Evening star., 1936-05-03

in the middle of the eighteenth CEN
tury in Central Arabia under the
leadership of the Mussulman re-
former, Mohammud-ibn-Abdul Wa
hab. In the inaccessible Nejd the
Wahabites have remained impervious
to the blessings and the evils of west
ern civilization. Their philosophy of
life. their habits and their simple
mode of living have not changed in
200 years. Their lands offer no tempta-
tion to the foreigners. There are no
mines. no oil. no riches in the Central
Arabian Desert. They recognize no
other authority than that of their
ruler, the direct descendant of Wahab.
The British. unable to conquer him,
decided to pay him an allowance of
s500,000 a year and to award him
the Order of the Grand Cross of
the Indian Empire He kept the
decoration and used the money to
provide his tribesmen with modern
war equipment. In 1925 Saud at
tackled Britain's protege. King Hus-
Sein of HedjaZ. In less than two
years the Wahabite rulers nomads
disposed of the well-armed forces Of
Hussein. occupied the holy cities of
Mecca, Medina and Jedda, the Hedjaz
port on the Red Sea. The Labor
government was wise enough not to
oppose Ibn Saud. On May 20, 1927,
the British government recognized
him as the sole and independent ruler
of the Kingdom of Hedjaz-Nejd and
its dependencies and signed a treaty
of friendship and good understand
ing" for a period of seven years. The
foxy Arab would not sign for longer
duration.
Nationalist Movement Alarming.
The treaty of Ibn Saud with Iraq
Is a direct invitation to the other
Islamic nations to join. Egypt. Syria
and Transj jordania. whose foreign af-
fairs are regulated from London and
Paris, have not signed. But the
nationalists in their countries are
4OOh41lS 1OIl oduO Will IlOtc
than platonic interest.
The Egyptian nationalist movement
has taken alarming proportions 1t
is confined for the time being only
to the so-called students, the Egyptian
intelligentsia. The merchants who
will make money whenever Great
Britain increases her forces in Egypt
believe that the country is better
run by the British than it ever will
be by the Egyptians. They are op-
posed to complete independence But
the younger generation has ideals and
resents the British mailed fist, de-
spite the very soft velvet glove in
which it is incased.
Since 1921 the Egyptians have
fought for their independence, and in
1929 they gained the maximum con-
cessions the empire could grant-an
Egyptian diplomatic corps, a small
national army and a Parliament in
dependent of London. All this was
intended to give the Egyptians the
feeling that they were truly independ-
ent. The fact that the British mair,-
tanned the right to keep 1000 men
along the Suez. Canal did not seem to
change the situation. The treaty of
1929 clearly provided that those troops
were to be stationed in Egypt only for
the purpose of defending the canal.
The military forces, 5000 strong. were
to be stationed at Ismalia, while the
aviation, with its 5000 men, was trans
ferred from Aboukir in the Delta to
Port Fuad on the Suez Canal
But as soon as Britain began to
think of Furnishing Italy they dis
patched some $4,000 men to Egypt
and stationed them on the Egyptian
Libyan frontier without regard to
stipulations of the treaty of 1929.
Failed to Consult Egypt.
The British moved these troops to
Egypt and made Alexandria their
principal naval base in the Eastern
Mediterranean because Egypt needed
protection" but without consulting
the Egyptian people. Nevertheless,
the Egyptian Nationalist do not look
at the situation from that angle; they
don't want British troops in Egypt
without formal invitation. And, say
the Nationalist, the situation on the
border does not Justify any special
military preparations. If the British
want to fight out their differences
with the Italians. it is their business.
Egypt need not become the fighting
ground of the contending powers.
Egypt Is no longer a British pro-