise plan. which would have been
joyfully accepted by their Moslem
brothers, heavy columns OF Moslem
troops are marching toward a country
the subsection Of which, even II It were
possible, would be frutless, would per-