Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-05-12
EXPLAINS WHY AFGHANs
FAILED TO JOIN TURKS
Felt Sultan's People Were Very Poor
Specimens Of Truc.BIuc
AiOslems.
NOT WORTH FIGHTING FOR
Buffer State, Land OF Mystery.
Tended to Neutrality by Reason
OF Its Close Diplomatic Relations
With Great Britain.
ny IISBAL ALI SHAH,
tThc Great Afghan Writer.p

In normal times Afghanistan is apt
10 be 4 land Of mystery TO tho outside /
world. and there has been little attempt I
TO withdraw the veil curing the war y /
single government statement has dis |
closed the fact that German mission !
had made IT, way into the country. !
and had experienced considerable dill
Guilty in finding its way out again.
For the rest tho Atshans have con-
trircd to maintain the secrecy regard
Ing their internal affairs which il sec
ond nature To them. and which springs
from the troubled conditions that have
characterized Afghanistan In the past.
II would be Il mistake 10 attribute the
SecrctivencsS Of tie Afghan entirely 10
an inherited frame Of mind; rather has
it to be attributed to the fact that over
n long period or history the people
have either been at war with one or
other OF their ncighDors. or among
themselves. In each case there was
good reason for preventing news from
leaking beyond the borders Thus
staunch SECRECY has come I" he asso
ciatcd in the public mind directly with
national Integrity; and from THIS habit
IL has gradually pcriEeAtcd every phase
or life. until IT has come 10 hc rsac-
,iccd and Slor!.cd in ~ the rcmotcst
OF the Amecr's subjects,
AS A BUFFER STATE:
PoSIlION Is PNl-tAhIotS
Afghanls,an is bune: state and
consequently its position In the poiiti-
cal development OF Central ASIA is a
prccarious one, AS II is sand wichcd
between independent Kingdoms which
arc not strangers TO territorial cxran-
sion. It's ruler has been obliged TO c%cr-
else extreme care IN regard TO his dip
lomatic relations.
Prior to the peaceful reign Of the
illustrious Amccr Abdur Euhrnan.
-AnElo-AtGhan relations rested on a
very slender thread. nor were the
Afenans specially friendly VIII. the
ItuSsians
rhc saying OF Amccr shair All
Friendship with the Fsrnghccs IL
written on Ice may be cited In this
connection typical OF the attitude
OF Afghans towards foreigners. The
father OF the present Anlcer, however,
introduced friendly -.iauousnips with
the British government. AND this wa.
cemcntcd by Amccr liab!huilah Khan
in tho treaty OF 1905. IN. British gov
ernmcnt acknowledged the .Areer as
an independent ruler addressing HIM
as Ills Majesty. and giving him fun IA
,ilities in tho matter OF the impcrca-
t.on Of arms from British India as well
providing him with a subsidy Of
$500. 900 annually. The Arccr agreed
to have no diplomatic relations Win
any country other than Great Britain.
MUST NOT III: JUDGED
~ WESTERN STANDARDS
III any consideration OF .Afshan!stan
/. Is necessary 80 bear in MIND that the
country must not be judged purely by
Western standards.
Public opinion is OF modern growth.
and may be said 10 have been recog-
+. nlZcd only since tho reign o. Asnecr
Abdur Hahman; but, while considerable
latitude s. allowed IN the discussion Of
matters OF state, that opinion is, as
a matter of fact. controlled in a great
measure by the voice o: The .imeer.
Political questions arc certainly de-
bated In open durbars, at which the
members present arc allowed their free
say, but limitations are recognized. Not
that tho opinion OF the individual AZ
Ghans count nil. Perhaps TN. cor
rect way TO describe tho situation
would be to state that. while whatever
the Ainccr proposes Is sure TO bc adopt
cd, yet he has TO exercise great dis
ccrnment i'm "mhod%inS in his decisions
the trend or popular opinion.
In regard 20 the present conflict,
IL is certainly tho case that the .Amocr
did not want war. ana at the same
time the policy OF neutrality WAS en-
tircly in keeping with the public mind.
On the one hand. the iac, that Great
Britain and Russia were allies had a
moral effect Oh the attitude OF Afghan
iatan. In any case. treaties between
Lfghanistan and Great Britain imposed
neutrality.
AS MOSLENIS THEY WOULD
NATURALLY DEFEND FAITH
But II is only right that tho deter
mining factor from the Afghan point
OF view should also be recorded The
AfShans arc essentially a fghting race
and they are also Moslcms, and there
can hardly be any doubt that, il they
considered the .aith NJ ISI
encd in some way. thoy would be sore
~ tempted 10 set aside all other con-
sideratlons. No danger would he re-
Garued as too great IL they were given
10 understand that they were calico
upon 10 safeguard their faith.
1t could probably be shown tina,
. throughout their history the constan;
, fghtinS has been connected in one way
or another with their religious zeal
Even in the case of nterirecine fcuds
where they have known that they we're
= fighting against their own kith and kin
- tneS nave bccn prepared to fight 10 the
last because each side has held that
those opposed TO them have either not
becn acceptable to the strict canon of
Islam or have been liable TO bring out
siders into their country
10 the Afghan religion comes first
ana last. and regulates not only his
internal affairs. but also his d;nlnmatic
relations with other countries In these
circumstances 1t Will be understood
that at the outbreak of the war il was
burning question in Afghanistan
whether it was or was not y reli,-ious
war.
Great Britain was fighting against
the Turks, who are Mosicms and there
was, therefore. prior evidence that -,
Jehad was involved But at 4 general
meeting Of the Ulemas 1t was resolved
that the war could not be regarded as a
religious one. and that there was no OBJ
legation on AfShanistan TO uphold tho
cause of the central powers.
AS MATTER OF FACT HAD POOR
OPINION OF TLRK'S RELIGION
The truth is the Afghans remained
quiet because they had a very poor
opinion OF the religion OF modern
Turkey. the Turks being regarded as
indifferent Moslems. degenerate follow
crs OF the Prophet. who no longer set
store on the rigid essentials of their
faith. This attitude towards Turk ~