Evening star., 1920-01-07
Hope of People for Self De-
termination Discussed by
Mrs. A. L. Fisher.
American Woman Depicts
Ideals Advocated by Amir
FaisaI, Chosen Ruler.

Independence is the one thought up
permost in the minds of the Arabians
of what is hoped will soon be united
Syria, according to Mrs. A. L. Fisher.
an American woman who is an hon
orary captain in the Arabian army
and is attached to the staff of his
royal highneSs Amir Faisal, and who
now is in Washington. Mrs. Fisher
also holds the office of directrice of
the Damascus Syrian Orphanage. She
| is here on leave before resuming her
educational work in Syria, to which
she intends to devote a number of
years to come, and is scheduled to
address the Twentieth Century Club
at its regular meeting tomorrow
morning.
Not only is the principal thought of
those Arabians for independence, Mrs
Fisher explained to a Star reporter
but it has been so for 500 years. dur
ing which time they have been sys-
tematically, if not successfully, crush
/ ed by the Turks.
! Turkish Influence Deteriorattnr.
J Turkish influence is and ALWAYS
has been, deteriorating," Mrs. Fisher
declares, while the Ara bian influence
has been elevating. The latter have
been brutally suppressed in their ma
uonal1stlc longings to the extent that
IL used to be a common sight few
years ago to see the corpses Of half
dozen influential members of that
race hanging from gibbets outside
the gates of Beirut
Ihe Arabians are not only intel
/ ligent, but kindly: their racial excel
lences are embodied in Amir Faisal.
lie, l may explain-for there is a GER
tain VagueneSs about Syrian affairs
{ in America-is the third son Of Hus-
sem, known usually as King of the
HedJaZ. United Syria will include the
territory now known by that name. a
small part Of Mesopotamia and most
or Palestine. The Arabians prevail
Ing within this territory want self
determination. independence and a
monarch to rule over them Prince
taisel. leader of the nationalist or in
dependent party. is their unanimous
choice. The party back of him in
Guides not only Mohammedans, but
Christians and DruZes. 1t is no longer
religious but political question
and religious lines of demarcation
have lost much of their Significance
Progressive Policy Promised.
Since coming back to America I
have seen articles which. by their
Fiurrlns references to the conse-
quences of 'Mohammedan control
nave been more than irritating to one
VINO knows that this control. personi-
ned in such man as Amir Faisal
stands for all that is modern. pro-
gressive and enlightened He has put
woman. for instance, in charge of
the educational program he hopes to
undertake for his domain, and Mo-
hamm edan, Christian and Jew will CO.
operate. under him, to establish es-
sentlal orphanage work on firm
basis throughout the land
The hope of the nationalistic party,
Mrs. Fisher explains. is thirty three
years of age and represents the
thirty-seventh generation in direct
descent from the Prophet Mohammed
This enables him to use the title
'sheerif." signifying a member of the
prophets family His father. Hussein.
is sheerif. or supreme authority, over
the holy city of Mecca. He has but
one wife, from choice entirely-in
fact. the modern educated Mohame-
dan seldom has more than one. FaisaI
was born in Mecca and was held dur
ing his young manhood a prisoner in
Constantinople by the Turks. He was
educated there under tutors. When
the party known as the young
Turks" attained to power Faisal was
released and soon attained promi-
| nence. and shortly afterward his
| father was made deputy in the new
national Turkish council. Faisal be-
came one of a group of about thirty
| nationalistic leaders active in Mecca,
l which included Arabs of every de-