Evening star., 1925-10-31

Writer
What Modern Methods Are Accomplishing the
ARTICLE MI.
OPPOSITION IN PALESTINE.
BY Sophie Irene Loeb.
JERUSALEM.

Jews III ueCOnStruCtlnP thell
~ homeland in Pa;estlne from
the Arabs who inhabit the
country. In this connection | dis
cussed the situation with his emf
nenCe. the great mufti, Emine Hus
:simi who is the religions head OF
the entire Arab population III Pal
estine, and who might lie said to a
great degree to control their politics
The audience the great mufti grant
ed me was somewhat of 4 ceremony.
There We're present one of the Arab
princes. t,mir Eatel Arslan; also a
very prominent Arab lawyer of Jeru
salem. Avuni Abdul Hadi; also Sheik
Moha med Salek. The muftis secre
tary served as an interpreter. There
were many questions and answers
The following is IA summary of his
side of it:
Before the war and for a genera
ion, the MoSlemS have been trying
20 establish their own national home
IN Palestine. 1t was practically un-
derstood that the Turkish govern
ment. which had control here. would
give us the country. Our people have
progressed little. but still we looked
forward TO having independence.
When the war came we fought
on the side OF the allies, and we do
not believe the war could have been
won without us. We had the same
understanding that our independence
would be granted. but it was not.
Fight Exclusiveness.
We expected that since the Bal
four declaration. which gives the
Jews a national home. there would
be large influx Of Jewish popula-
ZION, which would Immediately take
hold of the country. But this has
not as vet been the case. and we
want to do everything we can to
work in peace with the Jews.
We feel, however. that. much OF
the propaGanda that is being spread
l,v the Jews tends toward the estab-
ishment of an exclusive national
home for the Jews, although the in
rentions of the English government
have been distinctly set forth. How
ever, we have no fear that our rights
will be invaded. or that there Will be
any serious bloodshed because the
handful of Jews here, about 100000.
are outnumbered by our 100000
Arabs. This IS the number we nave
in all the surrounding countries mere
abouts. and including Palestine.
I'VE are anxious that everything
should be done in the interest of our
people, and that the English govern
ment, which has the mandate. shall
f,e impartial. which is the tendency
Knowing OF NV interest in chill
dren, the Great Mufu dwelt mainly
on the fact that new generation
cannot be made a better one until
something has been done for the
children.
The poverty and degradation
among the children in Palestine is
frirhtful." he said. And l person
lo ,rloI n a
centrated effort that Will start
something in the interest Of The chill
dren. whether they be Jews, Arabs
or Christians. But such aid must
begin with the government, which
can assist the various religions to
create a better citizenry. This is
one of the most important things IN
the history of the future Palestine
Before leaving him. as Is the Gus
tom. we sat at the ia BILE, where they
served Turkish coffee, cakes. etc.
And he sought to assure me that
the one thing he and his people
wished was peace and he VIII do all
he can to promote 1t.
IrreconciIable View.
Another interview I had sounded
a different note. 1t was with the
greatest opponent of the Jewish en-
Pasha. He has been the leading fig
lIre in what is termed the Arab
executive" which is the political
head of the Arab population in
Palestine. He is an out-and -out
irreconcilable He talked for nearly
two hours, and his story is one to
which he Will stick to the end of
;ime. | believe.
He refuses first Of all to recognize
the Balfour declaration and the
English governments attitude toward
helping to get home land for the
Jews He Is against the Jews from
start to finish. There can be no
peace, according to him, as long as
the Jews and Arabs are in Palestine.
He wants the country for his own
people and for nobody else And he
believes he has the greater right
1t mattered not to him that the
Jews had Jerusalem as their birth
right 1000 years ago-the Arabs have
II now and the Jews have been away
from 1t for SO long the country
belongs to his people and must
therefore be Arabic.
After considerable parley | put
this question TO him: cant YOU fig
ure out some way by which he
Jews can have their home land
here and be at peace with the Arab
lust as the Zionists have declared
times without number"
There Is one way he answered. |
"and that is for Palestine to be given
10 us and our independence granted
at the same time. Then it will be-
come the Arabic national home.
After that, when we control the
country. we will permit the Jews to
come in. and after they have settled
and lived here a certain number of
years required Tor citizenship, they
can stay as formerly.
Would Bar Immigrants.
What we would like Is that the
Jews who were here before the
Zionist movement should be per-
mitted to remain here, but that all
the others who have cor since
should not be allowed to stay on
here"
1 tried to get the reasoning for
this ambitious schem', but his an
swer was: That's I'll, way II ought
TO be" I persisted in suggesting to
him that if he pursued this idea
only strife would come and no rood
would result: that the feet does re-
main that the English government.
by the mandate, is there to protect
the rights of the Jews rs we'll as
the Arabs. and that nothing else
would be tolerated. To which he
answered that the Arabs were not
afraid of anything that might happen
because of their large numbers.
I then discussed the same questions
with prominent Arabs in various parts
of Palestine, and l found that this
opinion of MuSsa kasim Pasha is not |
prevalent among the younger and
more vigorous element. On the con- |
trary. they are anxious that every |
possible effort be made to promote
the welfare of the country-that har-