British Betrayal - Forgotten Books

Assyrian Quesno one

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s understandingunt il h e h as read th is

book written by an

He has th rown much

3 points which were so

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Here 15 given th e veryessence e modern cal h istoryof Great Britain.

THE BRITI SH BETRAYALOF THE ASSYRIANS

Th e

BRITISH B ETRAYAL

OF TH E

ASSYRIANS

Y U S U F MA L E KF o rm e r ly o f t h e I ra q i C iv i l S e rv i c e

Ju n e 1 9 1 7—S eptem be r 6 . 1 9 3 0

Au th o r of L e s Co ns equ ences T rag iqu es daAf ana

’a t en I raq , 1932

With I n t rod u c ti on ByW I L L I A M A . VV I G PI AM, D .D .

P u bli sh ed by th e Jo in t-Ac tio n

or

T II E A SSYRIAN NATIONAL FEDERATIONAN D

TH E A SSYRIAN NATIONAL LEAGUE or AMERICA1 7 5 8 No rth P a rk Aven u e . Ch ic a go ,

I l l .( B ook s m a y b e s ecu re d by a pp l i ca t ion t o th i s a dd re s s on l y )

F irs t pu bl i shed i n 1935

RIGHTS RESERVED

P r inted in th e Un i ted S ta tes of Amer ica

THE K IMBALL PRESS‘Wa r re n Po i n t , N . J .

HI S B E ATI ’

I‘

UDE THE LATE MAR BENYAM IN SH IMUN XIXCa t/m lzcos P a tr z

'

arr/z of th e E ast

Dedica ted to th e A s sy r ian P eople

in comm emoration of th e

A s sy rians wh o s uffe r ed mar ty rdom

at th e h ands of th e I raq i Gove rnm en t

Y . M.

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AUTHOR ’

S PREFACE

The atroc i t i es de l iberate ly pe rpetrated by the fo rces O fFai sal

,th e puppet k ing on a shaky th rone , l e d by the i r

i l l-bred Officer s against the Assyr i an s i n I raq du r i ng August ,1 933, the month that should mark a black spo t i n B r i t i shh i story

,have nece ssar i ly acce l erated the publ icat ion—as an

u rgent necess i ty—Of a par t O f a comprehens ive book on

th e I raq i m ino r i t i e s wh ich I have i n v i ew .

The B r i t i sh Government has bet rayed , and has ce r

tainly proved hers el f unwo r thy O f , th e t rust that o th erEastern peopl es have placed i n h e r . Sh e rece ived manywarn ings as to the p recar ious po s i t ion O f the I raq m ino r it i e s in an emanc i pated I raq , but i t cont inued to igno re th eappeal s made to i t and se t as i de th e apprehens ions fel teven by the member s O f the Pe rmanent Mandates Commiss ion .

Though un fo r tunate ly the Assy r i an men,women , and

ch i ldren , wh o ,i n de fence o f the i r ve ry hono r

,have been

mos t brutal ly massacred w i th the usual A rab savage ry,a re

l amentably and i rretr i evably lo st,yet i t i s no t too l at e

to save the remnant i f only as a monument to B r i t i sh

p e rfidy and inj ust ice Th i s i s no t impo ss ibl e . I t i si ncumbent upon the l eade r s wh o

,r ight ly o r w rong ly ,

placed the i r “ impl ic i t t rust” i n th e B r i t i sh Gove rnmentand B r i t i sh l ib eral

,to mend the i r ways .

I am not cogn i zant Of the c i rcumstance s th at l ed theAssyr i an l eade r s at the t ime to be swayed by the B r i t i shpo l icy but th e blood Of ou r mar tyr s wh o have fal l envict ims to the “ impl ic i t t rust” and that v i l l a inous po l icy

,i s

loudly cry ing to save tho se wh o are i n the l i on ’s mouth .

The Assyr i an peopl e wh o have been so rely tr i e d fo r th elast n ineten years ( 1 9 1 5- 1 933 ) and have encounte red many

- i i BRITI SH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

b i t ter t r ibu lat ions , wan t and need a stabl e and honestpo l icy that can Off e r i t a real

,pe rmanent peace and s ecu r

i ty , wh ich , i n the l ast s ixteen year s ( 1 9 1 8—1 933 ) O f t r i al .has been defin i te ly proved impo ss ibl e unde r the B r i t i shdominat ion .

I n Apr i l,1 933, I attempted to return to I raq and had

to see S ir Haro l d Satow ,the B r i t i sh Consul -General o f

Beyrouth . He was k ind enough to advi se me to do so,but ,

at the same t ime,he communicated w i th the I raq i Consul

Gene ral o f Beyrouth , Kami l al Ga ilan i , to say that i t wouldbe in the inter est s O f I raq i f I we re al lowed to retu rn whenthe I raq Government could place me unde r str ic t po l i cesu rve i l l ance . I subsequent ly approached the I raq i Consu li n w r i t ing on the 1 s th Of Apr i l and he

,a fter havi ng com

m un icated w i th Baghdad , sent me a letter NO .

dated 2 2 -

5-

33 ,the trans lat ion Of wh ich I append he rew i th :

The Mi n i s try fo r Fo re ign Affai rs has,i n l ette r NO .

37 1 1 , dated 3rd May ,1 933 ,

i n fo rmed me that the I raqGovernment canno t accede to the request s embod i edin your appl icat ion

,but i t can confi rm that no l egal

ac t ion w i l l be taken against y ou for you r past prej ud ic i a lac t i v i t i e s aga inst the i nterests Of I raq .

Thi s sounds very n ice ; but what about i l l egal act ionsso common in I raq ? The request s embodied in my ap

pl icat ion to wh ich the I raq i Consu l make s re ference , andto wh ich the I raq i Government could not accede , i nc l udeda request for my personal safe ty and l ibe r ty wh i l e in I raq .

Up on fu r ther i nqu i ry,the Consu l on the 8 th O f

June,

1 933 ,i n fo rmed me that he could g i ve me no

p ar t icul ar s o ther than tho se contained in h i s le t ter NO .

dated the 2 2 nd O f May ,1 933, wh ich meant

no th ing to me because O f i t s vagueness and ambigu i ty .

S ir Satow’

s recommendat ion,p resumably made bona fide ,

was that I be permitted to return to I raq w i th the understanding that I was to be placed under “ st r ic t po l ice

AUTHOR ’S PREFACE

surve i l l anc e . I d i scovered th i s from the I raq Consulh imse l f wh o was k ind enough to fu rn i sh me w i th copi e sOf h i s corre spondence w i th Baghdad .

I have quo ted th i s m ino r case to i l l u strate the value O fthe League of Nat ions paper guarantees i n I raq fo r theful l pro tect ion Of l i fe and prope r ty Of th e I raq mino r i t i e s

"

,

and to show h ow impo ss ibl e i t i s fo r th e membe rs o f theI raq minor i t i e s , Chal deans and o ther s i nc l uded , to approachthe League O f Nat ions and repo r t the da i ly v io l at ions O f

the paper guarantees by the I raq Gove rnment , howevergrave and acute such v io l at ions may be , w i thout expo s i ngthemselves to rep r i sal s .

The pronounc ed po l icy O f the I raq Governmentc l ear ly a ims at the dest ruc t ion and ext inc t ion o f th eAssyr i an race by me rging i t fo rc i b ly i n th e body po l i t icOf I raq .

I n the face Of the recent at roc i t i e s ( and mo re a re

probably to fo l low ) committed agai ns t the Assyr i an men ,

women , and ch i l dren,against al l l aw s O f c i v i l i zat ion in

I raq ,and par t icul ar ly i n the Mo su l L iwa , by th e armed

force s O f the I raq Government for wh ich preparat ionswere be ing made some month s prev iously

,England re

mained a mere Observer , and h e r“mo ral respons ib i l i ty"

under taken at Geneva th rough the med ium O f S i r F ranc i sHumph rys

,h e r accred i ted representat i ve

,p roved

,as we

constant ly mainta i ned in w r i t i ng and o the rw i se,no t to be

worth the paper upon wh ich i t was r eco rded . I n h i s l as tdays

, S ir Franc i s w i l l have someth ing on h i s consc i ence .

\Ve were betrayed by England on eve ry po s s ib l e oc

cas ion,and were final ly handed over to a so -cal l ed A rab

Government, w i thout adequate o r reasonabl e sa fegua rds

for ou r sa fety .

Ou r gr i evances and c l a im s have been del i be rate ly m i srepresented as I i n formed , ( th rough the k ind favou r o f

Mr . George Naqqash , th e br i l l i ant Lebanese wr i t e r ) Mr .

v i BRITI SH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

Renn i e Smi th o f the I nter-Par l i amentary Union,London ,

from beg i nn ing to end,and i t i s the fi rm bel i e f O f many ,

as we l l as m ine,that mor e mi s representat ions w i l l fo l low ;

hence the re i s the abso l ute necess i ty for the present wo rk .

As an Asse -Chaldean by nat ional i ty,and one Of the

ind igenous inhab i tants from the hear t o f Mo sul , w i th th i rt een year s O i cont inuous exper i ence Of the I raq i government and the B r i t i sh Offic i al s , I c l a im the r ight Of be ingable to s tate ou r s i de Of the case . Living in exi l e for thel ast twenty—n ine months (Apr i l 1 93 I

—August 1 933 ) w i thno p o ss ib le access to my documen t s , I regret that I shal lno t be abl e to p roduc e a compr ehens ive book as Io r ig i nal ly des i red . But my memory has no t fai l ed me ,and w i l l no t

,I hope

,do so now . I hope that the present

wo rk w i l l s erve to give the reade r s,and par t icular ly tho se

interested in the Assyr i ans,a general i dea as to the recent

events l ead ing up to the barbarous ac t s committed by ther egular armed fo rces Of the I raq Government against thepeace fu l Assyr i an c i v i l populat ion .

Chapter 1 has been w r i t ten by the Assyr i an Nat ionalLeagu e O f Amer i ca . Chapter V has been w r i t ten by C0 1.F . Cunl i ffe-Owen . Chapte r s VI I and second hal f O f

Chapter X have been w r i t ten by D r . David B . Pe r l ey .

The indexing i s al so h i s wo rk . Chapter XI I I has beencontr i buted by C0 1 J . J . McCarth y . I am indebted to themal l fo r the i r valuabl e services .

F o r permiss ion to re-publ i sh L t .

-Co l. A . T . VVilson’

s

excel l ent Cr is is in I raq o r ig i nal ly publ i sh ed inthe N ine te en th Cen tu ry (

07, Afte r Rev iew Of Oc tobe r

,1 933 ,

I am indebted to the autho r and to the publ i sher s,

Cons table <5“ Company , L im i ted,

1 0 - 1 2 O range S treetLondon , W.C . 2 .

F o r the read ing Of the gal l ey proo f , I am indebt ed toMrs . D . B . Per l ey Of N ew Jer sey and Mr . Geo rge K .

E sh ay a Of I l l i no i s . F o r the read ing Of the page proo f I

JOSEPH J. DURNA , LL .B .

P r es i de n t , As sy r i an N a t i o na l F ede ra tion

( Oc to ber 27 , 1 935

Atto rn ey fo r a numb e r Of co rp o ra tion s , i n c lu di ng th e

F id e l i ty-Pho e n ix F i re I n su ran ce CO . ; th e Co n ti n e n ta lI n su ran c e CO . ; F i rs t Am e r i can F i re In su ran ce CO . ;

Am e r i can Eag le F i re I n su ran c e C O . ; N iaga ra F i reI n su ran ce C O . and T h e P ru d e n tia l I n su ran c e C O . Of

Am e r i ca

i v BRITI SH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

Assy r ian—Ameri can Benevo l ent Assoc i at ion Of L os Angeles ,Cal i fo rni a ; the Assyr i an Nat ional Schoo l Assoc i at ion Of

Ame r ica , Inc . ,and the Assyr i an Young Peopl e ’s Assoc i at ion

Of Yonker s , New Yo rk , fo r the cour tesy and ass i s tanceextended to th i s wo rk , wh ich I commenced wr i t ing dur ingthe l ast week O f August

,1 933,

i n Cyprus,and completed

i n November Of the same year i n Geneva,w i th the ardent

hope that i t may meet the cry ing need,at th i s c r i t ical

moment , fo r a n ew and true way i n the presentat ion o f

the Assy r i an Probl em .

Geneva,

November , 1 933 .

I NTRODUCTION

I t i s w i th great p l easu r e that I can commend Yusu fMal ek ’s h i sto ry Of h i s own peopl e to al l Engl i sh reade rs .

There i s no type O f mank ind that has had a h i sto rymore interes t ing

,and few more l engthy

,than th e Assy r ian

nat ional i ty to wh ich he belongs . Reach ing back as th ey dothrough the ages to the days when Chaldea and Assy r iawe re p roduc i ng the dawn o f c i v i l i zat ion in the lands whe rec i v i l i zat ion had one O f i t s ve ry ear l i e s t beg i nn ings

,they

have seen the r i s e and depar ture Of th e Pers i an Empi re i ni t s ear l i e r fo rm

,have seen the st rugg l e be tween

'

Par th ia

and Rome , and final ly found i n Ch r i s t i an i ty th e rel ig ionthat th ey coul d take to themselve s

,i n the days when the

late r emp i re O f Pe rs i a was beg i nn i ng a development thatlasted t i l l I s l am sp read a n ew fa i th and a new cu l t u re ove ral l the near and cent ral east .

Pe rhaps i t was the strange pa ral le l i sm between themyths Of the Old fa i th o f Chal dea , and the theo logy o f

Ch r i s tendom,that enab led th e peop l e to take the n ew fa i th

O f the West s o tho roughly to the i r hear t s .

F o r that fai th they have su ffe red,and in i t they h ave

found the exp ress ion o f the i r nat ional l i fe unde r th evar ious rul e r s o f I s lam . Meant ime

,they have g i ven at

l east the unden i abl e proo f that one rep roach o f Ch r i st i ansunder the rul e Of I s l am i s not j ust ified

,and that given

any reasonabl e oppo r tun i ty , th ey can show as much b rave ryand dash in fight as any p ro fe sso r O f the fa i th o f I s lam .

As a Chu rch,they have an inte rest fo r al l student s O f

Chr i s t i an ant iqu i ty that i s un ique , fo r th e re i s no o the rcommuni ty i n wh ich can be found the customs O f theear l i e s t centur i e s o f Ch r i s t i an i ty ste reo typed and fo s s i l i zed

v i i i BRITI SH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

as i t were,so as to preserve them fo r tho se

,wh o ,

i n a l aterage seek to hark back to the i r o r igi ns and to “ look untothe rock whence they have been hewn , a model Of whatthe fa i th they pro fess was i n i t s ear l i e s t and mo st p r im itive ages .

Reader s w i l l find here descr ip t ion and h i story Of everyone Of these aspec t s Of the peopl e wr i t ten ou t by one o f

themselves, w i th a know l edge and sympathy that no for

e igner , no matter what h i s exper i ence,can real ly hope to

atta in .

The work appears at a moment when the for tunes of

the peopl e seem to be at the i r very darkest,and may serve

to attract to tho se wh o have suffered more severe ly andmore undeserved ly than almos t any o ther nat ion in thewar

, some O f the sympathy and help that i s the i r j ust due .

i V. A . Wigram ,D .D

We l l s,Somerse t .

November,1 933 .

DRAMAT IS PERSON N AE IN PRODITION E

The I raq i cab inet o f assass inato r s wh ich app rovedind i scr im inate ly Of th e massacre Of the Assyr i an s fo l low i ngthe proc l amat ion Of J i had—a Ho lyWar :

Rash i d ’A1i al Gailan iHikmat Sula imanYas i n al Hash imiNur i al Sa ’ i dMuhammad Zak iJalal BabanRustam Hai dar

Sayy i d ’Adbul Mahd i

The fo l low i ng i s a l i s t

P r im e llI inis ter .

Minis te r of I n terior .

Minis te r of F inance .

Min is ter of F or e ign Afiairs .

Min is te r of Ju s tice .

Min is te r of D efence .

Min is te r of Commu nications

and Works .

Min is te r of E du cation .

O f B r i t i sh Offic i al s th roughwhose i nst rumental i ty and ind i ffe rence the massacre wasmade pos s ib l e :

S ir Franc i s Humph rys . .

Capt . V . Ho l t

S ir Keneh an Co rnwal l i s .

Maj or C . J . Edmonds .

Maj o r W. C . F . A .Wi l son .

Co lone l R . S . Stafford .

Maj or Douglas B . Thomson .

. Or i en tal

F i rs t

His B r i tann ic llI'

ajes ty’

s Am

bas s ador in B aghdad ( th e

ge rm of th e wh ole trag edy ) .

S ecr e tary to th e

B r i tis h E mbas sy in B aghdad.

.Advis or,Min is te r of th e I n

te r ior ; Ch i ef Adm in is tra t ive

Ins p e c to r and p r iva te coun

s ellor to King F a is al.

A s s is tan t Adv is or

S i r K eneh an Cornwallis .

to

A dm in is trative I nsp ec tor in

Mos ul..Adm in is tra tive Insp ec tor in

Ados u t

Th e E nglish exp er t for th e

S e ttlemen t of th e A s sy rians .

0 ,i t is excellent

To have a giant’

s s trength ; bu t i t is ty rannous

To us e i t like a giant .”

—From Shake sp ea re ’

s

Mea su re for Measu re , I I ,2 .

C O N T E N T S

Auth or’ s P reface

Introdu c tion Dr . W. A . Wigram v i i

Dramatis P ers onnae in P rodi tione

FIRST BOOK

C IRCUM STAN CES PR IOR TO TH E: F INAL BETRAYAL

CHAPTER

A B r i e f H i s to ry Of the Assy r i an Nat ion and“ Chu rch O f the East”

A s sy r ian N a t ional L eagu e of Am er ica .

Fai sal al Husain

The I nhab i tant s Of I raq and the I raq Un i ty .

The Assyr i ans

The Assy r i ans i n Baqubah and at Mi ndanCol. F . Cunlifi

‘e-Ot cen

The Chal deans

The Jacob i te s D . B . P e rley

The Yaz idis

The Jews and Other Mi no r i t i e sMi s s ionar i e s and Po l i t i cs—w i th D . B . P erley

The Assyr i an Levi es and the K i rkuk Inc ident

The Assy r i ans i n the House Of Lo rds

The Assyr i ans i n Pe rs i a and Mesopo tam i a( 1 9 1 8 - 1 9 1 9 ) Col. J . J . McCar thy

The Assyr i an s B e fo re the League Of Nat ionsi n 1 932

CONTENTS

SECOND BOOK

TH E F INAL BETRAYAL OF TH E ASSYR IAN S

The Final B etrayal Of the Assyr i ans— Par t I .

The Final B et rayal Of the Assyr i ans—Par t I I .

The Final B etrayal Of the Assyr i ans—Par t I I I

The Arab Barbar i sm in I raq

The Cr i s i s i n I raq—L t .

-Col. A . T.Wils on,M.P .

The End

APPEND ICES

Letter to the Mandates Commiss ion by theMar S h imun e t als .

f

Li st Of 76 Per sons B rutal ly Ki l l ed Ind iv i dual ly

Rad iogramme from the Assyr i an Metropo l itan O i I nd i a

Dr . Wigram ’

s Letter to the Ed i to r o f theNear East and I nd i a”

The Treacherous Document Of Baghdad .

Th e Mar S h imu n’

s Pro test to the Fo re ignDiplomat ic Representat i ves in I raq .

Statement Show i ng a Smal l Percentage Of

Assyr i ans Massacr ed in August OfS tatement Show i ng Names Of Pe rsonsB rutal ly Assass inated Subsequent to theOffic i al Massacr e

A Li s t O f the Assyr i an Vi l l age s Loo tedDu r i ng the Massacre

An Appeal by th e Mar S h imun to al l theCh r i st i an Churches

I L L U S T R A T I O N S

H i s Beat i tude Af ar E s h a i S h imu n XXI front is p ie ce

Hi s Beat i tude th e LateMar B eny am in S h imun XIX

fron tisp iec e

FAC ING PAGEThe Autho r

Jos eph J . Durna

Assyr i an Nat ional League Of Ame r i ca , Office r s andthe Execut ive Commit tee

Assy r i an Levy Office r s

Col. F . Cunl i ffe-Owen

Dav i d I". Pe r l ey

Pro f . Ashur S . Yusu f

Canon Wi l l i am A . Wi gram ,D .D .

Dr . Petro s O f the Baz

A Group o f Barwar

Assyr i an Leade r s

Mali /e L oco S h lemon Of Tkhuma

Yaleu D’

IlI alik I sma il o f Upper Tiy ar i

A Group Of Tkhuma

A Group O f Upper Tiy ar i

A Group Of Di z

A Group Of J elu , Sara , and Dr inay e

Madame Sh e ren i Of Tal , Yonadow Gabr i e l,Mrs

Raih an i

Dr . Sh imun MalkeCapt . Alexander Amee r

1

F I R S T B O O K

CIRCUMSTANCES PRIOR TO THEFINAL BETRAYAL

Observe thy s e lf as th y g rea tes t

e nemy wou ld do , s a i llat th an be

th y g r ea tes t fr i end .

-J e remy Tayl o r .

2 BRITISH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

Kingdom , a r i val Of Babylon,

reserv ing h e r power fo r

future po ss ib i l i t i e s,de fens ive as we l l as Offens ive . B e

ginn ing w i th Shalmaneser I,about 1 30 0 B C , the c i ty

Kingdom began to expand into an Empi re , conquer i ng andconso l i dat ing smal l er s tates around i t . Campaign a ftercampaign was conducted by Shalmaneser against the declin ing emp i re Of the H i t t i t es , unt i l even Capodoc ia was

reached, wher e several Assyr i an mi l i tary co lon i es were

sett l ed . The Armen ians and the Ku rd i sh tr ibes in the no r thand no r theast were al so attacked by Shalmaneser . Nor

d i d Syr i a escape the e ffec t Of th i s tr i umphant r e igns Of

the power Of Assyr i a . Sh almane se r’

s successor turned h i sattent ion to Babylon which he added to h i s domin ions , thusmak ing Assyr i a the m i stre ss Of the o r i ental wo r l d . UnderTiglath

-P ile s er I,the front i er Of A s sy r ia was fur ther ex

tended westward as far as theMed i terranean Sea , and th emighty Egypt p resented the Assyr i an conquero r w i th apre sent—a crocodi le .

Dur i ng the e ighth and n inth centu r i e s the Assyr i anemp ero r s d i d not merely expand the i r terr i to r i e s , but inSp i red the Hebrew prophets w i th a new i dea Of God,

thati s

,Jehovah

,a tr ibal God Of I srael becomes a un iversal God,

even mo re power ful than the Assyr i an Monarchs , who serods they were

,accord ing to Amo s and I sa i ah . I srael had

become a vassal to Shalmaneser I I I , and Judah could not

remain very much longer unaffected by the Assyr i an Empi re . The Se -Phoen ic i an mar i t ime commerc i al c i t i e s , andthe trade routes connec t ing them w i th Ind ia by the wayO f the Pe r s i an Gul f , were a pr i z e wo r th contending fo r , andShalmaneser made these serve h i s Empi re .

The death Of Shalmaneser I I I was fo l lowed by a sho r ti nterval Of mi l i tary i nac t iv i ty . That Monarch and h i spredecesso r s had inaugurated an ent i re ly new imper i a lpo l icy , unknown in the anc i ent wo r l d be fo re them . TO

render the trade routes between the Med i ter ranean Sea

THE ASSYRIAN NATION

and the Pers i an Gul f abso l ute ly sa fe , the te rr i to ry th roughwh ich these route s passed coul d not be l e ft to chance

,th e

precar ious loyal ty o f the vassal s tates . The expe r i ence O f

centur i e s had shown that such contro l could not be secu redunless the country were systemat ical ly conquered , o ccup i edand guarded by the Assyr i an s” . I n o the r wo rds , the who l eterr i tory from the Great Sea to Tigr i s , shoul d become anintegral par t o f Assyr i a . The p roce ss l ed to the d i rec tannexat ion and government o f the subdued peopl es . Thi spo l icy o f systemat i c conquest and subj ugat ion re sul t edper fo rce i n the ass im i l at ion Of conque red peopl es .

Wi th the access ion o f Tiglath-P ile s e r I I I to the th rone

i n 745 B .C . ,a n ew dr i ve began fo r the emp i re o f Ashur .

The re ign o f the Monarch inaugu rated what may be cal l edthe “Go l den Age” o f the second Assy r i an Empi re

,wh ich

lasted unt i l the destruc t ion o f the S tate . Po l i t i cal ly the recame upon the throne o f Assyr i a

,i n rap i d success ion ,

beg i nn ing w i th T iglath -P iles e r I I I . , a long l i ne o f rul er so f magn i tude . Only one o ther th rone

,that o f th e

'

O ttom an

Tu rks, can c l a im a s im i l ar l i ne o f fi rs t rate conque ro rs and

admin i strator s .

Unde r these rul e r s Assy r i a no t only recove red al l thelo s t grounds , but al so new prov ince s

,greate r g lo ry

,and

prest ige we re added , bes i des w i nn ing back te r r i to ry andpo l i t ical s t rength wh ich was lo st a fte r the death o f Shalm ane s e r I I I . The p olicv o f conso l i dat i ng prov inc i a ladmin i s trat ion , and the p roce ss o f ass im i l at ion o f subj ectpeoples we re cont inued mo re sy s temat i cal ly than be fo re .

Tigla th—P iles e r I I I was the fi r s t King o f Assy r i a to

make Baby lon an Assyr i an p rovi nce . H i s fur the r con

quests car r i ed the Assyr i an arms far ther than tho se o f

hi s predecessor . To the east,th e sho re s o f the Casp ian

Sea were reached , and Med i a was o rgan i zed w i th a p rovi nce . I n the west

,h i s conquest s penet rated Asi a Mi no r

4 BRITI SH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

and covered the ent i re eastern coast o f the Med i ter raneanSea unt i l they reached Egypt .But Tiglath -Pilese r was not mere ly a conque ro r . Hi s

ach i evements as a ruler and an admin i strato r were equa lly remarkabl e

,and one might ventur e to say

,r evo lu t ionary ,

resembl ing in some re spec t s tho se o f Jul i us Caeser Hi sfi r s t ac t was to reorgani z e the army upon a n ew founda

t ion . Thi s he d i d by creat ing a powe r ful stand ing army inwh ich lay the strength o f the Assyr i an Empi re . I t was

al so a nat ional army , r ecru i ted from a nat ion and no t froma conger i e s o f loo se ly connec ted vassal state s

,c i ty k i ng

doms , and tr i bal d i s tr icts . I n o ther words , Assyr i a re

sembled a modern state not mere ly i n i t s m i l i tary organ i zat ion , but in i t s po l i t ical and soc i al s truc ture—a compac ts tate

,no t unl ike the Ottoman o r Russ i an Empi res .

But the army was s imply a means to a greater end .

The Assyr i an Monarchs never planned vas t conquest s,

l i ke tho se o f Alexander the Great . The po l icy o f ass im i l at ion to wh ich the empi re had been committed , could no t

be adj usted to meet the exigenc i e s o f such rap i d and vastaccumulat ions o f new peopl e . Tiglath

-F i l ser I I I,d id not

add ve ry much to what h i s predecesso r s had c l aimed,no r

d id h i s great successo r s except Esarhaddon wh o addedEgypt to the fo r tune o f h i s father s . The autho r i t i e s te l lu s that every campaign fought by the second Assyr i an EmDire ,

that i s,from the access ion o f Tiglath

-P ile s e r I I I tothe fal l o f N ineveh , 60 6 B .C . ,

was a de fens ive pro j ec t .The Empero rs were engaged in a po l i t ical effo r t unp re

c eden ted i n the anc i en t O r i ent . I t was the i r nat ion ’s supr emecontr i but ion to c iv i l i zat ion—the creat ion o f a new po l it ical concept to wh ich the Pe rs ian and Roman Empi resfe l l he i r .

T0 make Assyr i a a modern State , two methods we reinvoked by Tiglath

-P ile se r . These methods had beenused by h i s predecessor s , but on a smal ler scal e . The

THE ASSYRIAN NATION

Egypt i an,Babyloni an

,and H i tt i t e Empi re s had con

quered many peopl e , but no attempt s we re made to re

duce the subj ec t-peopl e i nto a cen t ral i zed S tate . Th e

conquered ter r i tor i e s remained vassal Q tate s wh ichmere ly recogn i z ed the suzera inty o f the i r ove r lo rds and pai dthem an annual tr i bute . The Assy r i an s depar ted fromth i s in two ways : ( a ) they detached the conque red peopl efrom the i r old loyal t i e s— rel igious

,t rad i t ional

,rac i a l

and t er r i to r i al , by a w e l l calculated , but rep rehens ib le,

system o f depo r tat ion . The best exampl e was the capt i v i tyo f the Ten Tr i bes o f I srael . I t s obj ec t was to c reatea un i fo rm popul at ion and to l e s sen the po s s i b i l i t i e s o f

revo l t . ( b ) The o ther fac to r evo l ved by T iglath -P iles e r was

that O f central i zat ion . I t i s po ss ib l e to mai nta i n that thewho l e sa l e depo r tat ion o f the conquered peopl e was aconsequence o f th i s po l icy . Competent h i sto r i an s assureus that i t was th e fi r st t ime i n h i sto ry that the i dea o f

central i zat ion was i nt roduced i nto po l i t i cs . When a n ew

te rr i to ry was conquered , i t become an integral par t o f th eAssy r i an Empi re . Al l i t s fo rme r po l i t ical and evenre l igious o rgans wer e destroyed . I n the place O f these

,

a new system was impo sed,and i n the pl ace o f th e fo rme r

ruler— in mo st cases a k ing—an Assyr i an p rovinc i a lgoverno r was appo i nted by the k ing and was d i rec t lyrespons ibl e to h im . The Assyr i anMonarchs we re care fu l tosecu re “men o f such energy , i nte l l igence and effi c i ency fo rimpor tant prov inc i a l governor sh ips , that the charac ter. s t ic ev i l s o f eastern offic ialdom ,

l e thargy and incompe tence were almos t unknown” . These gove rnor s adm in is

te red the i r provinces accord ing to the k ing ’s w i l l . Assy r i anj ur i sprudence

, cour t s and language we re subst i tuted for

those o f the conquered p eopl e for al l admin i st rat ive pu rposes .Assyr i an c o i ns

,we ight s and measu res , as we l l as comme r

c ial p rac t ice , were e stabl i shed . These advantages o f

l—Oamb r i dg e Anc ient H is tory I I I . 6 4.


Assyr i an c iv i l i z at ion were spread from one end o f theEmpi re to the o the r and made un i form . Comme rc i a land mi l i tary roads were construc ted to fac i l i tate t rave land movement o f armies . The Assyr i an dominat ion o f

the W’

e ste rn As i a was not me re ly m i l i tary ,but cultu ral

as we l l—Assyr i a was a c i v i l i z ing fac tor . I t was fo r

th i s reason that the Assyr i an p rovm ce s enj oyed a p rot rac ted per iod o f peace

,rar e i n the h i sto ry o f the East at

that t ime ; and not unt i l the coming o f Rome di dWe ste rnAs i a enj oy a uni fo rm legal prac t ice under wh ich thet rader and the poo r found sa fety and pro tec t ion . I no ther words

,what Rome did fo r the Med i ter ranean wor l d

,

Assyr i a d i d fo r the Weste rn As i a .

Such was the work o f T iglath-P ileser I I I

,the

greates t o f Assyr i an Monarch . The four greates t Monarchs wh o fo l lowed h im are Sargon I I , Sennacher ib ,Esarhaddon

,and Ashurban ipal wh o

’

con solidated and car

r i ed ou t h i s po l ic i e s and measures . The i r task was p r imar i ly that o f ho l d ing fi rmly to the terr i to ry al r eadyacqu i red and o f Spread ing the Babylon i an cul tur e th roughou t the i r Empi re . The re fo re

,the i r war s were l arge ly

de fens i ve in character , and even in pu rpo se , preservi ng andcement i ng the Assyr i an Empi re as fi rmly as would seemhumanly po s s ib l e . The Assyr i an State

,unl ike the R0

man Empi re,was su r rounded i n al l d i rec t ions by S tate s

and nat ions o f might equal to i t s own .

Th e Assyr i an Monarchs we re as truly great pa t ronso f l earn ing and cul tu re as they we re statesmen . TheT iglath

-P ile s e r I I I,e rec ted a vast and magn ificent p al

ace at h i s new cap i tal,Kalah

,w i th a row o f co lonnades at

i t s entrance . Othe r publ ic and p r i vate bu i ld ings musthave been equal ly magn ificent to harmoni ze w i th theroyal palace

,and many o ther great men o f the empi re

mu s t have im i tated the i r master i n the beaut ificat ion o f

the i r own pal ace s . As the Assyr i an Monarchs we re i n

THE AS SYRIAN NATION

cu rably re l igious , they bu i l t magnificen t temples to the i rnat ional gods . Other c i t i e s o f the emp i re must havece rta in ly follovxed the example o f the cap i tal i n th i s , asin many o ther I

‘

eSp ects .

Sargon I I , the next great Assyr i an Monarch , was ,l i ke h i s predecessor , no t only a great conquero r andstatesmen but a great bu i l der ; fo r he al so founded anew cap i t al w i th a palace o f equal magn ificence w i th thato f T iglath

-P iles e r I I I . S im i l ar impetu s must have beengiven to the deve lopment o f cul ture th roughout the emp i re . Sargon wen t a step fu r the r than h i s p redece sso rby arous ing a tremendous growth o f i n te re st in the studyOf the pas t h i sto ry o f Assy r i a . By nam ing h imse l f SargonI I

,he w i shed to creat e a strong sent iment fo r the

ant iqu i t i es o r t rad i t ions o f h i s peopl e . Thi s fac t i s i l l u strated by Sargon ’ s o rde r i ng and d i rect ing the ed i t ion o f

var ious texts wh ich conce rned adventu re s o f Sargon o f

Agade ( 380 0 ,B .C . l I t woul d no t be st retch ing the ev i

dence too far i n say ing that Sa rgon was the fi r s t en

l ightened Monarch O i Western As ia,wh o set a n ew ex

ample fo r h i s successo r s i n th e promo t ion o f l e arn ing andcul ture . As S i dney Smith says

,

"

Sargon was no t only agreat King but an en l ightened man

,and in h im i s to be

found the same taste fo r a rt i s t i c and l i t e rary e ffo r t thatd i st ingu i shed h i s successo r s ’ 1 .

Sennacher i b , Sargon’s son and successo r to h i s th rone ,

surpassed al l h i s p redeces sors i n h i s zeal fo r the re

s toration o f old and bui ld ing o f new c i t i e s . He t ransferred h i s res i dence to N i neveh wh ich he made the capi talo f the Assyr i an Emp i re . H e reconstructed

,beau t ified,

and enl arged the c i ty , and in i t s center e rect ed seve ralvast publ ic bu i l d ings

,among wh ich was h i s pal ace

,an

ed i f ice Of great arch i tectural magn i f icence , and re

markabl e fo r base re l i e fs upon i t s wal l s and the great

l—Cambr idge Anc ien t H i s to ry I I I . page 6 0 .


stone co lo ss i wh ich ado rned i t s gateways . Thi s Monarch ’ s pass ion fo r bu i l d ing resu l ted i n such a vast numbero f p ro j ect s that the i r enumerat ion would be ted ious . I nl i t e ratu re and fine art the re ign Of Sennacher i b markedan ep och equal to any reached in anc i ent O r i ent . Alli n al l , Sennacher i b was as abl e a monarch as h i s fatheri n the batt l efi el d and su rpassed h im in h i s i nterest i n ar t

and l i t e ratu re .

E sarh addon’

s re ign i s essent i al ly a pe r iod o f po l i t icaldevelopments

,de fense and expans ion o f the Emp i re , and

i t s admin i strat ion . Cul tural s i de o f the Empi re was l e ftto h i s son ’ s re ign

,Ashurban ipal I I I

,the Grand Mon

a rch o i Assy r i a . Hi s i nter est in development and sp reado f l earning surpassed tho se o f h i s grand fathe r . Ashurban ip al was h imse l f a l earned Monarch , and h i s fondnessfo r l earning l ed to h i s co l l ect ion o f two magn ificent l ibrar ie s at N ineveh . H is int eres t i n art was as personalas that o f h i s grand father and the Assyr i an art reachedi ts per fect ion du r ing h i s re ign . The Age o f Ashurban ipalmarks a defin i te stage in the h i s to ry o f cul tu re

,and the

mode rn te rm ( the Age o f Ashu rban ipal ) befit t ingly l i nksthat k ing ’s name w i th h i s t ime

,as i t connec t s the

g lo r i e s o f Impe r i al Rome w i th the name o f Augustus” 1 .

The Assyr i an c i v i l i zat ion— Sp ec ifically cul ture andl earn ing—was based upon that o f the Babyloni ans , a k ind red peop le . I n th i s r espec t the Assy r i ans d id no t c reatea cul ture o f the i r own

,but ne i ther d i d the Romans . How

eve r,the Assyr i ans se rved c iv i l i zat ion in the i r own way ,

a cont r ibut ion wh ich the h i s to r i ans o f the Anc i en t Eastcompare to that o f the Romans ; that i s accept i ng i n i t sent i rety the c i v i l i zat ion o f a k ind red people ( the Baby loni ans ) they ( the Assy r i ans ) mainta ined i t and sp read i ti n a manne r the o r i ginal c reato r s we re ent i rely incapable

1—Cam b r i dge Anc i en t H i s to ry I I I . DD. 6 0 and 8 8 .

1 0 BRITI SH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIAN S

Assy r i a proper and rehab i l i tate the i r newly acqu iredterr i to r i e s by the i r own nat ional s . Such must have beenthe case w i th the c i ty o f OOrh ae ,

for even Mar Addai( one o f the Twe lve D i sc ip l e s , re fer s to OOrh ae as be inginhab i ted by the Assyr i ans?

Th i s l i t t l e Assyr i an Kingdom endured unt i l 336 A .D .

I n the m iddle o f the four th century,the Romans and the

Per s i an s began one o f the i r war s,and dur i ng th i s cam

pa ign Oo rh ae was taken by the Pers i ans . The Assyr ianswe re d i spersed th roughout As i a Mi no r . Some wentin to Sy r i a , some remained unde r the Per s i an rul e ando the rs took re fuge in the Mountain s o f Ku rdis tan l . I nthese mountains they l ived and enj oyed a home -rul e un t i l1 9 1 5 . When the wo r l d confl ic t o f 1 9 14 broke ou t , theseAssyr i ans

,th rew the i r lot w i th that o f the Al l i es . They

we re fo rced to flee f rom the i r mountain homes —no r tho f N ineveh

,the Assy r i an cap i tal ,— to Pe rs i a whe re they

maintained themse lve s unt i l 1 9 1 8 when they were againuproo ted . Thi s t ime i n acco rdance w i th the B r i t i sh promi s e s ( see Chap . IV . ) they retreated to Mesopo tam i a to

remain under B r i t i sh p ro tec t ion . Dur i ng these m is fo r

tunes the Assyr i ans lo s t not only the i r homes and prope rty ,

but prac t ical ly two - th i rds o f the i r number . Whathappened to them from the t ime they found r e fuge w i ththe B r i t i sh

,the reader w i l l find ful ly and authent ical ly

reco rded in the pages o f th i s book .

THE ASSYRIAN CHURCH OF THE EAST

EM B RACEMENT AND ExTEN S ION OF CH R IST IAN ITY INTH E OR IENT

I t was in the second year after the Asc ens ion o f

Ch r i s t that Ch r i s t i an i ty showed i t s first s igns in Mesopo tamia . At about th i s t ime , Thomas , one o f the twe lve

,

1—T h e A s s y r i an T ra ge dy Ann em a ss e F ebru a ry 1 9 34.

2—D oc tr ine Of Ma r Adda i .

CHURCH OF THE EAST

had begun the p reach ing and teach ing o f the go spe l andthe new re l igion , wh ich was prophet ical ly dest i ned to

embrace al l o f Beth -Nah re en l ate r .

Thomas cont inued w i th h i s apo sto l i c mi ss ion unt i l

45 A .D . , that i s to say , twe lve year s a ft er the Ascens ion ,and then proceeded to I nd i a to commence h i s p ioneer i ngact iv i t i e s i n Chr i s t i an teach ing the re . In the meant ime

,

S imon,cal l ed Pete r , had succeeded Thomas as the apo s

t l e to Mesopotam ia . I t was dur i ng h i s tenure o f apo sto l icmiss ion that the fi rs t Chr i s t i an chu rch was founded i nBabylon thus e stabl i sh ing the East e rn Apo st at e . Complet ingh i s task in Mesopotam ia , Pete r retu rned to Rome . ( Pete rI,Chap . 5 : 1 3

- 1 4 )I n the year 45 A .D . ,

Addai,

o r better known asThaddeus

, one o f the twe lve,succeeded S imon as the

apo st l e to Mesopo tam ia . Adda i went to Oo rh ae o r Adessain fulfi l lment o f a p romi se wh ich J esus had made to KingOogar , wh i l e on ear th . Hi sto r ica l document s po i n t ou t

that th i s promise was i nvo l ved in d i rec t co rre spondencebetween J esus and King OOgar . On October 1 5, 3 1 A .D .

,

dur i ng the re ign o f Tiber i u s,th e Roman Gove rno r o f

Jerusal em , King OOgar had d i spatched th ree o f h i s mo sttrusted men to i nv i te Je sus to come fo r a v i s i t and to

cure h im o f h i s malady . Marh ah t, Sh am sh agrum and

Hannan the ar t i s t,the th ree men that King OOgar had sent

as em i ssar i es o f good -w i l l to Jesus , had set ou t on the i rj ourney . Arr i v i ng in the bo rde r c i ty O f Beth -Gobr in , theywent to the house o f Cebinus , the son o f A s trag iu s , the i rgovernor

,and remained there twenty -h y e days . Cebinu s ,

real i z ing the impor tance o f the i r mi ss ion,gave them a

letter o f i ntroduct ion to the Roman Magi st rat e i n J e rusalem request ing h im to extend these men al l nece ssa rycour tes i e s . Resum ing the i r j ou rney

, on th e way theymet many d ivers peopl e from sundry count r i e s . Jo i ning th i s anxious and fa i th ful crowd o f p i lgr ims th ey

1 2 BRITI SH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

cont inued the i r j ourney to Jerusalem . Ar r i v ing i n thec i ty

,they met J esus and we re amazed at h i s beauty . Upon

speak ing to h im,they were ove rwhelmed w i th adm ir

at ion fo r h i s w i sdom and know l edge . As emi ssar i e s o f

King Oogar , they r emained w i th Jesus fo r ten days .

Dur i ng the i r s tay,Hannan

,the ar t i st

,painted a po r tra i t

o f Jesus,and w ro te i n fo rm o f a d iary everyth ing that

He had Spoken and o f al l that had taken p lace du r ingthe i r s tay . On the i r re tu rn to OOrh ae

,i n r everence and

admi rat ion , they r el ated to King OOgar what they hadseen and heard

,al so ment ion ing the promi se that J esus had

made o f send ing one o f h i s d i sc i p l e s to h im to cu re h i smal ady . The j ourney o f Addai to OOrh ae o r Adessawas i n fulfi l lment o f that p romise , and on h i s ar r i va lKing OOgar extended h im a co rdi al we lcome and gaveh im assu rance o f eve ry po s s i b l e ass i stance w i th wh ich to

car ry on h i s wo rk . Wi th the King ’s a i d Addai taught thenew doc tr i ne o f Jesus

,founded chu rches and establ i shed

great theo logical sem inar i e s throughout the country . I twas the great impetus o f Ch r i s t i an teach ing that pl acedAdessa among the fo remo st center s o f l earn ing o f thet ime

l.

From the year 48 A .D . unt i l 87 A .D .,Aga i and

Mar i , h i s d i sc ip l es , car r i ed on the wo rk o f the i r maste r . They founded strong apo states and extended Chr i st ian ity to the easte rn and southe rn po r t ions o f Mesopo tami a . They pe r fo rmed mi rac l e s

,such as rai s ing the

dead, caus ing the bl ind to see , e tc . They cho se sp i r i ted

m i ss ionar i e s from among the i r true Assyr i an conver t swh ich later car r i ed the name o f Ch r i s t w i th a fiery zealinto the pagan and Jew i sh e l ements Of the ir t ime andconve rted mi l l ions o f soul s to Chr i s t i ani ty . How d i dthese men carry on the i r wo rk ? Under what condi t ions

1 —B a r -S am -Ma nn ie—P a rt IV .

G rego r i o " . known a l s o a s B a r -E v ra y e .

CHURCH OF THE EAST

and hand icaps were they pe r fo rming the i r dut i e s ? H i sto ry we l l reco rds

” the i r hero ic deeds i n the name o f theCros s . Many were bu rned at s take , o the r s we re mut i l atedin the mos t horr i b l e manne r s , and many o the r s we replaced under mo s t d i abo l ic and c rue l pun i shments u h

known to man . The amputat ion o f arms and l egs and thed i smemberment o f o the r part s o f the body we re commonpenalt i e s impo sed upon them because o f the i r bel i e f andteach ing . I n sp i t e o f th i s scou rge o f human wrath ev ideuced agains t them ,

they st rove on s incerely be l i ev ing i nthe i r miss ion . F o r Chr i s t and h i s t each ing they we re w i l l ingto sacr ifice the i r l i ve s . They we re inbu ed w i th a sp i r i t o fzea l and al tru i sm and we re eage r to acquain t o the r sw i th the new ph i lo sophy o f en te rnal l i fe . The fo l low ingnames are p rominent ly engraved i n the annal s o f Ch r i st i an h i sto ry fo r the i r valor and hero i sm in fight ing to

ca rry on the name o f Ch r i s t to th e wo r l d .

S t . Thomas, On e o f th e Tw e l v e 35 A .D .—45 A .D .

S t . Adda i (Thadd eu s ) 33 A .D .

—4 5 A .D .

Aga i and Mar i , “

Two o f th e S .e v en ty . . 45 A .D .—48 A .D .

Ambriu s , re la ted to Ma ry , th e V i rg i n 82 A .D .—98 A .D .

Orah am I “

Of Kash ckar”

98 A .D .—120 A .D .

Jacob I , re la ted to J o seph th e Naga ra(Carp e n te r ) . A .D .

—138 A .D .

I n the th i rd century the Eastern Apo state made t remendons str i de s i n development O f educat ion

,theo logy ,

and ph i lo sophy . From the inst i tut ions o f l earn ing,found

ed by th i s apo s tate emerged men o f eminence i n thevar ious fi e l ds o f know l edge , who went into the wo r l d Of

the i r t ime and p ropagated the i r l earn ing to the advantageOf mank ind . The i r i nfluence was s o great in i t s pu rposethat i t s benefic i a l eff ect s are mani fe s t even today . Suchnames as tho se o f Mar Ephraim the Great ( bo rn 30 3A .D .

-died 373 Khami s “

B ar Kh ardakh e , Odish oo“

B ar N invah y a ,

” the Metropo l i tan Of Souva and MarNarsay

“

Khanara D’

rookh a”

( born 437 A .D .

-d i ed 50 2


stand ou t as gigant ic monuments i n the theo logyand ph i losophy . Although the ir wo rk and the ir teachings are wr i t t en in Aramaic , yet translat ions o f the ir wo rksi n d i fferent l anguages affo rd the interested reader aneasy access to acquaint h imse l f w i th these men . I t woul dbe fut i l e on any one ’s par t to attempt to evaluate theimpo r tance and i nfl uence o f the i r work , but i t can beearnest ly and t ruth ful ly sa i d

,the acquaintance o f one ’s

se l f w i th these would be a sat i s fy ing and soo th ing mediumfo r minds inc l i ned toward theo logical and ph i lo soph icalstud i es .

Dur ing the age o f these mental gi ant s,great i h

s t itu t ions o f l earn ing were in exi s tence . From the un ive rs ities o f Ns eban

,Ant ioch

, Sal ak-Th ispun and Alexandr i a ( Egypt ) was poured a new l i fe into the ve ins o f thehuman i ty . I ndi a and Ch ina and par ts o f A fr ica wereemblazoned w i th the name and teach ing o f Chr i s t . Thechamp ions o f th i s cause had acqu i red the appearanceo f beggar s and wanderers and as such they p ioneered intothe darkest par ts o f the wo r l d suffer i ng unto l d hardsh ips ,abuses and persecut ions . The i r miss ion was to enl ightenthe wo r l d by a new l i fe and toward that goal they p roceeded unheedful o f obstac l e s that stood in the ir way .

H i s to ry we l l reco rds the resul ts Of the i r effo r t s and deeds .Even today magn ificent monuments i n China

,India

,and

Egypt stand as mute ev i dence o f the i r glo r ious w ork .

The fal l o f the Eastern Apo state had i ts in i t i al st epi n that d i rect ion long be fo r e the church had atta inedi t s ful l grow th and expans ion . As i t has b een prev iouslyment ioned that al l O f th i s m is s ionary wo rk was car r i e don i n ho st i l e te rr i to ry

,one can eas i ly see the antagoni st ic

fo rces cont i nual ly wo rk ing fo r it s de struct ion . Thefo rces that once we re peace ful ly subdued by i ts i nfluencehad suddenly r i sen against i t

,caus ing i t s gradual dec l i ne

to the weak ened state o f today .

CHURCH OF THE EAST

As the Patr i archate was the cente r o f grav i ty o f thewho l e Eastern Church , we can e as i ly real i z e that anyfo rce s d i rected toward endanger i ng i t s peace and secu r ity woul d have destruc t i ve and de l e te r iou s eff ect s uponthe who l e frame-work o f the church . Thi s was exac t lywhat happened . Al l o f the maj o r persecut ions against theChr i s t i ans were aimed d i rec t ly at the Patr i archate . F o r

centur i e s i t was d r i ven from one place to ano the r , andfinal ly fo rced to seek re fuge in the sec l uded mounta in s o f

Ku rd i stan,and by th i s t ime i t was so badly weakened ,

that the ent i re frame-wo rk o f the chu rch had co l l apsed .

Great ly reduced i n bo th mater i a l and sp i r i tual fo rce s ,the Church was unab l e to res i s t fu r the r the cont i nuousonslaughts o f antagon i st ic fo rce s aga inst i t , and as a re

sul t i t gave way to almo st submi s s ion , thus lo s i ng i t sprest ige and dominat ion , and fo r many year s to fo l lowforc ing complete extens ion .

I n 779 AD the Patr i archate was d r i ven fromSalak-Th ispun to Baghdad . I n 1 2 57 A .D . under MarMakekh a Sh imun I I

,the Pat r i archate was moved to Arbel .

I t i s not ewor thy,at th i s po i nt

,to ment ion that from 1 2 65

A .D . on , the Patr i archate was i nher i t ed and carr i ed on

by the same fami ly from wh ich the p resent Mar Esha iSh imun XXI , Catho l ico s Patr i archate o f th e East

,has

d i rect ly descended .

I n 1 32 0 Patr i archate was fo rced to l eave Arbe land take re fuge in Alkoosh . I n 1 480 the Patr i archatewas dr i ven ou t o f A lkoosh and moved to Marakha . I n1 590 i t was moved to Kh os rawa ( Salam i s ) . I n 1 59 2 thePatr i archate moved to Qudch an is whe re i t became p e rmanently establ i shed unt i l 1 9 1 5. I t must be bo rne inmind that the fl igh t Of the Patr i archate from one local i tyto ano ther was brought about by extreme p re ssu re by th eenemies o f Chr i s t i an i ty . Dur i ng the per iod o f these di fferent fl ight s m i l l ions o f Assyr i an Chr i s t i an s we re

1 6 BRIT I SH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

brutal ly massac red by the blood -th i r s ty Cal iphates thatcame into powe r . Mi l l ions o f o thers were conver ted to

Mohammedan i sm by fo rce . Church,monaster i e s

,l i

brar ie s and inst i tu t ions o f l earn ing were complete ly destroyed . Ci t i e s were loo ted and burned down . The u h

fo r tunate v ic t ims o f these per secut ions could not escapethe w rath o f I s lam . I t was ,

“

fo r sake Chr i s t and fo l lowMohammed .

”

As the scope O f th i s book only permits th i s ext rem e ly abr i dged h i sto ry o f the church

,we

,neve r th e

l e s s,fee l confident that we have l a i d the foundat ion

for the interested reader to do fur ther research workon the amaz ing ep ic o f th i s peopl e . The r i se and fal l o fthe Eastern Apo s tate fo rm a harmon ious contrast . I tbr i ngs ou t the e lemental qual i t i e s o f a race that i s rare lyd i sp layed i n o ther peoples . Great zeal

, courage , and devot ion to p r i nc ip l e enabled th i s nat ion to w i thstand thei ndescr ibabl e persecut ions and massacres o f the bloodth i r s ty Mohammedans and Tar tar barbar i ans . Histo ryc l ear ly c i te s the butcher i ng campaigns conduc ted byGengh i s-Khan

,Tamer l ane

,Omar , Abdul Bakh i r , and now

th e Arabs o f I raq w i th the sanct ion o f the B r i t i sh Government

,against the Assyr i an Ch r i s t i ans .


Gracey 1 took the trouble to trave l from T ifl is to Urmiato s trengthen the nat ional promises already made to

the Assyr i ans .Deta i l s o f lo sses o f l i fe and p rope r ty susta ined by the

Assyr i an nat ion as a r esu l t Of h e r act ion , have beenful ly reco rded by var ious European

,Amer i can and As

Syr i an h i s to r i ans,and i t would betray the obj ec t Of th i s

wo rk i f I were to attempt the repet i t ion o f what has al

ready been adequate ly deal t w i th e l sewhere . I t suffice sto say that we lo st ou r al l

,and mo re than one hal f o f

ou r number s per i shed in ou r batt l e s and subsequent w i thdrawals from Turkey to Per s i a and then to I raq

,only to

suffer ter r ib ly at the hands o f a pern ic ious Arab Gove rnment

,the gutted ch i l d o f Eng l and .

S ir John S imon , the B r i t i sh Fo re ign Min i s te r , i n aspeech be fore the Counc i l o f the League Of Nat ions in1 932 , deal ing w i th the entrance Of the Assyr i ans into theWor l d War attempted to throw the onus on the Russ i anGovernment , and added by saying that we were housedand fed i n the B r i t i sh camp at Baqubah for a cons i derabl et ime . I f S ir John S imon wanted to create the impre ss ionthat we were housed and fed for the s imple reason thathumani ty demanded th i s o r because o f our

“ black eyes”,

h i s government , the real cause f o r the recent atroc i t i e s ,for having suppo r ted unconsc iously I raq at the League ,w i thout adequate safeguards fo r the pro tec t ion o f th eI raq m inor i t i e s

, ( i nc l ud ing the Assyr i ans , B r i tai n’s al ly

dur i ng and after the War ) woul d not have remained amere observer at a t ime when women and ch i ld ren we rebe ing t rodden down by Arab ho r ses and massacred bythe forces o f Fai sal .

B r i t i sh memo ry must have been ve ry sho r t . We di dno t s ide w i th the al l i e s thus lo s ing ou r fer t i l e count ry and

1—Ca pt . G e o . F . G ra c e y . D . S . O . Ove r s ea s D e l eg a te Th e S ave t h e Ch i ldr en F u n d . A rm en i a n R e f u ge e s A s s oc i a t ion , now In Lon don , 1 9 33 .

FAISAL AL HUSAIN

al l that we posses sed to be mere ly housed and fed fo r

ab out a year . I t appear s from S ir John S imon ’ s speechthat B r i t i sh respons ib i l i ty ended w i th the break ing up o f

the re fugees ’ camp at Baqubah . I f that we re so ,the B r i t i sh

author i t i e s should have adopted a stra ight fo rward po l icyand in formed the Assyr i ans the re and then to plac e no

rel i ance upon them . I f that had been done , the Assyr i ans ,wh o extr icated themselves from mo re d ifficul t po s i t ionsin the past

,coul d have saved themse lve s , and , w i thout a

shadow o f doubt,avo i ded the recent calam i ty that has

be fal len them .

Whethe r Russ i a o r England we re re spons i bl e fo r ou r

unse lfi sh entry i n to the war , the fac t remain s that England d id acknow l edge the valuable se rvice s w e rende r edto the Al l i ed cause du r i ng the \Var as i t w i l l be seenfrom an extract O f a l ette r No . S . O . / 1 1 2 8 dated 3 t s tMay ,

1 92 4 ,from S ir Henry Dobbs , the ex-B r i t i sh H igh

Commiss ioner o f I raq ,to L ady S u rma,

the aunt o f theMar S h ima n

,Pat r i arch

,a l ett e r wh ich I have reproduced

in Mar E s h ai ’s ar t ic l e on page 48 . L ady S u rma1 was ,

i n the absence o f Mar E s h ai S h iman,admin i ste r i ng the

temporal affa i r s o f the Assyr i an s .Had the present outrageous and fe roc ious ac t s car

r i ed ou t against the Assyr i an c i v i l populat ion by the I raqGovernment forces—dread ful ly host i l e to al l non-Arabsbeen executed in lands under the j u r i sd ic t ion o f Sov i e tRuss i a , the l at ter would no t have remai ned ind i ff e rent asEngland has . The Russ i ans

,i t must be admi t ted

,main

ta ined the i r loyal ty and fa i th fulness to the Assyr i an s evena fter the Great Russ i an Revo l u t ion when mo re than s ixhundred o f the i r officers and men remained w i th theAssyr i an s to share the ir diffcult ie s and t r i bulat ions a ft e rthe Great Russ i an debac l e .

I t may be seen from the forego i ng that wh i l e Fai sa l

l—In ex i le i n Cyp ru s . Novem be r . 1 9 33 .


and h i s ret inue,now min i ste r s and deput i e s i n I raq w i th

an un restrained powe r , wer e actual ly a fte r the ft andboo ty the Assyr i an nat ional l eader s

,wh o sacr ificed the i r

al l , had on e,and only one Obj ec t i n v i ew

,the observance

o f the i r nat ional ent i ty,the i r fai th and trad i t ions .

I hope that the k ing o f the I raq i s and the de fende ro f the “ sacred un i ty” and the Empero r o f I raq ( fo rsouthern Kurdi stan i s al l eged to be an I raq co lony ) , w i l lexcuse the c l ar i ty o f th i s tone wh ich I fee l ful ly j ust ifi edi n us ing

,bear i ng i n m ind the scandalous attacks made

again st my dear countrymen , the Assyr i ans , dur i ng the lasts ix months

,wh i l e H i s Maj esty remained boo t l e s s and

tongue-t i ed .

I n th i s at t i tude o f mine , wh ich w i l l d i splease manyo f tho se wh o only see w i th Arab eyes

,I have fo r the

fi r s t t ime been gu ided by the Prophet ’ s say ing :

Al’

ain bil’

ain zeal s in bi l s in .

E y e for ey e and too th for too th .

O f the Ami r Ghaz i l,the next master o f Kurd i stan ,

I shal l say no th i ng,as he i s a p igeon fo r h i s Kurd i sh

m i l i tary instructo r s . I,however

,venture to add that the

v i ews o f the Ku rd i sh nat ional i st s i n I raq can be summedup in a few words , and I can find no better words thantho se o f Hamdi beg Baban2

,o f the famous Kurdi sh Baban

fami ly,wh ich he made publ ic proper ty i n 1 9 2 9

3. These

we re :

l—H e s u c c ee de d h i s f a th e r o n t h e th rone Of I ra q i n 1 9 33 . K i ng G‘h a ZI i s

a n a du l t. tw en ty-th r ee ye a r s Of a g e . H e i s u n i n te l l ige n t a n t i f a i le d h i s

m a ny i n s tru c to rs . f o r h e h a s n o a pt i tu de f o r l ea rn ing . H e i s n o m o re

th a n a ba l l i n t h e h a n d s a nd a t t h e m e rc y O f h i s I ra q i extrem i s tm i n i s te r s . B e i ng a S u n n i , h e i s h a te d by t h e gr e a t S h i ’ a c omm u n i ty .

H i s u n po pu la r i ty am ong t h e pe op le o f I ra q i s du e t o h i s fon dn e s s f o r w i n ea nd w om en a nd onc e u n s u ppo rt e d by t h e B r i t i s h , h i s f a te w ou l d b e a s

tha t O f Ahm a d S h a h . Gh a z i h im s e l f loa th e s l i f e i n I ra q . a nd i t i s n ot

im pro ba b le tha t h i s R e pu b l ic a n r iva l s m a y e a s i ly de th rone h im o n e Of

th e s e da y s .

2—N ow i n B a gh da d . Novem be r 1 9 33 .

3—L e P e i e rm 3 1 -3-1 9 2 9 .

FAI SAL AL HUSAIN

I t i s be tter for th e Ku rds to become th e

fa r of a lion th an be th e ta i l of a monkey .

”

The remarks o f Hamdi beg,wh ich he p ronounced on

a fo rmer occas ion long be fore 1 9 2 9 ,antagon i zed Mi s s

Bel l,the l ate o r i en ta l s ecretary to the H igh Commi ss ione r

i n I raq,but were she al i ve now to see Ku rd i sh v i l l age s

devastated by B r i t i sh ae r i a l and land t roops in o rder to

en fo rce a po l icy o f s l ave ry upon the Ku rds,to sat i s fy

“

S i d i Fai sal ,” I doubt i f she would st i l l bl ame the Ku rds

i f they made ove rtu re s to the Tu rks,impl i ed in Hamdi

’

s

words .

CH APTER I I I .

THE INHABITANTS OF IRAQ ANDTHE IRAQ UN ITY

Because o f the Teach ings o f I s l am , an accuratecensus o f the populat ion o f I raq has not been poss ib l e .

N everthe l es s,a census was taken by the B r i t i sh c i v i l ad

min i s trat ion after the occupat ion o f the country anda fterwards by mandated I raq , wh ich reckoned the populat ion at approximate ly per sons d i str ibuted asfo l lows :

H e re d i ta ry foe s o f t h e S h i'a .

Oppre s s e d by t h e ru l ing c la s s . t h e S u nn a .

Con t inu ou s ly fi gh t ing t h e A ra bs f or p o

li t i c a l a nd n o o th e r r ea s ons .

NON -MOS LEM S u ppos e d to b e t h e p ro tege s o f t h e

MINOR IT IE S Lea gu e o f Na t i on s . Th e s e a re

A s s y r ia n s Jew s

Cha l dea n s B a ha i sJa cob i te s A rm en ia nsYla z idi s S a be a n s

S y r ian Ca tho l ic s S ha ba kTh e S unna

By Sunna , I only re fer to the rul ing c l as s wh o havethe re igns o f the government i n the i r hands . The greatmaj or i ty o f the Sunna themse lves are no t contented w i ththe present s tate o f affai rs , and look upon Fai sal andh i s successor s as al i ens to the I raq and

,there fo re

,re

fugee s . Fai sal i s al so looked upon as an agent provo ~

cateu r”o f the B r i t i sh and th i s has aggravated the hatred

aga inst h im . The Sunna o f al l c l asse s and pro fess ionsreal i z e that mo st o f the revenues extrac ted from themby coerc i ve measures find the i r way into Fai sal and h i sm in i s ters ’ pocke ts , and the latt er , wh o ,

dur i ng the occu

pat ion had no trousers to wear , are now owners o f l arget rac t s o f l ands , propert i e s o f fi rs t-c l ass

,palace s and cars ,

owner s o f a cons i derabl e number o f i rr igat ion pumps,

e tc . I t i s a we l l known fac t that the monthly pay o f a

THE SUNNA

min i ster ( though large ) i s i n suffic i en t to meet one n ight’s

demand o f the green table l l

How and from what source i s the money coming ? Andh ow have they accumulated the i r presen t weal th ? Coul d i thave been by o ther than the ft and co rrupt ion ? The helpl es s ( fallah ) knows more th ings than I do . The rul ingc l as s , mo st o f whom are Oppo r tun i st s , real i z e that thepresent régime i s not o f long durat ion , and the oppo r

tun ity o f“

weal th-accumulat ion” may no t be o f a recu r r i ngcharacter

,hence the w i sdom o f the po l icy o f ext ract ing

as much and as qu ickly as po ss i b l e .

Fa i sal ’s 2 po s i t ion i s precar ious . He l i e s between two

evi l s . The B r i t i sh , wh o bombed h im on to th e I raq th rone ,want h im to car ry ou t the i r po l icy ; the oppo s i t ion par tyi f such i t can be cal l ed—wh o hate eve ryth ing B r i t i sh , butwh o have the power i n the i r hand , want h im to b reak h i st i e s o f fr i endsh ip w i th England . I f the B r i t i sh Gove rnment th inks that Fa i sal i s th e r i gh t man to p ro tect th em inor i t i e s

,I am a fra i d that v i ew i s to tal ly wrong . When

King Fai sal v i s i ted Geneva in 1 930 ,to look ou t o sten

s rb ly fo r means to fac i l i tate the entrance o f I raq into theLeague o f Nat ions

, S ir Er ic D rummond , then SecretaryGeneral to the League adv i sed h im to go back to I raq andlook a ft er the m inor i t i e s . Fai sal coul d no t have g i ven th ewo r l d a better proo f o f h i s ab i l i ty to

“ look a ft e r ” themthan the event ful month s p roved that fo l lowed S i r Er ic ’ sadvice .

Th e S h i’

a

The Sh i ’a form the l argest Mo sl em communi ty inI raq w i th deep re l ig ious var i at ions w i th th e Sunna . Thed i str ict s they i nhab i t have been to tal ly negl ecte d thoughth ev played a very impo r tant ro l e i n the Arab Insu rrect ion o f 1 9 2 0 ,

and,al though al l the b runt o f the batt l e s fe l l

l—G am b l ing .

2—D i e d i n B e rne ( Sw i tz e rland ) on

2 4 BRITISH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

on the i r shoulders , they der i ved l i t t l e o r no benefi t fromthe i r eno rmous sacr ifices . King Fai sal

,the Sunn i k ing ,

found no favou r among the Sh i ’a when the fo rmal i t i e spreced ing the co ronat ion we re i n proce ss

,but

,th rough

cor rupt ion , threats , and swee t p romises , he was placedupon the th rone o f I raq .

The Sh i ’a r ight ly fee l that they have been very badlyt reated by the ruli ng c l ass and they d i d not hes i tat e to

say s o i n the i r 1 appl icat ion to the League o f Nat ions inwh ich they asked fo r a remedy . They al so asked that aninqui ry commiss ion be sent to I raq to go i n to the i r gr ievances and remove the oppress ion to wh ich they were be ingsubj ected by the savages b rought from the deser t” —theexac t term they used in the i r appl icat ion . A Shi ’a newspaper in Sa idah publ i shed the ir p ro test to the League andthey d i d no t fa i l to fo rward a copy to the Pers i an Sh i ’agovernment . Du r i ng my many interv i ews w i th H i s Excellency Mir ’Al i Khan Zah i r

,the Pe r s i an Consul-General ,

Beyrouth , I gathered that h e—though far from I raqwas

ful ly aware o f h i s k insmen ’s d ifficul t i e s and no doubt thePers i an Government would not to l erate w i th ind ifferencethe persecut ion o f the Great Sh i ’a commun i ty

,and i t may

have been fo r th i s reason that the Per s i an Governmenthas hes i tated in s igning the var ious treat i e s—s t i l l ou t

s tand ing—w i th the I raq Government .I n o rder to force the Government o f Teheran to

s ign these treat i e s,the Arab offic i al s have recent ly de

vo ted much o f the i r t ime and energy to d i s turb the cond it ions on the Perso- I raq 2 front i er and these methods have ,fo rtunate ly fo r Pers i a , not remained a secret to the P e rs i an press and Government .Mo st o f the townsmen in the Ho ly c i ti e s o f I raq

are o f Pers i an or igin and they r ight ly c l a im al l egi ance

l—A l’U rfa n . S a ida . 1 9 3 2 .

2—A P e rs i a n ge ne ra l w a s rec e n t ly k i l led .


above Baghdad,i n 1 9 2 6 ,

by the i r Sunn i foes . On thatoccas ion as “Ashura” 1

,there we re over e ighty thousand

Sh i ’ s (mo s t o f whom were women and chi l dren ) i n theshr i ne o f Kadh imain and Ja ’far al Defin i teo rde rs to the I raq army stat ioned at the mi l i tary barracksi n Baghdad were that the army shoul d cro ss from thele ft bank o f the r i ver Tigr i s and push on to Kadh imainand k i l l o ff the who l e o f the Sh i ’a dur i ng the i r re l igiousproce ss ion when a Sunn i Arab officer , Muh y iddin ,

hadfomented the trouble . I was , at that t ime , present w i thCapta in R . E . Alde rman

,C . I . E . ; O . B . E . i n the Mudi r

Nah iy ah’

s office at A ’

dh am iy ah to watch the s i tuat ion andrepo r t deve lopments to higher author i t i e s . The I raq armyarr i ved but Captain Alderman i ssued o rder s to CaptainBut l er , the Engl i sh po l ice officer , to cu t o ff the A ’

dh am iy ah—Kadh imain b r i dge

,the only ferry that l inks Kadhimain

w i th Baghdad at that po i n t o f the r i ver,and so thousands

o f the Sh i ’a li ves were saved . But wh o can guarantee thatth i s w i l l not recur ?

I t i s not a wonder then i f the I raq army commitsac t s o f barbar i sm against the Assyr i an peace fu l c i v i l popul at ion wh o ,

a fter al l,were a handful o f “ unbel i eve r s” .

The relat ions between the Sh i ’a and the Sunna do not

appear to have escaped the no t ice o f the member s o f thePe rmanent Mandates Commiss ion wh o have tho roughlys tud i ed ( though un for tunate ly they were unable to br ingthe i r recommendat ions home ) the propo sal o f the B r i t i shGovernment fo r the p remature emanc i pat ion o f I raq , andthey we re re luc tant to do so as the m inutes o f the twentyfir s t sess ion o f the Permanent Mandates Commiss ion( page 98 ) he ld at Geneva from Oc tober 2 6 th to Novembe r 1 3th , 1 93 1 , i nd icate fo r a re ference to th i s impo r tanto f the Sh i a was made in the fo l low i ng sense .

l—S h i’

a dom Goo d F r i da y .

2—N ow I ra q i Min i s te r i n Lon don .

THE SHI ’A

M. Palac io s no t ed that the King and Pr ime Mi n i st erwe re Sunni s . He asked whether the Sh i ’s had free ac

cess to par l i ament and what was th e po l i t ical e ff ec t o f

the antagon i sm between the two sec t s . The Commiss ionhad dwel t w i th th e quest ion at prev ious sess ions .

”

S i r Franc i s Humph rys rep re sent ing the Mandato ryPower repl i ed : “ that the cab inet always inc l uded one Sh i ’aand that there were seve ral Sh i ’a membe rs o f Par l i ament .In I raq ,

the two sec t s were fai r ly even ly d iv i ded .

”

Reading S ir Franc i s ’ s tatement w i th the pro tes t o f theSh i ’a and bear ing in m ind the i l l - feel ing and d i scontentwh ich i s p revai l i ng

, S ir Franc i s does not appear to be agood j udge , and i t i s feared that h i sto ry w i l l repeat i t se l fas i t d i d in Palest i ne . I n th i s connect ion the r emarkso f M. O rt s , the B elgi an membe r o f the Mandate s Commiss ion are wo rth wh i l e reco rding . He sai d : “Admi ttedly

,

i t had always been the rul e o f th e Commi ss ion to placeconfidence i n the Mandato ry Powe r s ; but Mandato ryPowers m ight be m i staken

,par t icula r ly as regarded the

publ ic sp i r i t preva i l ing in the te r r i to r i e s unde r the i r mandate . I n Pales t i ne

,for i nstance

,th e Mandato ry Powe r

had been complete ly m i s l ed as to the fee l ings o f the popul at ion . Four weeks be fo re the 1 9 2 9 massacre s i t was st i l ldec l ar i ng , through the acc red i ted repre sentat i ve

,that the

country was qu i te calm and that i t would be abl e to mainta in o rder , i f necessary . The Commi ss ion was awareh ow event s had bel i ed that assu rance . The Commi ss ioncould only assume d i rec t re spons ib i l i ty w i th regard to theactual s i tuat ion i n I raq ,

i f i t po ssessed o the r means o f

i nvest igat ion—fo r i ns tance , i f i t were abl e to study thes i tuat ion on the spo t . ”

I w i l l now at tempt to make extract s from the p ro te s t 1

o f the Sh i ’a and w i l l l eave the reader to d raw h i s own

conc l us ions .

l—O r ig ina l i n A ra b ic t rans la t e d by t h e a u tho r .


Ten year s have e lapsed s ince the fo rmat ion o f th e

I raq Government . The admin i strat ion i s i n the hands o f

cer ta i n ind iv i dual s wh o share the power between themse lve s by the occas ional changing o f hands

,thus dis tr ibu t

i ng the government resou rces and r evenues to the i r f r i endsand compan ions . Whereas we wh o ,

i n the eyes o f thefo re ign powe rs represent the maj o r i ty

,are depr i ved , alas ,

o f even a mo rse l o f bread in a count ry on whose so i l wel i ve

,and where ou r fathers and fo re father s l i ved free and

respec ted . Al l th i s i s the resul t o f those i nd iv i dual s ’ en

croachm en t upon us , fo rc ib ly tak ing ou r l ands and sett l i ngin ou r midst the savages o f the dese r t

,w i th a v i ew o f

me rg ing us into the i r group,obl iging us to bow to the i r

w i l l and commands so as to d i spo se o f us at the i r wh imsand interes ts . They are the same peopl e wh o i ntr iguedagainst the Tu rk i sh Government

,exc i ted the hatred o f the

army o f occupat ion,and they are st i l l knock ing at al l

doo r s in order to fo ster hatred and enm ity . Al l th i s theyare ab le to do as the power i s i n the i r hands . No Sh i i t ehead o f depar tment o r man o f i nfluence i s to be found inany o f the overcrowded government depar tments , whethe rexecut ive o r adm in i strat ive . They , on the o ther hand

, are

enj oy ing the resource s o f the government wh i l s t we are

suffe r i ng unde r mise rabl e opp ress ion,and are di sgusted

w i th th i s un fortunate exi stence never exper i enced underthe fo rmer governments .

“ Th i s gang 1 o f i nd iv i dual s,by dece iv i ng the B r i t i sh

Gove rnment,have succeeded in lay ing the ir hands on ou r

Awqa f2,l ands

,trade and even ou r cemeter i e s . Ou r l i ves

have thus become threatened ; ou r proper t i es fo rced fromus ; ou r exi stence i s i n danger ; and the d i str ic t s inhab i tedby the Sh i i t e maj o r i ty are completely negl ected in everyrespec t , whether from the po i nt o f vi ew o f educat ion

,

l—K ing F a i s a l a nd h i s Min i s te r s a re im p l i e d .

2—R e l i g iou s lega c i e s beq u ea th e d f o r c ha r i ta b l e pu rp o s e s .

THE SHI ’A

heal th o r publ ic wo rks . On the o the r hand,th e d i st r ic t s

i nhab i ted by a maj o r i ty o f the i r creed are i n constan t p rogres s o f improvement as regards publ ic wo rks , educat ion ,agr icul ture

,trade

,e tc . The co st o f such improvement i s

obtained from ou r l abou r s , the‘sweat o f ou r b row ’

,ou r

resou rces and the taxes co l l ected from us by the i r government

A compar i son in the numbe r o f schoo l s i n the No r thand tho se in the South whe re the maj o r i ty i s Sh i i t e w i l l atonce reveal a consp i cuous and w i de d i ffe rence . Th i s equally appl i es to agr icul tu re , trade , heal th and publ ic wo rks .

Ou r demands whethe r fo r grant s o f agr icul tu ral l andso r i n o ther respect s are completely ignored

,but such

grants are unhes i tat ingly made to the i r c l a s s o f e ff end i sand offic i al s s o as to have an unshakabl e ho l d on us fo re l ect ion pu rpo se s , thus assu r i ng themselve s o f a maj o r i tyin the Chamber o f Deput i e s , whe reas— as i s wel l knownto eve rybody—no t a s ingl e Sh i i t e has been el ect ed to rep

resent any o f the no r the rn d i s tr ic t s eve r s i nce the fo rmat ion o f t h e Chambe r . On the o the r hand

,ou r Ne ws only

produce one o r two Sh i i t e deput i e s fo r each l iwa , andsuch case s are o f constant occurrence .

“ The cab inet wh ich i s u sual ly compo sed o f sevenm in i ste rs inc l udes only on e Sh i i te m i n i ste r o f no impo r tance and he may be bette r termed as ‘po l i t i cal at tache ’

w ith no i nfluence whatsoever . Eve r s ince the fo rmat iono f th i s government not one Sh i i t e m in i ste r has eve r beenappo i nted to a min i st ry o f impo r tance such as In te r io r

,but

they have gi ven u s— thanks to God—the Mi n i s t ry o f

Educat ion and here agai n the person cho sen i s a stopgap , as he i s a nonent i ty . Th i s i s what we have ga inedfrom the k indnes s o f the I raq gove rnment who se maj o r i tywe form .

“ The oppre ss ion we have and are st i l l unde rgo ing atthe i r hands

,such as unj ust ifiabl e impr i sonment and exi l e

,


the outraging o f al l that we ho l d sacred , the i l l- treatmentpubl ic ly o f ou r no tab le s and ch i e fs w i thout rhyme or

reason,the impo s ing o f heavy f i ne s under var ious p re

tenses , the co l l ect ion o f heavy taxes and the employmento f d i ff erent methods fo r ou r impove r i shment and insul ts ,compel u s to cal l a b les s i ng on the past . I n o rder to

ve i l these h igh cr ime s from the I raq i publ ic and to enablethem to safe ly execute the i r pl ans and pl ay the i r different ro l e s on the stage o f the i r min i str i e s and depar tments ,they throw the blame on the shoulder s o f the B r i t i sh .

“At every stage they enact har sh l aws wh ich no o therty rann ical government has ever enacted , and th i s i s to

depr i ve us o f ou r freedom and r ights . They have goneso far a s to dare to depo r t ou r Ulama ( l earned men ) andthey have adopted a po l icy o f c reat i ngr d i s sens ions bypu r su ing the maxim ‘d iv i de and rul e '

,thus creat ing

d i ffe rences,antagoni sm and hatred between ou r tr ibal ch i e fs .

Thi s they are ach i evmg th rough the i r po l icy o f l andd i st r i but ion by depr i v ing the r ight ful owners o f the i r l ands .

The despo t i sm exper i enced by ou r ch i ldren at thehands o f the i r teacher s , the sow i ng o f the seeds o f d i ssens ion and the exc i t i ng o f ou r communal sent iments

,al l tend

to i nd icate to us that a plo t i s on foo t for the exterminat ion and the c rush ing o f ou r commun i ty . A deta i l edanalys i s o f the i r past act ions , such as the murder o f i nnocent soul s in the i nc i dent s at the Ho ly c i t i es o f Kerbel a ,Kadhimain and Naj a f would requ i re vo l umes to reco rd ,and such ac t ions are i ncompat ibl e w i th j ust ice and con

sc i ence .

The number o f Sh i i te s in government service doesno t exceed the number o f finger s o f one hand , and eventhese employees are ,

mo reover , t i ed down and th reatened .

They have no s table o r h igh pos i t ions , desp i t e the i r i nt e l

THE SHI ’A

ligence and capab i l i ty wh ich woul d me r i t them to handl esen ior government po sts , but un for tunate ly , th ey are t reatedas i f they are not o f th i s country and do no t po s ses s ther ight o f ho l d ing government appo i n tments .

As the resul t o f the above t reatment wh ich we d i dnot exper i ence even in the dark ages , i n sp i t e o f the fac tthat we are l iv ing in a per iod known as the centu ry o f l ight ,we fee l that ou r fate i s n e i ther more no r l e s s than that o fthe m i lch cow wh ich gives i t s mi lk to o ther s .

As for them ,they have free acce s s to the t reasu ry

funds mo st o f wh ich are real i z ed from ou r to i l s as wehave already s tated above . Such funds are spent on the i rpleasures and the i r nume rous t ravel s from wh ich thecountry has der i ved no benefi t . I n add i t ion to the i r ac t so f oppress ion ,

had the sums ext rac ted from excess ive taxat ion w i th wh ich th i s communi ty i s bu rdened and wh ichthey lav i sh on the i r p leasu re s , been spent fo r the re l i e f o f

the m i serabl e ones o f th i s commun i ty ,th e ev i l woul d have

been less .

The l ead ing member s o f th i s gang d raw eno rmoussalar i e s such as the l eader s o f the r ichest and mo st ad

vanced countr i e s do no t rece ive,i n add i t ion to the nume r

ou s embezz l ements o f gove rnment funds wh ich they al

ways manage to h i de between them . They have passed aPens ion Law s ecu r i ng fo r t hem ete rnal r ight s , w i thout anyadvantage to the Sh i i t e commun i ty . The Pens ion al lo tments abso rb one—th i rd o f the S tate rece ipt s

,such al lo t

ments be ing d i s tri buted among themselves so that eacho f themhas become r ich and happy .

“

Now that th ings have reached the ir c l imax,the case

o f I raq hav ing come w i th in th e scope o f th e League o f

Nat ions,and ou r case becoming o f v i ta l impor tance touch

ing as i t does ou r i n terests , trade , l i vel i hood and futu re ,i t i s not po ss ib l e for us to be pat i en t o r

'

bear i t i n s i l ence


Cop i es o f the above pro te s t were sent to :T h e Le a gu e o f Na t i on s . G en eva .

Th e B r i t i s h F o re ign Off ic e .

Th e Cha i rm an , C ham be r o f D epu t i es . Teh e ran .

Th e F o r e ign O ff ic e o f t h e Tu rk i s h R e pu b l i c , Ango ra .

Th e B r i t i s h H igh Comm i s s ione r a t B a ghda d .

T h e Cha i rm a n . Hou s e o f Comm ons , Lon don .

T h e Nea r E a s t . Lon don .

A l 'U rf a n 1 S a i da . Le ba non .

S ha f a q S a rkh , Teh e ra n .

Ma ny o f t h e m a ga z in e s .

T o o th e r c iv i l i z ed c ou n tr i es .

T h e Am e r i c a n Con s u l-G en e ra l . B a gh da d .

T h e Tu rk i s h Con s u l -Ge n e ra l , B a ghda d .

Th e P e r s ian Con s u l-Ge n e ra l , B a ghda d .l—A i

’ U r f an w h i c h i s a S h i i te m a ga z in e gave w i de c i rc u la t ion to t h e p ro

t e s t f rom wh i c h I o b ta in e d a c oDy . I f s om e c op ie s o f t h e p ro te s t d idn o t re a c h the i r de s t in a t ion . i t w ou l d b e du e to po s t a l c e n s o r s h i p .

Th e Ku rds

The Kurdi sh proverb says

N i Hush tar H aiwan Ni Arab I nsan .

“

N e i the r th e came l i s an animalN or i s th e A rab a human be i ng .

The Kurds wh o i nhab i t the three no r thern l iwas o f

ar t ific i a l I raq ,v i z Sulaiman iy ah ( the centre o f Ku rd i sh

nat ional i sm ) , Arb i l and Ki rkuk L iwas on the Turk i sh andPers i an bo rder s

,together w i th about Kurds in the

Mo su l L iwa , and about a s im i lar number i n the Diy alahand Kut Liwas

,number some e ight hundred thousand . I n

Sula iman iy ah ,fo r i nstance , Count Telski

’

s Commiss ionfound only one Arab shopkeeper . The Kurds have re

volted seve ral t imes w i th the so l e obj ec t o f recove r i ng the i rnat ional r ight s offic i a l ly acknow l edged ( but un fo r tunate lyden i ed ) i n a p roc l amat ion i s sued by bo th the B r i t i sh andArab Governments . The Ku rds , though Mo s l ems , are not

Arabs . Thi s i s the l as t th ing they want to be . The di ffe rence between the two i s l i ke that be tween the angel andthe dev i l . The Ku rd far from be ing fanat ic i s to l e rant i fl e f t alone . The Kurds enj oyed a w i de measure o f an

tonomy long be fo re the Arab dreamt o f any se l f-gove rnment . The i r vi l l ages have been devastated by constant aer i albombardment and t ime-delayed-bombs have been used

34 BRIT I SH BETRAYAL 0 1? THE ASSYRIANS

Some o f the Kurds are be ing g iven inj ec t ions o f mo r

ph ine to ‘keep s i l ent ’,but I am sure that Fai sal and h i s

Gove rnment know that Kurdi stan i s a b i t ter p i l l to swal low,

and '

th at the val i ant sons o f Kurdi stan wh o have alreadyshed no l i t t l e o f the ir blood w i l l know h ow and when to

throw off from the i r shoulders the yoke o f the Arabs . Iam al so sure o f the Kurd i sh ab i l i ty and patr io t i sm to do

so success ful ly,but again everyth ing depends on the B r i t i sh

wh o had s o many engagements w i th the Kurds for thes impl e reason o f upho l d ing the impos s ib l e author i ty o f

Fa i sal . The Kurds want no mo re and no l e s s than the i rnatu ral r ights

,and i t i s to be seen h ow much longer

the B r i t i sh A ir Fo rce can pers i s t i n bombing the Kurdswh o h ave been made the v ic t ims o f a crooked-po l icy wh ichi s doomed to fa i lure .

The att i tude o f the Kurds v i s-a-vi s the King o f I raq ,

and the al l eged I raq i un i ty, can be summed up as fo l low s

and as was reco rded in the B r i t i sh repo r t on the adm in is

trat ion o f I raq fo r per iod October , 1 9 2 0—March

,1 9 2 2 .

“A scheme fo r the d iv i s ion o f I raq into 1 0 l iwas, 35

Qadh as and 85 Nah iy ah s , c lo se ly fo l low ing the l i ne s o f thefo rmer Turk i sh o rgan i zat ion , was passed on December1 2 th

,and rece ived my approval w i th certa in reservat ions

regarding the Kurdi sh d i str ict s,wh ich the Counc i l , un

mind ful o f re str ict ions impo sed by the Treaty o f Sevreshad t reated on the same bas i s as the re st o f I raq .

Deal ing w i th the e l ectoral law ,the repo r t states

“ Nei ther d i d i t contain any recogn i t ion o f the safeguards to wh ich under the Treaty o f Sevres the Kurdi shcommuni t i es o f I raq were ent i t l ed . I n accordance w i ththe po l icy agreed upon at the Cai ro Con ference , sho r t lya fte r my retu rn I proceeded to ascerta in the w i shes o f theKu rd i sh d i str ict s , wh ich lay w i th in the area o f the B r i t i shMandate , w i th regard to i nc l us ion in the I raq State , and

onMay 6 th a communicat ion on the subj ect was c i rculated

TI IE KURDS

by the advi ser s i n the Mo su l , Ki rkuk and Su la iman iy ah

d iv i s ions . I po i nted ou t that from such i n format ion as hadreached me i t woul d appear that Op in ion in the Ku rd i shd i s tr icts was d iv i ded between fear l e st the i r i nte rest s shouldBaghdad and a des i re to mainta in the I raq economicand industr i al t i e s wh ich i t would be inconven i en t to

sever The Su laiman iy ah l iwa dec i ded no t to take par ti n the e lect ion o f a King fo r I raq . I n Ku rkuk

,wh i l e the

cand idature o f the Am i r was rej ec ted,the re was no con

sensus o f op in ion as to an al te rnat ive . The Ku rd i sh s ec

t ion asked for a Ku rd i sh Government . Ult imate ly a pet it ion was presented to me ask ing that the d iv i s ion mightbe given a year ’s grace be fo re coming to a dec i s ion .

I n the presence o f rep resentat ives o f al l local commun i t i e sand o f deputat ions from every l iwa o f I raq

,except Sula i

maniyah and Ki rkuk,I p roc l a imed H . H . the Ami r Fai sal

to have been duly e l ec ted King o f I raq and announced h i srecogn i t ion as by H i s B r i tann ic Maj es ty ’ s Government .On the Ku rd i sh s i de

,the Kemal i s t s have had t roubl e s o f

the i r own . I n January they we re fo rced to take ac t ion ,at tended w i th no great success

,fo r the subj ec t ion o f the

Hawe rki, and in Oc tober they attacked Sh e rnakh w i th a

cons i derabl e fo rce , par t ly compo sed o f t r i be s at feud w i th’Abdul Rahman Agha

, She i k o f Sh e rnakh,wh o has been

pract ical ly i ndependent s ince the armist ice . He has been atpa ins to cul t i vate fr i endly re l at ions w i th th e B r i t i sh au

th or ities and on the arr i val o f the Am i r Fa i sal,he

, w i tho ther Ku rd i sh l eaders

,expre ssed to the l at ter the i r w i l l

ingnes s to accept h im as King and to fo rm par t o f I raqS tat e under condi tions of local au tonomy .

”

S ulaimaniy ah d iv i s ion rej ected almost unan imously ,any form o f i ncl us ion under the I raq Government .

”

I t i s c l ear from the forego ing that the Ku rds d i d no t

par t ic ipate i n the e l ect ion o f the King and that theyshowed a dete rmined des i re not to be inc l uded i n I raq .


I t canno t there fo re be c l a imed that Fai sal o r h i s he i rs afterh im are the l egal maste rs o f Kurdi stan . Ku rd i stan i sKu rd i stan and h e r ruler must be a Kurd not an Arab .

Fai sal was fo rced upon them ,thanks to the B r i t i sh

bayonet s .

The att i tude o f the Ku rds has not changed and w i l lnot change . They are di scontented and they have demons trated th i s d i scontent on every pos s ib l e occas ion .

Th rough mal ic ious propaganda car r i ed ou t i n Europeby the i r enemie s

,the Arabs inc l uded

,the Kurd has been

wrongly p ictured as an unenl ightened and backward p e rs on . Thi s i s to tal ly w rong . I t has been proved in p ract icet ime and agai n

,that the Kurd w i l l not betray h i s fr i end ,

as an Arab does,o r mu rder h i s capt i ve s i n batt l e . Whi l e

the B r i t i sh were merc i l e ss ly bombing the Ku rds in 1 932 ,

She i k Ahmad captured cer ta in B r i t i sh officer s . He treatedthem we l l and at the request o f the B r i t i sh H igh Commi ss ione r wh o had sanc t ioned aer i a l bombardment to

p repare I raq fo r ent ry into the League o f Nat ions,the

wounded B r i t i sh pr i soners were permitted by the Ku rdi shl eader to be taken to Baghdad . An Arab would not havedone th i s . Read the chapter deal ing w i th Arab barbar i smin I raq . I t i s an establ i shed h i sto r ical fac t that the Arabso f I raq wh o took no par t i n the wor l d confl ict were al

ways on the w i nn ing s i de . Once w i th the Turks,next w i th

the B r i t i sh . They had no obj ec t but loo t . Turki sh and Engl i shd i sabled pr i soners o f war were k i l led most treacherously byArabs and were loo ted . Graves contain ing Turk i sh andEng l i sh dead we re unear thed and the dead were d i spo ssessed o f any valuabl e ar t ic l e s that were found uponthem . Arabs ac tual ly k i l l ed Turks

,o f the i r own re l igion ,

cu t the i r be l l i e s , i n search o f go l d l i ras wh ich they thoughtthe Tu rk i sh so l d i e r s had swal lowed . The wo rd “Khay inArab” ( Treacherous Arab ) became un iversal throughoutth e Turk i sh Empi re .

THE KURDS

Thi s i s the type o f A rab to whom Eng l and has seenfi t to grant independence—not only independence but fu l lpower to extend h i s tyrann ical rul e to the Ku rds

,

Assyr i ans,and the o ther mino r i t i e s .

Thi s i s the Arab and that i s the Ku rd . The reade rcan j udge for h imsel f and compare between the two

,i f

compar i son i s at al l admi ss ib l e .

The Arab newspape rs o f I raq have recent ly stated thatThe Kurds are sco rp ions and that they must be c rushedunder the heel s o f the Arab shoe s . The re must be somesuperhuman power that i s p revent ing the Ku rds fromove r throw i ng the Arab yoke . The coming months mustbe event ful .

Ku rds and Assy r i an s have been l i v i ng i n harmony inth Mo su lWilay e t fo r year s , and they could st i l l l i ve peaceful ly togethe r

,had i t no t been for the ev i l seed sown by

the Arab Mi n i ster s and al l eged po l i t i c i an s to cau se fr i ct ion and d i ss ens ion between the two fr i end ly e l ement s .

The Ku rds have al ready in fo rmed the League o f Nat ions ,no doubt i n vain

,that sp i te ful p ropaganda was be ing con

ducted by Arabs and that i f they we re given the i r au

tonom ou s Ku rd i stan, to wh ich they are l egal ly ent i t l ed , and

wh ich was offic i al ly promised them,and i f th e Assy r i an s

we re given a s im i lar reg ime to wh ich they are ent i t l ed i nAssyr i a

,the Arab propaganda woul d no t find a fer t i l e

fie l d in e i ther autonomous Ku rd i stan o r autonomousAssyr i a . So long as th i s i s no t done , Ku rd i stan canno t befree from the harm fu l Arab propaganda due , no doubt

,to

the presence o f Arab offic i al s i n Ku rd i stan .

I n the 1 930 r i s ing o f She ik Mahmud B ar z anji , Arabs ,employed on the repa i r i ng o f roads in Ku rdi stan by thePubl icWo rks Depar tment under Mr . H er fo rd , we re w i thdrawn and repl aced by Assyr i an s as the Kurds we reattack ing the Arabs so employed but never mo l e sted theAssyr i ans .


Ever s ince 1 9 1 9 ,there has been perpetual t rouble in

Kurd i stan . Fur ther se r ious troubl e i s ne i ther unl ike ly no r

un fo reseen s o long as the po l i t ical r ights o f the Kurds areden i ed .

The Mandato ry Power i n I raq has been gu i l ty o f

bombing Ku rd i sh women and ch i ld ren ; The purpo se o f

th i s book i s no t to deal at l ength w i th the Kurd i sh problem . I w i l l mere ly attempt to give i n some deta i l th et ragic consequence s o f one o f the recent operat ions undertaken by the B r i t i sh Air Fo rce

,and that i s wh y ,

I p resume

, S ir Henry Dobbs has made h i s s tatement , rep roduced e l sewhere .

My thanks are due to a Kurd i sh officer for supplyingthe fo l low ing sad info rmat ion as he happened to be in theoperat ions ’ zone

S tatement 1 show i ng Kurd i sh v i l l ages destroyed dur i ngthe operat ions against She ik Ahmad o f Barzan dur i ng theper iod November

,1 93 1 to June , 1 932 :

DISTRI CT BAROJ

Names of V i l lage s Or igi nal Number ofHou se s

80

35

25

30

22

19

28

37

28

24

18

17

37

48

37

l—R e a che d m e on

Number of Hou se s

D e s troyed

THE KURDS

No te :Al l th e popu la tion , p eace fu l and o th e rw i se , migra ted . So far

on ly lo% hav e re tu rned . Tobacco , crop s , orchard s we re com

p le te ly d es troyed .

Names of V i l lage s

D odamar

Sararkar

Gi rkamah

Sararkiar

Me rgaz arSh i rwan-Maz i nLa tiKi lkamu

Gh amada

Hu paZa i tiDu kan-daraLa i raAdelbey

S top iSa lk iGo z iBananArgh o sh

Sh iwaSa i lo rRav i naTav i

No teOn ly 1570 of th e p opu la t ion hav e re tu rn ed to the i r hom es . Re

mark s : Refere nce cu l t i va ti on a s fo r B aroj d i s tr i c t .D ISTRICT SHIRWAN

Name s o f V i l lage s Or igi na l Numb e r o f Numbe r of Hou s e s

Hou se s D e s troyed32 26

16 9

38 30

27 20

39 14

D ISTRI CT MIZURIOrigi na l Numb er of Numb er of Hou ses

Hou ses D es troyed8 8

18 18

23 15

27 20

21 14

80 45

12 7

28 16

25 25

28 28

37 16

19 9

22 7

2 1 8

18 7

32 14

38 21

41 19

85 38

51 14

17 8

36 20


Name s o f V i l lage s

B e ri s ia

Mamu laMam i sh ik

Waj iKa rokBedadPi ranMasanahKo lanaS i ru kamMa ranaZa ra raBa r iR i z anKo ranaI sh okor

Ko r ikB aidarok

Kan iap e ri

Ka la tokKondab-Shkawa tJaj okB en ib ia

Ko r i kGavra tu

B as ti ria

Lashki ria

Upp e r M e rga Zo r

Lowe r Me rga Zo r

BawaHoshkan

Kardin

Le lokKha lanKha raMaxneh

N o te20% of th e popu la tion hav e re tu rned

mark s : Refe rence cu l ti va tion as for B aroj

to th e i r hom e s . Re

and Mi z u r i d i s tr ic ts.

Or i g i nal Number of Number of Hou ses

Hou se s De s troyed41 37

23 9

2 1 18

28 28

15 5

32 3

80 15

18 8

16 6

25 l l17 8

19 16

21 2 1

37 37

42 37

30 12

2 1 8

42 19

28 14

35 8

16 4

45 45

28 28

24 24

42 42

28 12

26 19

45 45

32 32

19 9

21


N ombr e to ta l (les h abi ta tzons dé tru i tes par les forma tions

a e'

ri e nnes de comba t de la P u i ssance pro tec tr ice :

10 17 2

Or c’

c s t c c qu i s’

ap p e llc , pa ra i t-il, u nc op era t ion d c po l icePou r avo i r cu l

’

imp c r t in cncc dc re v e nd iqu e r u nc au tonomi c qu i

l eu r ava i t e tc so le nne l l eme n t re connu e p ar la le s va i llan te s popu la tion s Ku rd e s v ien nen t d ’

et re soumi se s a ces rcp ré

sa i l l e s . Plu s de 60% lc s ma i son s son t au j ou rd ’hu i d é tru i te s . Tou tc c qu i é ta i t cu l tu re a é té saccagé ; le s rc

'

coltc s d c céréalcs , dc f ru i ts ,dc tombac s , inccdié cs . La grande maj o r i té d c la popu la tions

’

e s t vu obl igé e d c de'se r te r s e s foye rs en ru i n e s c t s e s fe rm e s d évas tée s . E nfin u ne dép éch e d

’

Ankara nou s app re na i t, h i e r so i r , qu el

’

h é ro iqu c Ch e ikh Ahmed , qu i fu t l’

am c d c ce t te fa rou ch e c tmagn ifiqu e res i s tance , ava i t pas s é la f ron t i e re c t , p lu té t qu e de s e

l i v re r au x Angla i s , s e ta i t spon tanémen t re ndu au x Tu res .

A v ra i d i re , c t tou te i ron ic mi sc dc c6 te , le s Angla i s n’

on t p as

lieu d ’

etre p ar t icu lierem cn t fic rs d’

u n tel ré su l ta t . Pou r la p re

m i e re fo i s dan s l’

hi s to i re dcs re la tion s anglo-krudes, on vo i t le sKu rde s re j e te r le s p rop os i t ion s b r i tann iqu e s . E t dc qu cl ton"E ten qu e l s te rme s

“

Je prefere cent fois m e r e ndre aux Tures , d é cla re le Ch e ikhAhmed au Cap i ta i n e Ho l t, p lu tot que de me livr er aux esclaves des

Ang lai s on a vos Ag en ts h y pocri tes”

Vo i la done a qu o i au ra abou t i la t rah i son dc l’

Eu rop e . S ile s Angla i s se figu ren t d

’

a illeu rs qu’

ils on t défin i t ivcmcn t maté1c mou vem en t i n su rrec t ionne l , no tre av‘i s e s t qu

’

ils nou ri s sen t unc b iendange reu se i l lu s i on . Ce t te rebe l l ion Ku rde e s t u ne so r te dc rébel

l ion sp i r i tu e l l e , te nace , la te n te , c t qu i nc p rend ra, fin qu e le j ou r ou

au ron t é té réal i sé s le s engagemen ts con t rac té s p ar 1’

Anglc t tcrrc v i s-a’

v i s de s mino r i t ies , au nom e t par delega tion de la Soci e'

te des N a

tzons .

Au re s te , s i lcs chose s de va ien t con ti nu e r de la sor te , il se

pou r ra i t fo r t b ie n qu e la qu e s tio n m éme dc Mossou l v i n t £1etre dc nou v eau p o séc . Trop d’

intéréts i n terna tionaux y son t e n

gagé s c t la sé cu r i té du Canal p c'

trolicr y e s t é tro i tem e n t l iée . On

sa i t qu e le s Tu re s n’

on t p as e n co re , dc cc cdté-l a , re nou nce a tou te sp o i r : c ’e s t cn 1925 s eu l eme n t qu e la région dc Mos sou l a é té ar

bi t ra i rcm en t ra t tach é e a l ’I rak, sou s la rés erve de la sauvegara'e

a'es au tonomi es loca le s , Ku rd e s e t assy ro

-chal dé enne s .

N on seu l em en t l’Angle t te rrc n’

a p as fa i t honn eu r a sa paro l e .

THE KURDS

Ma i s cllc e s t en t ra i n dc mas sacrer ceux qu i se son t permi s d cla lu i rappe l e r .

Au nom del l’

Ordrc, de la Sécu r i té e t dc la Consc ience Un i

verscllc

La Con sc ience Un ive rse l le a v ra im en t bon do s .

Fo r reasons o f po l icy the B r i t i sh author i t i e s have beenassur i ng the League o f Nat ions that a l l i s we l l i n theKurdi sh d i str icts . The fo l low i ng copy o f a c i rcular ( andth i s i s only one o f many ) shoul d show whe re the truthl i e s .

F rom th e Di strict of Doh uk .

To ALL KURDS . ( th rough th e Ku rd i sh agen ts o f th e no r th e rn d i s t ri c ts )Pay a t te n tion . Op e n you r eye s and hav e a l ook a rou nd you r

se l v e s . Th e Bri t i sh h avc j u s t con c lu d ed a t rea ty w i th I raq i n wh i chth e Ku rd i sh r i gh ts hav e n o t b ee n take n i n to con s i d e ra t ion . I n two

years t ime , th e B r i ti sh Manda te w i l l be l i f ted and su b sequ e n tl yI raq w i l l b ecome f re e u p on i ts en t ry i n to th e Leagu e of Na t i on s .

T h e Ku rd s w i l l rema i n b roke n-h ear ted u nd e r th e A rab s . I t wou l d ,th ere fo re , be sham efu l to u s i f we do no t cla im ou r r i gh ts as th e

peop l e of Su la iman iy ah hav e bee n d o i ng . Ou r b re th ren , men and

women , i n Su la iman iy ah , are d o i ng the i r u tmo s t i n th e i n te re s ts o f

th e i r cau se . Th ey hav e su cce ed ed i n i n vi t i n g th e no ti ce o f th e

Leagu e of Na t ion s and H i s Exce l l e ncy th e H i gh Commi s s ione r to

th e ir crie s . If we do no t j o i n Su la iman iy ah , ou r s ta tu s wou l d n o

dou b t b e come wo rs e and ou r r igh ts wou l d be e n ti re l y l o s t .We , th e u nd e rsign ed , hav e b e e n app o i n ted by th e t r i b e s o f

S i nd i , Gu l i , B i rwar i , Do sk i and by all o th e r p eop l e o f th e

No r th e rn d i s tr ic ts to p u t th i s B ay annama (No t ifi ca t io n ) on th e i rbeha l f be fo re th e wo r l d and cla im th e r igh ts o f th e Ku rd s . Ou r

w i sh es are th e same as th ose of Su la iman iy ah and w e d i ffe r o n

no po i n t a t all.

We too , l ike th e l iwa o f Su laimaniy ah , wan t th e e s tab l i shm en tof an i ndep ende n t Ku rd i sh S ta te 1 i n acco rdan ce w i th th e re solu t ion sof th e Leagu e o f Na tion s .

( S igned ) S h e i k Nu r i B r i fk a n l.

S h e i k G i y a th u d D i n .

S h e i k Ra q i b S u r c h i .Ad i b e ff end i . Ra i s B a la d iy a h o r Am a d iya h .

T i rkhan Ha j i Ra s h i d b eg B i rw a r i .

S h e ik S hah a b . Z i be r .1 —T h e v m e a n a n a u tonom ou s K u rd i s t a n w h i c h w a s r ec omm e n d e d by Cou n t

T e lek i b Comm i s s i on .


Cop i es o f the above were sent to : The League o f

Nat ions,the H igh Commi ss ioner

, ( Baghdad ) the Pr imeMin i s ter o f the Arabs , The B r i t i sh Par l i ament , and thepeople o f l iwa o f Sulaiman iy ah .

Cop i es are al so on the fi l e s o f the Spec i a l S erv iceOf ficer and Admin i strat ive In spec to r

,Mo sul . The c i rcular

i s dated 30 wh ich was t ranslated byMuhammad Sa ’ i deffend i , the Kurd i sh translator o f the Mo su l l iwa .

I n conc l us ion , I find i t my duty for the purpose o f

h i sto ry , i f fo r no th ing e l se , to assure the nobl e Kurd i shNat ion that the Assy r i an l ev i es had at no t ime the des i reo r opt ion to operate i n Kurdi stan . The Assyr i an ch i e fs ,par t icular ly the i r paramount leader , th e Mar S h imun,

Patr iarch

,d id the i r best to maintai n fr i endly rel at ions w i th

the i r trad i t ional ne ighbour s and i f they awai t the day o f

reckon ing , the i r target should be the B r i t i sh and I raq itroops . I n proo f o f th i s statement , I append below copi eso f co rrespondence wh ich should not be d i sadvantageous tothe Ku rds .

Code te legram dated sent on behal f o f I raqmino r i t i e s from Mo sul to London .

Trouble Su laimania . Arab army moved up to‘

s top Ai r F orce and levi es to co-op era te desp i te

s tro ng pro tes t Mar Sh ima n direc ted H igh Com

mi ss ioner S e e copy Lambe th s top . Ch ris

tians terr ified trouble v i llag es fu tu re r elations

Ku rds . Ch aldea-As sy rians in dang er s top P lease

app roach F or e ig n Ofii ce in tervene u rg ent . E nds .

Lamb e th Pa lace ,S . E . 1 .

25th Oc tobe r, 1939

P r iva te .

Dea rTh e A rchb ishop o f Can te rbu ry d i re c ts me to thank y ou for

th e impo r tan t commu n i ca tio n wh ich y ou hav e sen t h im th i smo rn ing .

THE KURDS

Th e A rchb i shop w i l l t ry and g e t some chance of commu n ica t

i ng w i th Lo rd Passfield . He fu l ly real i se s th e grou nd s for anx ie tyabou t th e pos i t ion o f th e A s sy r ian s .

Y ou rs s i nce re ly ,( S ign ed ) M . G . Ha igh .

D own ing S tree t ,3rd N ovembe r, 1930 .

I am d i re c ted by Lo rd Pas sfield to re fe r to you r l e t ter o f

th e 24th of Oc tob e r i n wh ich y ou p ro te s t aga i n s t th e a l legedi n ten tion of th e H igh Commi s s ion e r fo r I raq to emp loy th e

A ssy rian l ev i es i n conn ec t ion w i th “

th e r i si ng tha t h as occu r red inth e Su la iman iy ah D i s tr ic t .

”

2 . I n th e fi rs t p lace , s o far as H i s Lord sh ip i s aware ,the re h as b e e n no

“ r i s i ng” i n th e Su la iman iy ah D i s tr ic t o r e l s ewhe re i n I raq . Ce r ta i n p recau t iona ry troop mov em e n ts are , h ow

e v e r, now i n p rogre s s , d i rec ted aga i n s t th e p o s s i b i l i ty o f an i n cu rs ion i n to I raq te r r i to ry by Sha ikh Mahmu d wh o h as la te ly b eenshow i ng ac ti v i ty . T h e A s sy r ian l e v i e s a re no t i nvo l v ed i n th e semov emen ts , and con sequ en tly , you r app reh en s ion s on th e i r ac

cou n t a re de v o i d of fou nda tion .

3. Equ al ly u nfou nd ed a re you r s ta temen ts tha t Ku rd i sh l ead e rshave b ee n imp r i son ed “

on accou n t of th e i r ac t ion i n p re s e n ti ng a

p e ti t ion to th e Leagu e o f Na tion s” and tha t “ i t i s th e d e l i b e ra te po l i cy of th e I raq Gov e rnme n t to i nc i te th e Ku rd s aga i n s tth e A s sy r ian s . Th e Ku rd i sh l ead e r s i n qu e s tion w e re a r re s tedb e cau se th ey we re , on good g rou nd s , be l i e v ed to hav e b ee nre sp on s i b l e fo r th e r i s i ng wh i ch took p la ce i n Su la iman iy ah townon th e occas ion o f th e p r imary e l ec t io n s . Th e ir a rre s t was

carried ou t on th e i n s tru c tion s o f a B r i t i sh off ic ia l 1 and af te rfu l l con s i de ra ti on of th e ev idence ava i labl e .

4. You r s ta temen t tha t th e A ssyr ian l e v ie s shou l d no t be ex

posed to th e r i sk of fu r th er d ea th s i n ba t tl e ” and you r requ es ttha t th ey shou l d no t be u sed “ i n h os ti l i tie s no t of th e i r own

maki ng” on ly requ i re to be se t ou t i n th i s form to supp l y th e irown an swer . C learly s ol d i ers wh o are engaged for gen e ralse rv ice canno t be exclu s ive l y emp loyed i n op era t ion s i n wh ichthe re i s no danger of l ife or for th e supp res s ion of d i s tu rbance swh i ch th ey or th e ir k i n sfol k have th em se lves p rovoked .

l—Ca pta in C . H . Gowan , M. B . E ; M. C . wh o wa s ac t ing Mu t a s a r r i f on t h e

i l lega l w i thd rawa l o f Co lone l Tawfig Wa h h B eg .


5 . Lo rd Pas sfield h as re ce ived a copy o f th e pe t i t ion ad

d re s sed to th e A c ti ng H igh Commi ss ione r fo r I raq th rou gh th e

As sy r ian Pa tr iarch , to wh i ch y ou refe r, and I am to e n c lo se for

you r i n fo rma t io n a copy of th e rep ly wh i ch Sir R. B rookePopham has re tu rn ed to th i s commu n i ca t ion .

6 . F i na l ly, Lord Pas sfield ob se rves tha t th e s ta temen ts made and

th e fears exp re s sed lin you r p re se n t l e t ter appear to be as devo i d of

fou nda t ion as th e maj o r i ty of th e repo r ts on th e su bj ec t of th e

Ch r i s tian minori t ie s in I raq wh ich y ou hav e la te ly see n fi t to com

mu nicate to th e p re ss . I n Hi s Lord sh ip ’

s op i n ion , th e d i ssemina t ionof th e se mi s l ead ing repo r ts can on ly se rv e to exc i te re l igiou san imo s i t ie s , to e s trange th e I raq Go v e rnme n t, and to u n se t tle th e

A s sy r ian s them se l v e s , whose hop e of fu tu re we l fare dep end s on

the i r be coming me rged i n th e body po l i t ic of Iraq , be i ng accep tedas loya l su bj ec ts of King Fa i sal and l i v ing i n peace w i thth e i r n e i ghbou rs . H i s Lo rd sh ip can imagi ne no greater d isserv i ce to th e commu n i t ie s whose we l fare y ou cla im to hav e at

h ea r t, than to e n cou rage them in agi ta tion aga i n s t th e gove rnm en t of th e cou n try i n wh i ch they have to l ive .

7 . A copy of th i s le t te r i s be i ng commu n ica ted to Hi s G raceth e A rchb ishop o f Can te rbu ry .

I am ,

Si r,

You r obed ie n t servan t .

( S igned ) J . E . W . Flood .

CH APTER IV .

THE ASSYRIANS

The t rad i t ional Tempo ra l l eader and the Sp i r i tualHead o f the Church o f the East

,Mar E sh a i S h imun XXI ,

Catho l ico s Patr i arch , deal s to a ce rta i n extent,and in

general terms, w i th the par t the Assy r i ans pl ayed in the

war and a fter . He i l l ust rate s i n no unce rta i n te rms,no t

only the i l l im i tab l e ungrate fulnes s o f the B r i t i sh gove rnment

,but al so i t s t reache ry and h ow

,as i t w i l l be seen

under the re l evant chapte r,that Government gave the

fanat ic,blood-th i rs ty Arab o f I raq , a swo rd w i th unl im i ted

and unmer i t ed powe r to s laughte r any Ch r i s t i an wh o wouldno t embrace Muhammadani sm . Thus B r i t a in has

,to h e r

eve r l ast ing shame,bet rayed the Assyr i ans

,and th e o ther

Eastern Ch r i s t i an peopl e,i n the greate st measu re po ss ib l e .

Amer icans and Eu ropeans might not bel i eve th i s,but

th i s has ac tual ly occu rred in Mo su l i n th e no r th o f I raqdur i ng August

,1 933 . The B r i t i sh ae r i al autho r i t i e s we re

good enough,fo r pu rpo ses o f cu r io s i ty , to pho tograph from

the a ir some o f the hor r ib l e scenes o f mansl aughte r thathad taken place . But they we r e —s o they say— unabl e to

stop the massacre as that would have been de rogato ry to

the Arab name and the I raq i sove re ign ty"The statement o f Mar E s h ai S h iw un fo l lows :“

I t mu s t h ave been predes tinated by th e B ri tis h

Governmen t th a t th e A s sy r ian Race , w i th i ts gloriou s pas t,sh ould h ave no place in th e world to live in p eace and to

prosper like any o th er p eople . Th e B ri tis h r epres entativesin I raq h ave verbally and in wr i ting acknowledged on more

than one occas ion, th e valuable s e rvices we rendered dur ingth e war to A llied cau s e as a wh ole and par ticu larly to th e

B r i tis h dur ing and af te r th e war wi th unparalleled cos t to

my p eople in life and proper ty . I t wou ld s uffice , as an


u rgen t neces s i ty , to qu ote S ir H enry Dobbs’

words convey ed

in a m emorandum da ted 3 1 s t ofMay , 1 9 2 4, addres s ed to

L ady S u rma D’

B e i t Mar S h imun for th e informa tion ofth e A s sy rians .

‘

H i s B r i tann ic Maj e s ty ’

s Go v e rnme n t have gi ven th e mo s tcare fu l con s idera tion for some time to th e qu es t ion of safeguard ingth e i n te re s ts of th e A ssy r ian peop le , keep i ng in v iew bo th th e se r

v ice s wh ich they re nde red to th e Al l ied cau se du r i ng th e war and

the i r fu tu re re la tion s w i th th e I raq S ta te .

’

“

I t mus t be borne in mind that th e fate of th eMosulWi lay e t and i ts r ich oil fields was s till hanging in th e

balanc e and th e co-operation of th e As sy rians , wh ich wasfor th com ing on defin i te under takings , as ess ential in

as s igning th e Wilay e t to I raq . I t was , as S ir Henry will

recollec t, th e a troci ti es comm i tted agains t th e Ch r is tians

in th e Goy an and th e A s sy r ian cas e in particular, th at

w eakened th e Tu rkis h claim , bu t if th ey knew that th os e

atroci ti es wi th more feroci ty wou ld be repeated in I raq,

wh ich was until nine m onth s ago under B ri tish tu telage ,

we would have cer tainly suppor ted th e Turkish claim as all

th e o th er inhabi tan ts of th e I/Vilay e t would h ave done

uncondi tionally .

“More importan t than S ir Henry’

s le tter of appre

ciation qu o ted above , is h is le tter 1 to S ir Kenehan

Cornwallis , Advis er Minis try of Inter ior, B aghdad, wh ichhas ju s t be en brough t to my notice in wh ich h e s tated th at‘

Th e Yaz idis,th e alli es of th e A s sy r ians , sh oud be s a tisfied

by appo in ting a Ch r is tian Qa imagam in S injar to be a

s ign to th e A s s y r ians th a t we have no de ep des igns in

plac ing th e A s s y r i ans u nder Ku rdis h o r A rab dom ina tion’

“

Ce r ta in u npr inc ipled poli ticians , wh o are m orally

r es pons ible for th e p r es en t trag ic fa te of th e A s sy r ians , in

orde r to th row a th ick mas k on th e ir m is leading r epor ts,

are m is - r epres en ting th e A s sy r ian jus t caus e to s u ch an

l—R eprodu c e d in fu l l a t t h e end o f th i s c ha pte r .


On ou r arr ival in P ers ia, in th e province ofA z e rbaijan, namely , Urmia and Salin as , wh ere we were

able to join th e Ru s s ians , an A s sy r ian r egu lar force was

form ed wh en again th e A s sy r ian gallantry was display edby th e ir r e -occupation of th e ir ances tral h om e wh ich th ey

wou ld h ave to tally and permanen tly occup i ed had i t not

be en for th e Grea t Russ ian Revolu tion th a t resu lted in

dis as ter to th e A s sy r ian national caus e . F rom ou r pas t ex

peri ence of Ch ris tian Ru s s ian and of th e Ru s s ians , an

A s sy r ian s elf-governm en t would h ave be en a ttained under

Ru s s ia,if u nder no o th er pro tec tion . S ubs equ en t to th e

Rus s ian w ithdrawal, we were a ttacked by Tu rkish,

P e rs ian and Ku rdis h forces , bu t we maintained our

pos i tions intac t for one y ear and gained many victori es .

Ou r ammuni tion was exh aus ted, and unles s u rgent

h elp was for th com ing, i t was impos s ible to s tand anylonger in th e face of fu lly equ ipped forces .

“

In P e rs ia, th e B r i tis h Mili tary Advis ers tri ed to ge t

in tou ch wi th my people in vain . Captain Geo . F . Gracey1

wh o was in Tiflis,paid my people a vis i t and confirm ed in

no uncer tain terms th e promis es made by Rus s ian off icersand promis ed B ri tish h elp and suppor t . F inally , th e

A s sy r ians wer e vis i ted by fly ing officer P enning ton, onlyto confirm on beh alf of th e B r i tish Governm en t Cap tainGracey

’

s under takings and to beg th e A s sy r ians to h old

on to th e ir pos i tions until arms and ammuni tion reach ed

th em . Th is th e A s sy r ians carr i ed ou t fai thfu lly and

s u cces sfu lly w i th th e arms that th e Rus s ians had left beh indbu t not wi th ou t fu r th er sacr ifices by my people as th ey

we r e cu t off from th e ou ts ide world.

“

F rom P ers ia we wi thdrew to B aqubah , near B aghdad

( th e la tter place now a cen tre for anti -A s sy r ian in tr igu es )wh ich was in B r i tish h ands . Here many p eople wer e very

well tr ea ted by th e B r i tis h Governm en t . An As sy r ian forc e

l—Ove rs e a s D e lega te s . T h e S a ve t h e Ch i l d r en F u n d , A rm en i a n Re f u gee sA s s oc ia t ion .

THE ASSYRIANS

was rais ed under th e B ri tis h in 1 9 1 8, after wh ich aros e th e

ques tion of th e fu tu re of th e A s sy r ians .

“

A repa triation s ch eme was pu t in opera tion and th e

As sy rians concentra ted in th eMindan camp in th e L iwa ofMosul in preparation for an onward move to r e-occupyth eir h omeland in Tu rkey . B r i tish office rs accompani ed

th e As sy rians , bu t par tly du e to th e A rab insu rr ec tion of1 9 2 0 and partly to defective organiz ation,

th e s ch em e fellou t and th eMindan camp was clos ed down in th e S umm er

of 1 9 2 0 . Anoth er attemp t was made ch i efly by lowe r and

upper Tiy aris and Tkh uma to r e-occupy Hakkiar i,wh ich

th ey did, bu t were tu rned ou t two y ears after in th e

S ummer of 1 9 2 3 as th e A s sy r ian y oung m en we re for th e

grea t par t in th e employ of th e B r i tish and th ere were no t

sufficient men to defend th e place . S om e of th os e wh o

left th e Mindan camp were dis tr ibu ted in th e ru ined

unh ealthy r egions in Doh uk and Aqra dis tr ic ts only to

suffer from ,s evere dis eas e . Had th ere been a genu ine

des ire to s e ttle th e A s sy r ians , th ey wou ld hav e by now

been a prosperous people . Cap tain F oweraker,in s p i te of

many difficu lti es pu t in h is way , did good work to efi’ect

a s a tisfactory s e ttlement, bu t unfor tuna tely , all h is labou rs

were undone by I raqi officials .

Du e to th e troubled condi tions in Ku rdis tan,th e

B ri tishMilitary and Civil au th or i ties engaged th e A s sy rians

in con tinu ous battles wh ich o th erw is e wou ld have been

condu cted by th e B ri tish troops . After th e s ucces sfu l conelu s ion of th e battles , wh ich was natu rally to arous e ill

feeling agains t th e A s sy rians , i t was only fai r on th e par tof th os e wh o u tiliz ed th e s erv ices of th e As sy rians to

pro tec t th em agains t any fu r th er attacks or s e ttle th em in

su ch a manner as to be able to defend th ems elves .

Appreciation in words of s erv ices r endered is bu t a coldconcilia tion and expres s ion of bare sympath ies are s till

colder .

52 BRIT I SH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

Th e A s sy r ians were engaged in th e following ba ttles :

( a) One As sy r ian ba ttalion co-op eratea'wi th th e B ri tish

forces in th e dis tr icts of D oh uk, Zakh o , Agra and Amadiy ah i n

1 91 9 and 1920 .

( b) Supp r es s i on of th e Ku rdish r is ing of Agra and Su rch i ,

and Z i bar i tr i bes in 1 920 .

( c) D efea ting Ku rdish rebel tribes of Aqra and Arbi l-B atas

areas in 1922 .

(d) I n 19 23 , As sy r ian irr egu lar forces operated and r ecaptar ed Amadiy ah .

( e ) Assy r ian i rregular forces suppor ted by two Assy r ian com

pani cs engag ed aga ins t th e Sh e ik of B arz an in 1923, du r ing wh ich

engag emen t a Malik ( Tr ibal ch ief) and 1 8 As sy rians were ki lled.

( f) Cap tu re of Rowandu z and environs from th e Turkish and

Ku rdi sh forces by th r ee As sy r ian ba ttalions and one pack ba ttery in

1 29 3

( g ) Op era tions on a larg e scale a t differen t in tervals agai ns t

th e brave Kurdish leader , Sh e ikMahmud of Su la iman iy ah , and h is

tri besmen during 1924-28 .

I n addi tion to th e above , var ious o th er m inor

opera t ions were u nder taken to control th e tu rbulen t

nor th ern I raq as th e B r i tish troops were wi thdrawn in

1 9 2 1 and th e bu rden h ad to fall on th e Assy rian loy al

troops . Th e A s sy r ian police,wh os e s ervices I have no t

m entioned, als o play ed an impor tant role in defending th e

nor th ern fron ti ers of I raq .

“

I t wi ll, th erefor e , be s een, that th e As sy r ian people

h ave be en s or ely tr i ed and have r emained refugees and

h om eles s for th e las t 1 8 y ears after wh ich th ey wer e

des e r ted to be mas sacr ed in Augu s t, 1 933 .

“

Th e r eas ons leading up to th e r ecent a troci ti es and

ou trageou s ac ts comm i tted agains t th e A s sy r ian c iv il popu

la tion ,h ave be en par tly r ecogn i z ed and r epor ted to th e

L eague of N a ti ons , wh om I am fu rn is h ing w i th m or e

par ticu lars , wh ich ,u nde r th e te rr ible condi tions my people

and m y s elf h ave be en labou r ing,was an impos s ibili ty . Th e

I raq Gove rnm en t, th e m ili tary and civ il forces , under

wh os e orde rs th e la tter wer e ac ting,is pr imar ily and

THE ASSYRIANS

wh olly r espons ible for th e r ecen t a troc iti es . Th e I raq

Government wi ll deny any killing of A s sy r ian non-conu

batants , bu t th e A s sy r ian widows and orph ans , devas ta ted

villages , th e ru ins th at can be s een,and th e innocent blood

cry ing h igh , ar e th e bes t tes timony th at I can produ ce in

s uppor t of my s ta tem ent . Th e Ku rds,

u pon wh os e

s h oulders th e I raq governm en t w i ll try to th row th e

r espons i bili ty for th e h ear t-breaking even ts,ar e not r espan

s ible . I t is tru e that ce r tain Ku rds,ins tigated and armed

by th e I raq governm en t, did comm i t th eft, bu t th ey did

not par ticipate in th e wh oles ale mas s acr es . On th e c o n trary ,

I h ave evidence to s h ow th at cer tain Ku rdis h ch i efs and

Agh as ac tually pro tec ted th e is ola ted A s sy r ians wh os e fa tewould h ave oth e rwis e been s imilar to th a t of th e i r br e th r en .

Th e atti tude of th e I raq governm en t towards th e

A s sy r ians h as be en inimical th rough ou t, and i t becom e a

r eal danger as s oon as th e I raq governmen t was le t loos e

after i ts adm is s ion in to th e L eagu e of N a tions . We h avedefini te cas es of grave m is carriage of ju s ti ce and of intolerance on th e par t of th e I raq governme n t to s h ow

th a t su ch was th e a tti tude .

Th e pr es ence of Major Th oms on,appoin ted by th e

I raq governmen t as s e ttlem en t exp e r t in an ADV I SORYCAPAC ITY, was th e bes t excu s e for th e I raq governm en t to

fall on th e A s sy r ians . Th e I raq governm en t v iewed th e

s e ttlemen t s ch eme wi th s u sp icion and var i ous pr e tex ts w e r e

found to r ender Th oms on’

s sch eme fu tile . F inally ,on th e

1 0 th and l 1 th of Ju ly ,1 933, two m e e tings w er e h eld in th e

office of Ill u tas arr if ofMos ul wh en th e I raq governmen t’

s

policy for a h e terogeneous s e ttlemen t th at wou ld h ave

undou btedly led to th e comple te des tru c tion of th e

A s sy r ians , was explained. A t th es e m e e tings , th e IlI u tas arr ifand th e o th er offic ials , in order to make th e A s sy rians

m ore des pe rate th an what th ey wer e,

s aid th a t th os e

wh o disapprove h is governm en t’

s policy s h ould leave th e


country immediately . H e furth er s aid that P ers ia would

dispers e th em, and th at Tu rkey wou ld not accep t th em .

Under th e intolerable condi tions to wh ich th e A ssy r ians

were delibera tely dr iven, th ey h ad no alternative bu t to

m igrate to S y ria . Cer tain As sy r ian repres entative leaders ,wi th s ome hundreds of th e ir m en

,leftMosul qu i te peace

fully and in good order carry ing th e ir arms wh ich th eyhad legally acqu ir ed for s elf-pro tection,

if occas ion

demanded i t. Th e firs t group r each ed a poin t on th e

S y ro-I raq frontier wh ere th ey despatch ed a le tter to th e

I raq government to s ay th at‘

th ey had emigrated in

accordance wi th th e declared policy of th e government ;

tha t th ey had no intention of figh ting whats oever ; and thatth ey requ es t th e government not to moles t th eir fami li esand r elatives wh o wis h ed to join th em .

’

Had th e I raq

government h ones tly kep t up th e terms of i ts announcement

made atMosul and had th ey no t harass ed th e groups that

were following th e firs t batch es , I am su re that not one

s ingle drop of innocen t blood would have been s h ed. Du e

to hatred and fanaticism,and in order to demons tra te

th eir mili tary power before th e dis con tended Ku rds of th ewh oleWi lay e t and before th e S h i ’a wh o were on th e br ink

of war wi th th e S unnis , th e I raq governmen t s aw th e

moment oppor tune to mas sacre th e A s sy rians . Only fou rweeks previous ly , th e I raqi P r ime Minis ter h ad declaredin parliamen t tha t Th e A s sy r ians wer e a peacefu l peopleand that h e had y e t to learn of any aggres s ion by th em

on th e villages in th eir vicini ty .

“

F or th e las t five month s , extens ive anti -As sy r ian

propaganda pass ed unch ecked. Th e s i lence of th e govern

m ent meant encou ragement to th os e wh o were after th e

A s sy rian blood for many y ears pas t . Revolu tionary

speech es agains t th e A s sy rians were made in parliament

jus t four we eks before th e ‘

mas sacre’

, and had th e B ri tish

government moved th en, th e A s sy r ian women and ch ildren


pers ecu ted and tor tu red. P r egnan t women wer e bay one tted.

We have a comple te lis t of th e people th u s tor tu r ed and

th e denial of th e I raq gove rnm en t i s y e t to be judged byth e c iv ili z ed world.

“

Th e wh ole matter is now in th e h ands of th e L eagu eof N a tions . We h ad form erly warned th e L eagu e th at

we did not feel s ecu re un ti l ejfective m easu r es h ad be en

taken tha t wou ld ensu re ou r s afe ty . Th e warning was not

taken s er iou sly . Th e B r i tish oppos i tion was too s trong

wi th th e lamentable r esu lts now known to th e wh ole

world

N o plans for th e fu tu re h ave be en formu lated, bu t

we ins is t th at a p ermanen t,s atisfac tory s olu tion s h ou ld be

s ough t th a t wou ld ensu r e u s permanen t s afe ty to live as a

fr e e people and not like s erfs . We natu rally als o ins is t

th a t th os e r espons ible s h ou ld r eap wh at th ey have s own .

“

I now app eal m os t earnes tly to th e civiliz ed world

for a fai r judgment, particu larly to th e B r i tis h public, inwh os e impar tiali ty and h igh s ens e of ju s tice th e A s sy r ians

have not los t fai th . Th e B r i tis h pu blic, wh en aware of th e

true facts , will no t tolerate w i th indiffer ence th e pers ecu

t ion of th e Oldes t Ch r is tian P eople in th e world wh o

h ave be en fai thfu l and loy al to Ou r L ord th rough ou t

many ages of pers ecu tion . Th e B r i tis h public opinion can

br ing influ ence to bear on th e B r i tish Government to

r ede em th e many pledges and prom is es made to th e

A s sy r ians bu t wh ich , alas , wer e broken tim e after anoth er .

”

I f I am not accused o f i nqu i s i t i veness , I should l i ke too ffer a few obse rvat ions on the above statement

,as I feel

that the Assyr i ans were no t ful ly aware o f what was go ingon beh ind the scenes when even they were s o loyal ly servingthe inte rests o f the B r i t i sh Empi re . The aims beh ind theB r i t i sh games woul d have had remained obscure to me ,had I not been a Government Offic i al and so had the op

THE ASSYRIANS

portun ity o f see ing what o thers coul d no t see . I know thatI w i l l be accused o f d i s loyal ty , but I fi rmly bel i eve thatal l means are l egal when one ’s nat ion i s at stake .

H i s B r i tann ic Maj es ty ’s Government promi se con

vey ed i n S ir Hen ry Dobb s ’ memorandum ,to s afeguard

th e in te res ts of th e A s sy r ians ; has been fulfi l l ed i n that th echannel s o f blood o f Assyr i an women , and ch i l dren haveflown s ide by s ide w i th the p ipe l i ne s that car ry o il fromMosu l to the po r t o f Hai fa .

Again, S ir Hen ry

’s no te to S i r Keneban Co rnwal l i sthat “

if th e y h ave i t in th e i r h eads th at we are ini tia ting a

final move for pu t ting th em unde r th e A rabs , th e y may

run amor t”requ i re s some explanat ion . That no t e was wr i t t en

subsequent to the meet i ng hel d between the Mar S h imun’

s

father and S ir Hen ry Dobbs when the fo rme r pro t estedagainst the m i l i tary exped i t ion that was be ing sent agai nstShei k Daud - l -Daud

,the Yaz i d i chi e f . As the futu re o f

the Jabal S i nj ar ,the hom e o f th e Ya z idis . was no t yet

defined, S ir Hen ry Dobbs advi sed the Mi n i st ry o f the

I nter ior, ( Baghdad ) that be fore embark ing upon the

contemp l ated ope rat ions,the Fr ench autho r i t i e s in Sy r i a

shoul d be i n fo rmed in o rde r to take th e w i nd o u t o f thesa i l s o f the Yaz idis wh o o the rw i se wou ld open th e doo r tothe French , enabl i ng them to take a publ ic at t i tude . Inthat case , S ir Henry added ,

‘

we shoul d have been in amuch wo rs e po s i t ion ’

. S ir Hen ry conc luded by sayi ng that“

we must take no act ion that woul d arouse the feel ings o fthe Chr i s t i an s i n Mosu l a s the i r sympath i e s are fo r th eFrench and we know that Paulu s ( a member on the Commiss ion o f the League o f Nat ions ) has de f i n i te i deas o f

handing the Mo su l Wilay e t to the French”The Assyr i an s and the o ther I raq i m ino r i t i e s must

ce r ta in ly be the al l i e s o f the Ya z idis agains t the ty rannicalpower o f the I raq i Government . I t was not long ago when


the Yaz idis under the i r paramount l eader,Hamo Shero o f

Jabal S i nj ar , gave she l ter to more than two thousandChr i s t i an re fugees wh o we re escap ing the 1 9 1 5 massacresi n Turkey . Rev . Yusu f Tu fankch i , the pre sent del egue o f

the Chaldean Patr i arch, ( Beyrouth ) was one o f those

re fugees . Hamo Shero ,though offered ten pounds for

every Chr i s t i an he would surrender to the old Turk to bes l aughtered , d i d not only re fuse the offer , but al so foughtthe Turk i sh pun i t ive exped i t ions sent against h im . I t i sc l ear that when the Yaz idis , wh o are be l i eved to be “Abadatu l Shai tan” ( devi l worsh ippers ) pro tec ted , at cons i derablesacr ifice to them ,

the re fugee Chr i s t i ans,the Engl i sh Gov

e rnment who se k ing i s “ sa i d to be the De fender o f th e

Chr i s t i an Fa i th” surrendered the Chr i s t i ans to the ravenousArab o f I raq , the he ir o f the O l d Turk , to be assas s inatedon re fusal o f fo rc ed convers ion to Mohammedan i sm .

I t i s true that at the Baqubah Re fugee Camp,the

B r i t i sh author i t i e s treated the Assyr i ans we l l but that wasbecause they were i n need o f the ir serv ice s in the stormyyear s that were to fo l low . The B r i t i sh were i n ho st i l eArab country and had w i de exper i ence o f Arab treacherydur i ng th e days o f the war and knew that they could not

have found more loyal people than the Assyr i ans to mainta i n a balance o f power i n the country .

As regards Captain F owe rake r’

s se tt l ement scheme ,though a cer ta in number o f the Assyr i ans were set t l ed , y etthe sett l ement scheme was known as the “

Z-Plan” ; thatwas , to plant the Assyr i ans amidst the Ku rds to be usedagainst the latte r i f and when they ro se in the face o f theI raq Gove rnment . I t i s qu i te evi dent , there fore , that al lthe B r i t i sh plans were no t fo r the good o f the Assyr i an sand that the i r gradual exterminat ion was only a matter o f

t ime .


t i ng th em u nd e r th e A rab s th ey may ru n amo r t . I am go i ng to

sp eak to Mr . Co rnwa l l i s abou t a Ch r i s tian Qa imaqam for Si nj ar ,a s th e p re se n t one b e i ng appo i n ted Mu tasarri f g i v e s an oppo r tu n i tyfor pu t ti ng i n a Ch r i s tian , and th i s w i l l be some so r t of s ign thatwe hav e no deep de s ign s fo r su pp re s s i ng th e N on-Mo s lem s i n th e

Mosu l Wi lay e t . We don ’ t wan t any o v e r t Ch r i s tian movemen ttoward s th e Fre nch ju s t a t th e momen t whe n th e Fron tier-Commi ssi on i s abou t to p re se n t i ts final repo r t, and we know Pau lu s a t

l eas t a l ready h as defin i te i d eas for sugge s ti ng tha t Mo su l shou l d bemade o v e r to th e French .

A v e ry care fu l wa tch w i l l hav e to be kep t a t Mo su l to p re v e n tany ou tb reak be tween th e Mos l em s and A s sy r ian s du r i ng, or im

m ed iate ly af te r, th e I d . I don ’ t k now wha t we can do any mo rethan a Ch r i s tian Qa imaqam a t S i nj ar to reas su re th e A ssyrian s ; bu ti t wou l d be u s e fu l if M r . Lloyd cou l d ke ep i n very c lo se and

f r iendly tou ch w i th Lady Su rma and talk qu i te f rankly w i th h er

as to th e c i rcum s tan ce s wh i ch hav e fo rced u s i n to conflc t w i th th e

Yaz idis .

”

C 0 1 If .

Comma nde r Gr e ek Orde r of Rede em e r

Comma nde r S e rbi a n Orde r o f ll'

h z te E a g le

”

Th e s e ga l l an t A s sy r ian s fo u gh t th e i r wa y th ro u gh th e

h o rd e s o f th e i r e n emi e s . p p . (I I-6 )

6 2 BRIT I SH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

th rou gh th e ho rdes of the i r e nemie s and to th e number of

sou l s fou nd a refuge i n th e vas t refu ge e camp at Baqu bah on th e

s i te of wh i ch s tood th e monumen t to wh ich I have al lu ded .

“ I t f e l l to my lo t to be in cha rge of th i s camp and to con t rolth e de s ti n ies and moveme n t of th e A ssyr‘ian s for th e su cceed i ng thre eyea rs .

“Du r i ng th i s pe riod my one though t was to ge t them back by somem ean s or o th e r to land s wh ich they h ad i nhab i ted for cen tu r ie s or

as near to these land s as p rac t i cabl e . And wha t i s more tha t theyshou l d go back as a u n i ted p eop le to keep up the ir anc ien t trad ition s and i n wh ich case they wou l d be j o i ned by o thers wh o we red i spersed in var iou s local i t ies .

“Unfor tu na te ly, as I wi l l re late , c ircum s tance s d id no t p ermi t me

to ach ie v e my obj ec t the n—and now—th e ir chance seem s gon e and

fu tu re f r i t te red away to whom soever th e fau l t may be due . I n myop i n ion for su ch as i t i s wo r th , th e fau l t l ies n e i the r w i th th e

A s sy r ian s nor w i th th e Iraqi gov ernmen t, bu t i t l ies w i th tho seB r i t ish au thor i t ies on th e spo t when th e manda te was handed over

and wh o fa i led to app re c ia te th e fac t tha t u nd e r no c i rcum s tance swou l d these A ssyr ians “

mix” w i th a con tro l o ther than B r i t i sh .

“

To go back to th e Baqubah camp . Th e Br i ti sh au thor i t ie s at

tha t t ime behaved mos t generou s ly and large sum s we re pa id frompu bl ic fu nd s for th e upkeep of th e A s sy r ians and the ir fe l lowrefugee s , th e Armen ians . When I arr i ved a t th e camp i n May , 19 19,

I was i n s tru c ted to redu ce th e exp end i tu re , th e fi rs t economy be ingtha t I myse lf combi ned th e offices of Commandan t and ch ief-s taffoffi ce r, pos i tion s h i the r to he l d by two office rs of h igh rank . How

ever, I se t to i n o the r direc t ion s, and by th e Au tumn found tha t th elarge Bri tish superv i s i ng p ersonne l cou l d be rep laced i n mos t casesby A s sy r ian s th em se l v e s and tha t th e la t ter were pe rfec tly com

p e te n t to take charge of th e ir own camp sec tions and to fi l l o the rre spon s i b le pos ts . I ndu s tr ie s were a l so s tar ted wh ich no t on lyfou nd wo rk for th e re fugee s bu t l ikew i se made a p rofi t to be se t

aga i n s t th e camp expe nd i tu re s . Thu s by th e end of l9 l9 ,’

th e cos th ad bee n redu ced by a th ird to a ha l f and th e commun i ty was

th r i v i ng . Ev e n a t tha t da te , two ba t tal ion s of so l d ie rs ( on e o f wh i chd id good wo rk on th e f ron tie r) h ad been o rgan iz ed and recru i tsh ad bee n fou nd fo r o th e r serv ice s i n th e occu p ied terr i tory . Tha twas th e time o f th e grea te s t hop e for th e fu tu re ; th e wom en and

la rge numbe rs o f ch i ld ren we re happy and th e h eal th of th e camp ,ow i n g to th e adhe ren ce by th e p eop l e to th e ru le s lai d down ,

showed far be t te r re su l ts than any conce n tra tion camp i n Sou th

BAQUBAH AND MI NDAN

Af r ica du r i ng th e Boe r war . B u t th i ngs h ad to ge t mo v i ng towa rd sth e u l tima te aim o f all, nam e l y, repa t r ia t ion and i t was to th i s end

tha t du r ing ,th e w i n ter of 19 19-20 , we s t rov e to i n i t ia te a s ch eme .

By ag reeme n t w i th th e Ku rd s and Pers ian s ( th e Tu rk s d id n’ t cou n t

a t tha t time ) , a p roj ec t was e vo l v ed wh ich wou l d pe rmi t th e A s syr ian s to go back to th e v ici n i ty o f th e i r own cou n t ry—no t an ea syp roj e c t bu t feas ib le and on e wh ich rece i v ed app rova l a t Baghdad .

Th i s sch eme wou l d be ca r r ied ou t en ti re l y by th e A s sy r ian s th ems e l v e s w i th he lp in th e way o f ma te r ia l and su bj e c t to ce r ta i ncon tro l , and by th e Sp r i ng of 1920 , all was ready and a g rea tp re l imi nary mov emen t b egan i n th e ea rl y Summe r to th e n e ighbou rhood o f Mosu l .

B u t, a las , wha t happ e ned ? A t th i s mom en t came th e rumbl i ngsof th e Arab i n su rrec t ion o f tha t year, p o s ts u p th e l i ne and e l s ewh e re we re a t tacked and ge n e ra l u n re s t comm en ced . Ou r con v oysh ad to be s topp ed , bu t as i t tu rn ed ou t th i s i n su r rec tio n gav e a

d hance to th e A s sy r ian s to re nde r s ignal se rv ice to th e i r b e n efac tors, th e Bri ti sh .

Th e i n su r rec t ion sp read and e v e n tu al ly b roke fo r th on th e

Baqu bah s i de . Al l troop s h ad to be w i th d rawn fo r th e p ro tec t ionof Baghdad and ou r A ssy r i an s we re l e f t ou t i n th e w i l d i n the i rvas t u nd efe nded camp op e n to a t ta ck on all s i d e s . More than th i s ,a large numb er of th e ab le-bod ied men w e re a t s tage s on th e irway to th e repa tr ia tion mo v emen t and th ey h ad th e i r r ifl e s w i ththem . Le f t a t Baqu bah w e re all th e wome n and ch i l d re n and a

l im i ted numb e r of old s i ngl e load ing r ifl e s w i th bu t ten rou nd sap ie ce . F or a we ek o r ten days , th e camp was a t tacked a t c lo serange by Ri f l e fire and al so by mach i n e-gu n s wh i ch th e A rab s h adtake n f rom a B r i t i sh and I nd ian co lumn . B u t no th i ng dau n ted th e

A s syrian t r i be sme n as l ikew i se th e i r wom en , and I mu s t no t a l soforge t a tr i bu te to th e A rm e n ian s . Peop le w ere sho t i n th e h osp i ta land wom e n a s th ey w e re b r i ngi ng u p food fo r th e ir men , bu t j u s tas ma t te rs we re be coming i nd eed grav e , a par ty managed to figh tthe i r way th rou gh th e A rab s and re scu e a supp l y of mu ch need edammu n i tion of wh ich we h ad news . W i th th i s th e tabl e s we retu rned , th e A s sy r ian s cou l d no t be re s t ra i n ed , th ey scou red th e

cou n t ry s i de, and as a ma t te r of fac t ma te r ia l ly h e lp ed to re l i ev eth e ten s ion i n Baghdad i tse l f . N o t onl y th i s , bu t par tie s on th e irway to repa t r ia t ion h e lp ed a t d iffe ren t spo ts on th e l i n e to rep e lA rab a t tack s and to th e i r behav iou r th e mi l i tary au tho r i t ie s pai dglow i ng tr i bu te s .


N eve r the l e ss , na tu ral ly ou r repa tr ia t ion movemen t su ffered ; timewas was ted , th e season ad vanced and al though th e mov emen t e v en tu ally p ro ceeded , i t was la te Oc tobe r before th e ne ce ssary prepa ration s we re comp l e ted . E v e n so we pu sh ed on , bu t too la te ; i t i st ru e tha t th e n th e A ssy r ian s go t a b i t ou t of hand and the re we recompla i n ts f rom loca l au tho r i t ie s , bu t i n many cas e s , th ese samelo ca l au tho r i t ie s w e re th e v e ry on e s wh o h ad o r igi nal ly su ppo r tedth e e n te rp r i se . Howe v e r, th i s may be , th e peop l e h ad to s e t tledown fo r th e Win ter arou nd Mosu l i n read i ne ss for f re sh measu re si n th e Sp r i ng of 1921 .

“

Th e ab le-bod ied men we re th en eage rly sough t af te r to fi l l upth e le vy cad re s and the i r va lu e i n th i s conne c t ion h as b een ex

p a t ia ted u pon time s w i thou t numbe r by the i r B r i t i sh offi ce rs . T h e

famil ie s we re p rov i s iona l ly loca ted i n cou n try no r th and eas t o f

Mosu l and the i r fu tu re s eemed the n to have a reasonabl e ou tlook,i f no t to the i r l ik i ng as mu ch as th e scheme wh ich fa i l ed .

“

B u t th e years for any p e rmanen t se t tl emen t as a u n i ted com

mu n i ty have now been f r i t te red away , and w i th th e w i thd rawa l o f

B r i ti sh co n t ro l , pos s i b ly now gone fo r e v e r . Ye t the re i s su re lycou n t ry w i th i n th e confi ne s o f th e migh ty B r i t i sh Emp ire , wh i chcou l d s e rv e to accommoda te th em i f we wou l d take th e t e

spon s i b i l i ty and no t l eav e them to th e m ercy of th e Leagu e of

Na tion s , we l l mean ing i t i s tru e , bu t n ece ssar i ly swayed by a

mu l ti tud e of confl ic t in g i n te re s ts . Th i s bu s i ne ss i s a Bri t i sh job .

’


i n seal ing al l the documents that emanated from thePatr i archal See . The seal wh ich I have seen has thefo l low i ng inscr ipt ion '

H umble Sh imu n, P a tr iarch of th e E as t, by

Grace s erving th e S ec of Th addeu s (Addai ) .

The Pat r i arch o f the Chal deans,known as the

Pat r i arch o f Babylon,i s Mar Emmanuel Toma o f Alqo sh .

Approach ing h i s e ight i es,Mar Emmanuel i s “

h ors de com

ba t I n I raq ,he has a fo l low i ng o f some Mar

Emmanuel and h i s Chaldean communi ty had many p r i

vilege s under the Turks wh ich the I raq Government abrogated gradual ly as soon as Fai sal was made k ing o f I raq .

The Chaldeans have t ime and again been publ ic ly warnedthat i f they rai sed the i r vo ice

,o r i f they asked fo r any

p r iv i l eges,they woul d share the fate o f the Armenians in

the past . That i s to say , they would be massacred . AnArab newspaper i n Baghdad descr ibed Mar Emmanuelsome three months ago as a hypocr i t e , and as i s usual , no

ac t ion was t aken again st the wr i t er .

I t would not su rpr i se me to hear , at some future date ,that Mar Emmanue l had been fo rced to go to Geneva tode fend the “ good I raqi s” o r that madhabatas had been ext r icated from him in suppor t o f the “ benevo l en t I raqGovernment” . Through co rrupt ion and threats , the I raqGovernment has extr icated such madh abatas i n the past ,and these we re p laced be fore the League o f Nat ions by S i rFranc i s Humph rys . I t i s a p i ty that the League o f Nationsshould be so openly dece ived ( i f suet i s the case ) , byfo rged m adh abatas and dec l arat ions . The l east that I can

say about them,i s that they compr i se a t i ssue o f l i e s and

fabr icat ions . Such madh abatas are usual ly prepared by theI raq Government and put up to the person concerned fo rs ignatu re . The man requ i red to s ign finds h imse l f betweentwo evi l s . I f he re fuses , he i s accused o f be ing a trai to r

THE CHALDEANS

to I raq ; i f he s igns , he i s bound to betray h i s communi ty .

I f the reasons l ead ing up to the depor tat ion o f Mar

E shai S h imun,to Cyrus

,are care ful ly stud i ed by a

d i s interested person , i t w i l l be c l ear ly seen that h i s“

re fusal to s ign such lud icrous document s” was one o f theprominent factors that prompted such an arb i trary act ion onthe par t o f Rash i d ’Al i ’s-cab i net . The Mi n i st er s i n thatcab inet are ex-Turk i sh j un io r offic i a l s o f the o ld Tu rk i shtype

,and the i r admin i strat ion canno t be o ther than ta inted .

I t was th i s reason that fo rced th e Commi ss ion o f A f

Wi rs en ,Telek i

,and Pau lus

, to reco rd on pages 85 and 88o f the i r repor t , C4 OO M. 147 . 1 9 2 5 XI I (

“ Quest ion o f thefront i er between Turkey and I raq

”

) the fo l low i ng statement :

Th e i n te rna l s i tu a tion i n th e S ta te of I raq , howe v e r, s e em su n s table . S e r iou s d iffi cu l tie s are b e i ng e ncou n te red ow i ng to th e

ten s ion be twee n Su nn i te s and Sh i i te s . I t shou l d be no ted tha t th eSh i i te s are i n a maj o r i ty in th e two Wi lay e ts o f Baghdad and

Bas rah . Th e re la t ion s b e twe en Ku rd s and A rab s are a l so u nce r ta i n ;a t th e time of th e Commi ss io n ’

s v i s i t, th e Go v e rnm en t h ad n o t y e t

v en tu red to se t u p an I raq admi n i s tra ti on i n th e l iwa o f Su la iman iyah , wh i ch wa s s t i l l ru l ed by B r i t i sh o ffi c ial s . T h e Commi s s io nfo rm ed th e imp re s s ion tha t th e manda te , i n th e shape o f th e ex i s ti ng t rea ty, mu s t be ma i n ta i ned fo r som e th i ng l ike a ge n e ra t ion i no rd e r to al low o f th e con so l ida t ion and d e v e lopm en t o f th e n ew

S ta te . I n th e op i n ion o f many p e r son s wh om w e co n su l ted , th e

v e ry exi s te nce o f th e S ta te migh t be imp e r i l l ed i f th e gu idan ce and

p ro tec tio n affo rded by th e Leagu e o f N a tion s manda te w e re w i thd rawn 1 af te r a few yea rs . I t i s c l ea r, th e re fo re , tha t th e e conomi cand o th e r ad van tages wh i ch th eWi lay e t o f M o su l as a who le wou l dd e r i v e f rom u n ion w i th I raq wou l d be exchanged fo r v e ry se r iou spo l i tica l d iffi cu l t ie s i f th e manda te shou l d exp i re b e fo re I raq cou l dbe regard ed as r ip e fo r s e l f-gov e rnm en t w i thou t Leagu e su ppo r t .I n tha t case , i t wou l d cer ta i n l y be b e t te r fo r th eWilay e t of M o su lto be p laced u nd e r Tu rk i sh s ov e re i gn ty , s i n ce th e i n te rnal and ex

te rna l po l i t ica l s i tua t ion of Tu rkey i s i ncompa rab ly mo re s tabl ethan wou l d be th e case w i th I raq if th e la t te r cou n t ry we re l e f t toi tse l f . Many of th e par ti san s of I raq s ta te tha t if th e manda to ry

l—Wi th drawn fi f tee n yea rs be f ore i t s l ega l t e rm .


regime were shor tly to come to an end they wou l d ra th er be

re s to red to Tu rkey . No tw i th s tand ing th e good i n ten tion s of th e

s ta te sme n o f Iraq , who se po l i ti ca l expe r ien ce i s n ecessari ly sma l l ,i t i s to be f ea red tha t se r iou s d iffi cu l tie s may ar i se ou t of th e d ifference s wh i ch i n som e case s ex i s t i n regard to po l i tical i deas be tweenth e Sh ii te s of th e Sou th and th e Su nn i te s of th e N or th , th e racia ld iffere n ce s be twee n A rab s and Ku rd s , and th e nece ss i ty of keep ingth e tu rbu l en t t r i be s u nde r con tro l . The se d iffi cu l t ie s migh t be fa ta lto th e v e ry ex i s te nce of th e S ta te if i t we re l ef t w i thou t suppor tand gu i dan ce . F or th e sake of th e de v e lopmen t and p rospe r i ty of

th e cou n try , th e commi s s ion f ee l s tha t i t shou l d rema i n u nder th e

Leagu e of Na t ion s manda te fo r abou t twen ty-five years .

The conc l us ion reached by the Commi ss ion in regardto the chron ic d i ff erence s between the Sunn i te s and theSh i i te s has been substant i ated by recent event s thatfo l lowed . The Sh i ’a are at present b i t ter ly complain ing o f

the Sunna Government , and they are capabl e o f overthrow i ng

,at any moment the present depraved regime

wh ich has been inst i tuted fo r the advantage o f a few

i nd iv idual s,oppo r tun i s ts as they are , the old fr i ends o f

Fai sal .The Kurds are d i ssat i sfied more than ever before and

w i l l cer ta inly be a ser ious danger to the ar t ific i al I raq uni tyfo rced upon them by the B r i t i sh aeroplanes . I f I raq became engaged at any futu re date w i th any o f the ne ighbo ri ng countr i e s on the Perso-I raq front i er s , the Kurds wouldonly be too glad to throw in the i r lo t w i th the enemie s o fthe I raq . They pre fer , as Hamd i Beg sa i d , to be

“ the fu ro f the l ion than be the ta i l o f a monkey” as they are now,

thanks to the t ime-delayed bombs used against them by theB r i t ish as recent ly as 1 932 .

Fa isal’s v i s i t s to Ango ra and Teheran are o f no avai l .The aims ly ing beh ind these v i s i t s

,planned by h i s master s

,

canno t remain equ ivocal to Mustafa Kamal Pasha andRiza Khan Pehl ev i . To pul l the woo l over the eyes” o f

the Turk i sh Pres i den t and the Per s i an Monarch , bettermen than Fa i sal and h i s Su i te should be thrown i n the fiel d .


That i nsu rrec t ion , i t must be admi t ted , was engineeredfrom the o ther s i de

, o f the Syr i an front i e r .

I f po i nt twe lve o f the Amer ican Pres i dent ’s fou r teenpo i n t—tho se o f Pres ident Wi l son—was honest ly fulfi l l edby the B r i t i sh i n I raq ,

as by the French in Syr i a , the past ,and present troubles would have been avo i ded

,and future

upr i s ings aver ted . Pres i dent Wi l son ’s po in t re ferr edto the non-Turk i sh t err i to r i e s o f the OttomanEmpi re and provi ded for the i r autonomous deve lopment inaccordance w i th the free w i l l o f the peoples concerned .

Mr . Lloyd Geo rge , the great Engl i sh statesman , madestatement s from wh ich i t might be i nferred that veryl i beral treatment would be acco rded in the matter o f se l fgovernments to the ter r i to r i e s r eferred to by Pres i dentWi lson in po in t twe lve . The mo st impo r tant o f theses tatements was the Anglo-French dec l arat ion made on the8 th o f November , 1 9 1 8 . The followmg i s the text o f thedec l arat ion

In order to gi v e e ffec t to the se i n ten tion s, France and Grea tB r i ta i n are ag re ed to en cou rage and as s i s t th e e s tab l i shm e n t o f in

d ige nou s go v e rnme n ts and admin i s t ra tion s i n Sy r ia and Me sopo tamia,wh i ch hav e a l ready i n fac t bee n l ibera ted by th e Al l ie s , and i ncou n tr ie s who se l i be ra t ion they are e nd eavou r i ng to e ffe c t, and to

re cogn i z e th e la t te r as soon as th ey sha l l be e ffe c t i v e ly e s tab l i shed .

Far f rom w i sh i ng to impose any pa r t icu lar i n s ti tu tion on th e seland s , th ey hav e no o the r care bu t to as su re by th e i r suppo r t and

e ffe c ti v e a id th e no rma l wo rk i ng o f th e gov e rnmen ts and admin i s tration s , wh i ch th ey sha l l hav e adop ted of th e ir f re e w i l l . To e n su reimpar t ia l and e qu a l j u s ti ce , to fac i l i ta te e co nomic d e v e lopmen t by

e v ok ing and e n cou rag i ng i nd ige nou s i n i tia ti v e , to fo s te r th e sp reado f edu ca tion and to p u t an end to th e d i v i s ion s too long exp lo i tedby Tu rki sh po l i cy—su ch i s th e ro l e wh i ch th e two a l l ied Gov e rnme n ts as sume i n th e l i be ra ted te r r i to r ie s .

”

The Covenant o f the League o f Nat ions accepted theabove p r i nc ip l e o f “ establ i shment o f Nat ional Governmentsand Admin i strat ions draw i ng the i r autho r i ty from the in it iat ive and free cho ice o f ind igenous popul at ions” , and

THE CHALDEANS

wh i l e we obse rve in Syr i a var ious i ndigenous admin i s trat ions wh ich have been set up acco rd ing to the free cho iceo f the i nhab i tant s conce rned , we find i n I raq a to tal lyd i f fe rent mach inery aga ins t the w i l l o f the i nhab i tant s .

The B r i t i sh Government has been endeavo r i ng in va in ,for th e l ast fou rteen years , to un i t e many d i ss im i l ar e l ement s and merge them in the body po l i t i c o f I raq ,and in the I raq un i ty

,a nonenclatu re i nvented by

the B r i t i sh wh ich has been a compl ete fa i lu re . Ne i ther theKu rds nor the o ther Mi no r i t i e s , o r , rathe r

,the i nd igenous

inhabi tant s o f the Mo su l Wilay e t , are A rabs in any way ,

and to attempt to me rge them in the desp i sed I raq i un i tyby co rrupt ion and co e rc i ve measu re s , can b r i ng no th ingbut res i stance by fo rce o f arms as has al ready been thecase . The compo s i t e wo rd ‘I raq i Uni ty ’

was i nvented by aB r i t i sh H igh Commi ss ione r i n I raq in 1 9 2 8 when ce r ta innat ional demands o f the Ku rds we re re fe r red to h im bythe I raq Gove rnment and wh o i n re sponse

,sai d that the

Ku rd i sh demands i f ente r tai ned,wou ld impai r the I raq i

un i ty and the s o—cal l ed I raq i A rab min i atu re po l i t ic i an s,o r

rather agi tato r s,have been us ing th i s as a pa r ro t would

,

ever s ince that date n ot real i z i ng that th i s ‘Engl i sh in

vent ion ’ i s to aggravate the exi st i ng enmi ty betweenthe two Races .

Nu r i al Sa ’ i d , fo rmer ly a j un io r Tu rk i sh offic i al , andnow I raq i Fo re ign Mi n i ster , i n fo rmed the Ku rds , when thelatter saw h im regard ing the i r nat ional demands re fe rredto above

,that “ the I raq Gove rnment would not obj ec t to

the set t ing up o f a pure Ku rd i sh Admin i st rat ion as th i s i sthe only way to i n sure the ve ry exi stence o f I raq ,

but theobj ect ions against such an admin i strat ion come from theEngl i sh s i de . I f y ou can persuade the Engl i sh to wa ivethe i r obj ect ions

, we w i l l only be too w i l l i ng to adm i t theKu rd i sh nat ional c l a ims to wh ich y ou are ent i t l ed .

”

I t i s now t ime to rever t to the Chal deans . The

72 BRIT I SH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIAN S

Chaldean Patr i arch th inks i t be tter to lo se a few Chaldeansby Arab bul l et s and Arab kn ives every month than lose allthe Chaldeans at one t ime . Bo th the se , no doubt , meangradual exterminat ion . The Patr i arch ’ s po s i t ion i s a veryd ifficul t one . When I last met h im in Mo su l w i th Capta inMatthew Cope o f the Royal Navy

,the Patr i arch ’ s wo rds

were these :“ I agree that we are be ing i l l-treated and that we we re

better off under the Turk i sh rul e than we are now under theArabs . I know that we shal l be per secuted a fter the l i f t ingo f the mandate , but , i f we press ou r c l a ims and pr i v i legeswh ich I have al ready ra i sed in wr i t ing and i n per son to

Lo rd Curzon in London , can we trust B r i ta i n to suppo r tu s ? The bes t instance I can quo te i s the Assyr i an quest ion . You know what valuabl e serv ice they rendered to

B r i ta i n and are st i l l render ing . Has th e r es u lt be en o th er

than be tray al? He conc l uded by saying : “

I f we press fo rou r po l i t ical r i ghts w i thout effec t ive and honest suppo rt ,‘

L ak P ay ish N ash a Minnan I ttay in al Guda—There shal lnot be l e ft o f the house o f Abahb one s ingle man

Some o f the demands made by Mar Emmanuel toLord Curzon w i l l be seen i n the fo l low i ng l ett er :

96 V ic to r ia S tree tLo nd res , le 6 Mars . 1920

Exce l lence ,Je v iens, p ar ces modes te s ligne s, exp rimer a vo tre Exce l l ence les

sen timen ts de ma p rofonde reconna is san ce , pou r L ’

audience qu e v ou savez da igne fa ire a m e s demarche s au su j e t de la ru ine de me s 6

d ioce se s m en tionnes dan s mon rep p or t du 24 Fev r ie r .

Je qu i te Lond re s Lu nd i , le 8 cou ran t, pou r Rome e t pu i s pou rL ’

orien t, po r tan t u n dou x sou v en i r de vo tre g rand e t nobl e pa tr ie .

Je p rofi te de l’

occas ion , pou r a t t i rer la b ienve i l lance a t te n tion de

Vo tre Exce l len ce su r le s l ign e s su ivan te sV eu i l le z savo i r, Exce l l en ce , qu e nou s , Chal deans Ca tho l i qu e s , nou s

tenon s la p remie re p lace , le p remie r rang, en Me sopo tami c , en

Chal dee e t an I raq ; ce s t ro i s con tree s son t h abi tee s, p reque exc lu s i ve


ve rs e ly affec t the B r i t i sh in te rests wh ich would be cove redby the n ew Treaty and endanger S ir Keneh an

’

s

po s i t ion and popular i ty w i th h i s Arab fr i ends and

employe rs .

But when Mar Emmanue l ’ s he lp was needed by thesesame advi se rs— fo r i nstance

,against the Turks

,when

Gene ral L a idone r o f Estoni a was sent ou t by the Leagueo f Nations to enqu i re i nto the atroc i t i e s i n the Goyanarea

,where some Chr i s t i ans

,mo st ly Chaldeans

,w ere

s laughte red—S ir Keneh an and h i s B r i t i sh p rov inc i a l o f

fi c i a l s d i d no t hes i tate to ask fo r h i s he lp . The B r i t i shoffi c i al s

,i n fac t

,no tably Messr s . Lloyd and Jard ine , pai d

Mar Emmanuel and o the r s from the secret se rvice fundsthe heavy co st o f the long te legrams wh ich were at thet ime sent to the League o f Nat ions against the Tu rksw i th the approval o f the B r i t i sh offic i al s . What resul t hasthe re been ? Ae r i a l bombardmen t o f the ve ry people

,the

Ku rds inc l uded,wh o had helped —at a grave r i sk to them

se lve s and the i r communi t i es— the B r i t i sh and I raq iGove rnments i n the i r d i fficul ty"Thi s he lp was main lyre spons ibl e fo r the lo ss o f theMo su lWilay e t by the Turks .

Mar Emmanuel t rusts ne i ther the B r i t i sh (The B r i t i shConsul

,Mo su l

, c l ass ified h im in 1 9 1 0 asno r the Arabs o f I raq and h i s po l icy—sel dom successfu l—has been to make the best o f a bad job . At a t imewhen ind iv i dual mu rde rs o f Chaldeans by Arabs were o f

frequent occu rrence , when Chaldean vi l l ages , l i ke S i natand o the r s

,were be ing ra ided eve ry now and then , when

the Ch r i s t i an fai th was be ing publ ic ly abused , MarEmmanuel was fo rced to g i ve Fai sal a momentous recept ion in Dai r Mar O raha in 1 93 1 , i n the v ic i n i ty o f wh ichmo st brutal mu rde r s o f Chaldeans had taken place n o t longbe fo re . Would i t then

,su rpr i se the League o f Nat ions o r

Rome i f Mar Emmanuel were made , togethe r w i th h i sb i shops , to s ign documents to the e ffect that

“

S i d i Fai sal ’s

THE CHALDEANS

Government i s ve ry to l e rant ( as S ir Franc i s sa i d ) , that theI raq Gove rnment was a benevo l ent Gove rnment , that theywant the I raq i un i ty un impai red

,and that tho se wh o say

o therw i se are alarmists P” I t w i l l no t be long when Romew i l l be mou rn ing the Chaldeans o f I raq . The po s i t ion o f

Mar Emmanuel to -day ( and that o f h i s succe sso r s ) i sexact ly as that o fMgr . Jubra i l Tappun i , the Sy r i an Catho l icPatr i arch

,when a B i shop i n Mard in . The latte r was i n

the m iddl e o f the A rmen ian massacre s o f 1 9 1 5, and he wascompel led to s ign a dec l arat ion in favou r o f the then rul ingpowe r ( See Ki tab al Qu s ara ff nakabat u l N as ara ) to sayth at al l was we l l and the repo r ted massac r e s o f theArmenians we re devo i d o f foundat ion I f the dec l arat iono f Mgr . Tappun i can be be l i eved , the re w i l l be l i t t l e ro omto doubt that o f Mar Emmanuel"H i s Beat i tude , thePatr i arch o f the Maron i te s , was al so fo rced by Jamal alSaffah

,Assass in du r i ng the wo r l d war

,to dec l are that

the Lebanese were qu i te contented at a t ime when thousandso f h i s fo lk

,as a resul t o f Jamal ’s blockade , we re rap i d ly

per i sh ing o f famine .

The Arabs o f I raq,the real he i r s o f that barba rous

regime , are capabl e o f extract i ng such “ al l ’ s w e l l "

dec l arat ions on the po in t o f revo lve r s unde r the ve ry no se so f the B r i t i sh offic i al s . Among the Tu rks

,one can find

a great many gent l emen,bu t

,among th e A rabs

,i t w o u ld

not be an easy task to find a r eal on e . Thi s i s the autho r ’ sexper i ence w i th the A rabs .

The po s i t ion o f the Chaldean bi shops i s d i ffi cul t to

expla in . B i shop Franc i s ( Chaldean ) o f A rad in (Amadiyah )i s al so be ing compel le d to devo te much o f h i s t ime to

dra ft i ng unb iased r epo r t s to say that al l i s we l l . l t was

not long ago when B i shop Franc i s w ro te to h igh Ca tho l i cdign i tar i e s to say that al l was no t we l l and that the l i ve so f hi s fo l ks we re expo sed to real dange r eve ry moment ” .

As the nominee fo r the Chal dean Pat r i archate,the I raq

76 BRITI SH BETRAYAL 0 1? THE ASSYRIANS

Gove rnmen t w i l l fi nd a fa i th ful fr i end inMar Franc i s,fo r

he i s be ing taught h ow to s ign fo rged documents . Ear lyth i s year ( 1 933 ) Mar Franc i s in fo rmed Mr . I shu DeKe la ita ( one o f the Assyr i an l eader s now on the SyroI raq i front i er o f whom I shal l have occas ion to speakhe rea fte r ) , that i t i s impo s s i bl e fo r any Chr i s t i an to l iveand p ro spe r unde r the I raq Government . I t i s bette r fo ral l tho se wh o can l eave the country to do so as ear ly asposs ibl e” . The reade r should j udge fo r h imsel f the t ruthbetween the “

offic i al den ial s and these “ p r i vate con

ve r sat ion s

B i shops J i r j i s Dal la l ( Sy r i an Catho l ic ) and S tephen

( Chaldean ) ar e i n no better boat s . I f they do not flatterand coax the “ to l e rant I raq i Gove rnment” and the A rabo ffic i a l s , they w i l l su ffe r ter r ib ly at the hands o f apern ic ious Arab Gove rnment as has been the case w i ththe i r co - re l ig ion i st s , the Assy r i ans . The po l icy o f the I raq iGovernment , e spec i al ly that o f Yas i n al Hash im i

, ( att imes Pr ime Mi n i s te r and now Mi n i s ter o f Finance )— thegreat I raq i demagogue— i s to el im inate al l Ch r i s t i ans andJews from even the m ino r po s i t ions they ho l d i n theGovernment se rvice to make room fo r h i s i dl e” rel at ivesand the re lat i ves o f h i s fr i ends . Effic i ency in I raq i s ou t

o f th e essence . Relat ive s come fi r st . The s l ightest excusei s suffi c i en t to put any Ch r i s t i an o r Jew ou t o f the doo r .

Tho se go i ng on pens ion are replaced by Arabs tho sepass ing away are l i kew i s e replaced by the Mi n i ster s re l at ive s and p ro teges , how eve r i ncompetent they might be . Th e

Chaldeans are to su ffe r mo st— and they are al ready su ffe ri ng— fo r they h ave hel d many mino r p o s i t ions s ince the day so f the occupat ion . P romo t ion ,

however we l l me r i ted,IS

hard to obta in . Cases have recent ly occu rred where inexp e r i enced A rabs have been emp loyed in cer ta in gove rnmental department s in pre fe rence to competent Ch r i s t i anoffi c ial s w i th fi f teen year s ’ exper i ence in the same


at the destruct ion o f Chr i s t i an i ty,grants- in -ai d are d i s

al lowed,and

,even i f they were se l f- suppo r t ing and gave

bet te r educat ion than that in the government schoo l s,the

doo rs o f l i v i ng in the face o f such graduates i s shut . Thi si s one o f the main reasons that compel led the ChaldeanPatr i arch to surrender h i s schoo l s to the government , as aresu l t o f Sat i ’ as L as r i

’

s ( then D i rec to r General o f

Educat ion ) rep resentat ions to the Patr i arch o f Babylon .

Mgr . Beaup i n 1 wh o was furn i shed w i th a deta i l ed repo rtby a Catho l ic c l e rgyman

,wh o i s an autho r i ty on th i s

subj ec t , would pe rhaps be in a better po s i t ion to enlightenthe Ho ly See on th i s impo r tan t matter .

The Nat ional schoo l s and language are no longer>

x tan t . Second hand fu rni ture from Mo s l em schoo l s i swhat the Chr i s t i an schoo l s use and d i smi ssal o f Ch r i s t i anteachers would fo l low i f they pro test . Desp i te th i s part i al i ty

,

ou r fr i ends,the B r i tons , w i sh us to be merged in the

body po l i t ic o f I raq .

Maj o r Wil son,the Admini strat ive I nspecto r o f Mo su l ,

submi tted var ious complaints against an Arab area educat ion officer i n Mo sul

, wh o was exceed ingly dange rous andho s t i l e to Ku rd i sh and Ch r i s t i an youth” . Mr . Sm ith , theEng l i sh Inspec to r Gene ral o f Educat ion repl i ed regret t i ngh i s inab i l i ty to replace th i s man as “ he had no be t ter m an

i n s tock” .

Ac t s o f sodomy by fo rce have been commi tted on

Chaldean boys by educat ion and admin i st rat ive offic i a l s .

Complaints we re made by the parents o f the boys to theChaldean Patr i archate at Mosu l , wh o ,

i n turn,r epo r ted the

cases to Gove rnment and no ac t ion— though the case s we re

p roved—was taken to p uni sh the culpr i t s . As the h ighoffic i al s are usual ly invo lved and as they are i n l eague w i thone ano the r , no ac t ion could have been taken

,and the

l—Mg r . E . B e a u p i n . 4 Ru e d e s F o s s e s S t . Ja c qu e s P a r i s IV o f t h e C o rn i t e

de s Am i t i e s Ca tho l i q u e s F ra n c a i s a l ’ e tr a n ge r .

THE CHALDEANS

re l ig ious ch i e fs o r the parents conce rned could only pu rsuethe i r compla int s to a l im i ted extent , as beyond that , theyare bound to expo se themse lves to futu re repr i sal s . Someo f these he inous case s we re repo r te d to Maj o r Wi lson byMr . Goodal l

,the Engl i sh teache r at Mo su l

,but W'

i l soncould do no mo re than repo r t the se cases . The po s i t ionremained unchanged . These are the mo ral s taught to

Ch r i s t i an youth i n the A rab Gove rnment schoo l s , and the rei s no doubt that Ch r i s t i an teach ings , now mo r ibund

,w i l l

w i th in a ve ry sho r t t ime , be but an o ld p age in h i sto ry"

Every po s s ib l e obstac l e i s p laced del i be rate ly i n theway o f Chr i s t i an s . I n 1 9 2 8 ,

fo r i nstance , B i shop Pe t ro sAz i z o f Zakho ,

appl i ed fo r pe rmi ss ion to Open a two—c l a s sschoo l fo r gi r l s i n Zakho . The schoo l was to be admin i st e redby I raq i nuns . Constant rep resentat ions fo r th ree years byMar Emmanuel i n Baghdad and in Mo su l by B i shop Yusu fGhan ima met w i th re fusal . The A rab Mu tasar r i f j u st ifiedh i s re fusal by wr i t i ng offic i al ly to Baghdad to say that “ asthe nuns we r e brought up in French atmo sphe re , the re was

the fear o f p ro—French p ropaganda be i ng Sp read i n that

d i st r i ct” . I do no t th ink the French need the se rvi ces o f

two I raq i nuns fo r p ropaganda pu rpo se s . The i l l—t reatmentmeted ou t to th e non -Arabs by the A rab o ffic i al s i s i n i t se l fsuffic i en t propaganda agai nst them . Th i s was , o f cou rse

,a

p retext to h inder the educat ional wo rk o f the mi ss ions andto fo rce the Ch r i s t i an gi r l s to go to th e gove rnment schoo l sto be taught the moral s taugh t to the boys .

I n several l arge Chr i s t i an v i l l ages,a cons i de rab l e

number o f boys and gi r l s are debarred from even thepr imary schoo l s

,as there i s not suffic i ent accommodat ion

for them . There are v i l l ages whe re 40 0 boys are packedup in no more than three rooms though such v i l l age s con

tr i bute l arge ly to the general revenues . I n one v i l lagealone , there are over 1 50 boys wh o have been re fusedadmi ss ion as there i s no room for them . Such schoo l s

,i n


add i t ion to i nadequate ac-comodat ion ,have no complete

numbe r o f c l asse s ( no rmal ly s ix ) to enable the graduatesto go to secondary schoo l s on complet ion o f the pr imary .

And the t ime i s approaching when the Arabs w i l l have aneducat ion far super io r to that o f non-Arabs

,as al l po ss ib l e

fac i l i t i e s are affo rded to the fo rmer . The aim o f the I raqGovernment— to c lo se

,automat ical ly , the door o f oppor

tun ity to Chr i s t i ans,Jews

,and o thers

,to prevent them

from earn ing the i r l i v ing conveni ent ly l i ke the Arabs—w i l lhave been ach i eved .

I n the Ku rdi sh d i s tr ic ts , the lo t o f the Kurds (wh oare non -Arabs ) i s no t to be envi ed . I n Baghdad l iwa , fo ri n stance , whe re the maj o r i ty o f the populat ion i s Arab , notl e s s than twenty pe rcent i s al lo t ted to the educat ional budgetfrom the gene ral revenues

, wh i l e in Su la im an iy ah , thoughthe r ich o il i s removed from a s i ster Ku rdi sh l iwa , thepe rcentage toward Kurd i sh educat ion i s not mo re thanone . The I raq Gove rnment

,i n o rder to throw dust in the

eyes o f the Ku rds,appo in ted an area educat ion office r wh o

al l eges to be o f Ku rdi sh o r ig i n from the v i l lage o f Barzan ,the fal lah in o f She i k Qad i r Agh a , the bro th er o f She ikMahmud . Thi s painted Kurd i s

,fo r al l i ntents and pu r

poses , ah A rab,no t a Ku rd , and he i s ce r ta i nly the pet o f

Ja ’ far al’Askar i ( now I raq i Mi n i ster i n London ) wh o

al so attempted in vain,dur ing 1 930 ,

to be a Ku rd whenhe vi s i ted Su la im an iy ah w i th Maj o r Huber t Young . Heaimed to calm the exc i ted Ku rd i sh nat ional i st s , subsequentto the ho r ro r s committed by the I raq army in Septembe r ,

1 930 ,against the Ku rdi sh c i v i l popul at ion . On that

occas ion,no t l e s s than one hundred innocent Ku rds , in

c lud ing women,we re k i l l ed by the I raq army

,so no to r ious

fo r act s o f savage ry .

I n Arab v i l lages, who se populat ion i s cons i de rably

smal l e r than that o f non -A rab vi l lages,mo re than one

com p l et e p r imary schoo l i s in op e rat ion . I n the s e condary


the s i s te r o f the gent l eman ( Syr i an Catho l ic ) wh o occupi esthe room adj acent to that o fMaj o r Wilson was one o f thesuccess ful Chr i s t i an women teache r s wh o was to l d to go

away . Desp i te th i s par t i al i ty and apparen t fanat ic i sm on

the par t o f the I raq Government as a who l e , S ir Franc i shad the cou rage to dec l are be fo re the Permanent MandatesCommiss ion that I raq was a “ benevo l ent” gove rnment .

The Chaldean cul t i vato r i s constant ly at the mercy o f

h i s Arab offic i a l and A rab es t imato r,and th i s

,the economic

oppress ion,the mo st feroc ious w eapon in the hands o f the

benevo l ent Arab,has reduced the Chaldean cul t i vato r to

the status o f a ser f . I t has been offic i al ly reco rded byadmin i strat ive i nspecto r s in I raq and confi rmed by Mr .

L ongr igg ,then Inspecto r -Gene ral o f Revenues

,that Arab

admin i strat ive offic i a l s,wh o are al so admin i strato r s o f

r evenues , bel i eve that excess i ve i l l egal t axat ion to showexcesse s in revenue demands over co l l ec t ions made by the i rp redecesso r s me r i t p romo t ion . I t was al so reco rded thatthe Arab offic i al s do not understand the revenue lawsenac ted by the central autho r i t i e s in Baghdad

,yet they ar e

expec ted to en fo rce them in the remo te prov inces . Thi sstate o f affai r s has always resul ted in economic opp ress iono f the non-Arab cul t ivato r s wh o canno t secu re j ust ice on

appeal to h ighe r autho r i t i e s . Such cul t ivato r s can only findsome re l i e f by br ibery

,a common prac t ice in the r evenue

adm in i s trat ion o f I raq , a fact wh ich was admi tted by thegove rnment newspape r s ear ly th i s year . Cer ta in measureshave been taken “

on paper ” to min im iz e the un iver sal p rac t iceo f br i be ry and co rrupt ion , but these are o f no avai l and dono t o ffe r a so l u t ion as the mino r offic i al s take the i rexampl e from the i r supe r io r s wh o are ext remely fond o f

th i s p rac t ice . The weal th o f the latter , co l l ec ted w i th in ave ry sho r t pe r iod i s too consp icuous to requ i re fu r therdeta i l s . I t suffices to say that the head o f the revenueadmin i st rat ion at p re sent , to whom the I raq i nat ion ( ex

THE CHALDEANS

c l ud ing Ku rds , o f cou rse , ) i s look ing fo r del i ve rance fromthe “ B r i t i sh Yoke” i s the mo st gutted ch i l d o f al l

,as he

has very rap i d ly become,by means known to tho se wh o

know,the owne r o f some th i r ty—five i rr igat ion pumps on

the Euphrates and Tigr i s Rive r s . These stat i s t ic s we r ep repared four year s ago i n the Baghdad l iwa and thenumber o f these pumps must have s ince i ncreased .

Manslaughte r i n I raq i s a common th ing . Eightypercen t o f the act s o f homic i de agai nst Ch r i s t i ans , Jews ,and o the rs by A rab gobl in s pass unque st ioned . In manycases , th e A rab o ffic i al s sha re the bo o ty w i th the c r im i nal s .

I f culp r i t s a re b rought to j u st ice at al l , they e scape w i t hve ry l ight pun i shment . At the doo r s o f the law cou r t s ,espec i al ly i n Baghdad

,on e may always find A rabs ready to

g ive ev i dence,fo r o r again st

,i n any c r im i nal o r c i v i l

case cove red by the c r im i nal o r c i v i l code s on payment o fa sum o f money to be agreed up on , i r resp e c t i ve o f th eme r i t s o f the case . l lut no Ku rd o r non—Mo s l em i s eve rseen at tho se doo r s .

The fo l low i ng mu rde r case s are only a ve ry smal lpe rcentage o f actual mu rde r s commi t ted . I f I we re to g i vea complete l i st

,I shoul d have to devo te a spec i a l vo l ume

wh ich the scope o f the p resent book do e s no t p e rmi t . In

1 930 ,fou r Chaldeans from th e Ch r i s t i an v i l l age s o f

Talka i f and Alqo sh went to Amadiyah to impo r t fo odstu ffsi nt o th e i r r e spec t i ve v i ilage s . r e tu rning home

,they

we re met by Arab maraude rs . The Ch r i s t i an s be ing u n

armed,each pai r was t i ed up w i th a rope fac i ng each

othe r and w e re sho t dead , the mu rde re r s us ing on e bul l etfo r bo th as the Arabs maintai n that “

infidels” dese rve no

mo re than on e round . The po l i ce,i n th e customary manne r

,

made hal f-hear ted i nvest igat ions and repo rt ed that th i s wasthe wo rk o f Tu rk i sh band i t s . The place whe re th e mu rde r swe re commi tted i s n inety k i lomete r s from the neare stTu rk i sh front i e r . Even i f the tal e o f the po l ice we re to be


bel i eved,the po l ice branch o f the I raq i admini strat ion i s

to be severe ly condemned,fo r h ow could Turk i sh band i ts

c ro s s a track o f one hundred-e ighty meter s , dr ive el evenful ly- loaded an imal s wh ich we re loo ted from the Chr i st i ans ,w i thout be ing obse rved by the I raq i po l ice po st s ? The re i sno doubt that the c r ime was committed by Arab br igandson I raq i so i l . Again

,i f the sto ry o f the po l ice i s to be

accepted,they must have par t ic ipated in the shar ing o f

the loo t w i th the Turk i sh bandi t s as they usual ly do .

I n cases whe re non-Arabs are the v ic t ims , ther espons ib i l i ty fo r such h ideous ac t s i s always th rown on

the shoulde rs o f the Kemal i s ts to compel the re lat ive s o f

the vic t ims to give up al l hopes o f j ust ice,fo r such case s

are deal t w i th once every s ix months . On the ar r i val o fthe po l ice at the p lace whe re the above Chr i s t i ans we red i scovered , they observed at a d i stance o f a few yards theco rpse o f a man who se flesh had been eaten by beasts . Byhi s headdres s

,he was i dent ified to be an Assyr i an .

Ano the r Chal dean,named Ho rm i z Sh a

’

y u ta , was

ki l l ed under s im i lar brutal c i rcumstances,and no act ion

was taken to br i ng the cr im inal s to j ust ice .

As the quest ion o f the emanc ipat ion o f I raq was atth i s t ime on the tap i s

,and as the m ino r i t i e s we re

apprehens ive fo r the future and had al ready appl i ed to theLeague o f Nat ions

,the I raq Gove rnment took steps—to

th reaten the membe r s o f the Mi no r i t i e s w i th r epr i sal s i fthey ins i s ted on the i r appl icat ions to the League . TheQaimaqam o f the d i str ic t conce rned compel l ed the rel at iveso f the pe r sons k i l l ed to send to the central autho r i t i e s thefo l low i ng telegram

lz

“ The g igant ic effo r t s ( s ic ) o f Ou r Grac ious Gove rnment ( s ic ) i n t rac ing the bodi es o f ou r four i nnocentre l at i ve s w i th the i r an imal s , compel u s to expre ss ou r

l—A l I ra q o f —S a da a l’

A 1d o f 1 -7 -3 1 .


Rash i d ’Al i ’ s house was ra ided by Arabs i n the dark o f

n ight soon a fte r he became Pr imeMi n i ster , the male fac to r swe re brought to j ust ice w i th in twenty- four hou rs . RustamHaide r ( a Non - I raq i re fugee paras i te

,but in the care o f

h i s Maste r,the King

, ) was al so robbed by an Arab afew months ago ,

and the culp r i t was immedi ate ly ap

p rehended .

I t i s these Chaldeans that the I raq Government hasbeen fal sely announc i ng as sat i sfi ed and contented . Canthe reade r s

,when aware o f the actual fac t s , bel i eve such

fa rc i ca l tale s D

Du r i ng the second week o f May ,1 933 ,Musa Go r iy y i

Magdas i , Mat t i Chuna , and S tephen Sh ammun Tata,th ree

Chaldean Catho l ic s o f the town o f Alqo sh were brutal lymu rde red by the Hadidy y in Arabs o f B as i fn i v i l l age easto f

’Ain S i fn i i n the Shaikhan Qadha in the Mo su l L iwa .

As th ese un fo r tunate people were over taken by darknessbe fo re reach ing the i r homes

,they put up fo r the n ight

w i th ho sts wh o,a fte r o ffer i ng them co ffee

,cu t the i r th roat s

at n ine o’

c lo ck the same n ight j u st as they w er e ret ir

i ng . They were k i l l ed w i th daggers and chopper s . The i rbod i es were car r i ed far . Only by mi rac l e d i d S tephenSh ammun su rvive to t e l l the trag ic fate o f h i s two com

pan ions . The c r ime canno t be c l ass ified o rdinary” ,for i t

d i d no t have the f t as i t s mo t i ve .

As in fo rme r cases , mu rdere r s o f Ch r i s t i ans haveescaped w i th impun i ty . The re i s no l i ke l ihood o f puni sh ingthe p resent murde re rs . They may be tr i ed unde r Tr ibalC r im inal and Civi l D i sputes Regulat ion

,but the doo r fo r

co r rupt ion under that regul at ion i s so w i de that a g i ft o f

fi fty pounds should be abl e to dec l are the innocence o f

the culpr i t s .

Two p regnant Catho l ic women set ou t to cu t woodf rom a fo re st i n the ne ighbou rhood o f Zakho . They wereattacked , ravi shed

,and bayonetted by two I raq i so l d i er s .

THE CHALDEANS

Chaldean men in the v ic i n i ty wh o w i tne ssed th i s ac t o f

ext reme barbar i sm dared no t i n te rvene but repo r ted th e

matter to the po l ice . The case was sent to th e cou r t s .

but,due to a demonst rat ion at the doo r o f the cou r t on

the day o f the t r i al by I raq i so l d i e r s , th e j udge acqu i tt edthe cr im inal s wh o we re car r i e d by the i r bro the r—so l d i e r s i ngreat t r i umph . Thi s case i s p robably ou t o f mind now ,

but would Wi l son take the t roubl e to examine the a rch ive so f 1 9 2 5

?

Thi s i s the deplo rabl e state in wh i ch th e mi se rabl eChaldeans find themselve s at the ac tual moment o f w r i t ing

,

and as long as they remain unde r the thumb o f the i rRomish maste rs

,they shal l neve r be abl e to get r id o f the

Arab bondage . Desp i te the i r acute su ffe r i ngs,Mgr . D rapi e r

con fe r red upon Mu z ah im al Pachach i a Popi sh medal i nthe year o f 1 93 1 when that same Mi n i s t e r was harass i ngthe Ch r i s t i an m ino r i t i e s i n the No r th .

I am not advocat ing p ro te stant i sm . The Chaldeanc l e rgy feel s the su ffe r i ngs o f th e i r Chald e an fo l k s fo r wh i chthey are unabl e to find a remedy unl es s and unt i l t heyadmin i ster the i r own a ffa i r s in a manne r that coul d en su rethem fr eedom o f act ion .

Just asMgr . D rap i e r was beseech ing Rome fo r a m e da lfo r the I raq i Mi n i ste r ,

a h igh Chal dean dign ita r v was

despatch ing to Eu rope the fo l low i ng repor t :

BTo su l, S e p temb e r 23. l9 30

POS IT ION OF CHR I ST IAN EDUCATION IN IRAQ

Efiec t of th e Recen t Edu ca tio nal P o li cy of th e I raq Gov e rnme n t

“ I t i s we l l k n own tha t b e fo re th e Wa r , th e Ch r i s tian yo u th o f

Mo su l was far th e b e s t edu ca ted , wh e reas th e you ng M o s l em s ( excep t fo r a smal l numb e r wh o re ce i v ed i n s tru c t ion i n th e Ch r i s t ianschoo l s ) l i v ed i n a s ta te o f a lmo s t compl e te i gno ran ce o f d i ffe re n tlangu age s and o f th e s c ie n c e s . I n o rd e r to sa t i s fy on e se l f o f th e

tru th of th i s s ta teme n t , i t i s o nly n e ce s sa ry to qu e s tio n any man

m o re than th i r ty yea r s old . I t w i l l soon be s ee n th a t all tho se


wh o to-day h o l d any p o s i t io n o f d i s ti n c tion i n soc i e ty owe i t to

th e ca re f u l edu ca t ion wh ich th ey rece i v ed i n th e Ch r i s t ian schoo l s .

A t tha t p e r iod . th e Ch r i s tian s (mis s iona ri e s and na ti v e commu ni ti e s ) we re th e o nly p eop l e w h o h ad flou r i sh ing and p ro sp e rou ss ch oo l s . Th e s e we re d i re c ted by re l ig iou s and e cc l e s ias ti c s , wh o

w e re m en o f s om e s c ie n tifi c s tand ing and p rov ed d e v o tion . T h e

Mo s l em s o n ly h ad Mu l la school s , wh e re th e read i ng o f th e Ko ranwas tau gh t , and on e o r two e l eme n ta ry go v e rnme n t schoo l s wh e reTu rki sh was th e p r i n c ipa l su bj e c t . Y ou th fu l Mo s l em s , wh o we reanx iou s to re ce i v e i n s tru c tion s , a t tended Ch r i s t ian s choo l s , and par ticu i arly tho s e o f th e Domin i can fa th e r s , wh o h ad a t tha t t ime mo reth an fiv e h u ndred pu p i l s . T h e Cha l d e an s ch o o l of Ch am ou n-el-Safaand th e Sy r ian s choo l o f Tah ra , n o t to men tion o th e r schoo l s o f th e

Chald ean , Sy r i an and Ja cob i te qu a r te r s o f th e town f o r b oys and

g i rl s , all o f wh i ch we re i n a p rosp e rou s cond i tion each h ad b e tw e enth re e and fou r hu nd red boy s , and e s tab l i sh ed a g rea t repu ta t ion .

To-day on e can p ra c t ica l ly say tha t th e Ch r i s tian s hav e n o s choo l so f th e i r ow n e i th e r a t Mo su l o r i n th e n e ighbou rhood . Th rou ghou tI raq t h e s i tu a tion i s mu ch th e same . T h e D epa r tm en t of Edu ca tio nh as a cqu i red p o s s e s s io n o f all o f th em .

F i v e o r s ix m on th s ag o , th e Domin i can mi s s i ona r i e s re co v e redth e i r s c h oo l , w h ich comp r i s ed ba re ly on e hu nd red fi f ty pu p i l s .

T h e S i s te rs o f th e P re se n ta tion hav e a l so a p r i va te s cho o l wh i chcon ta i n s abou t a hu nd red gi rl s . T h e Ame r i can P ro te s tan t M i s s io na r ie s are t ry ing , w i th mo re o r l e s s su cce s s to re o rgan i z e th e i r s choo l5fo r boys and g i rl s , wh i ch h ad only j u s t begu n b efo re th e War,

and w e re a t tha t tim e n o t a t te nd ed by v e ry many . Th e N e s to r ian s .

wh o hav e come as refu ge e s to Mo su l s i n ce th e War hav e s tar tedsom e schoo l s , thank s to t h e a s s i s tan ce o f se v e ra l Angl i can and

Ame r i can m i s s iona r ie s . T h e na ti v e Domin ican T e r tiar i e s condu c te l em en ta ry s choo l s fo r gi r l s i n th e b igge r Cha l d ean and Sy r ian v i llage s (T e l Ka if , Qu arago sh , B a tna i , T ele sco fe , and Alko sh ) . Th i sshow s h ow f re e Ch r i s tian edu ca tion h as b e e n redu ced i n I raq .

Baghdad and Ba s ra are su bj e c t to mu ch th e same reg ime . Apar tf rom th e s e d i s tr i c ts , th e Pa tr ia rcha l Chal d ean d io ce s e (m o re than

sou l s ) ; th e Sy r ian A rchd io ce s e of Mo su l th e Chald ean d io ce se o f K i rku k th e Cha l d ean d ioc e se o f A c ra ( 6 ,

th e Cha l d ean d io ce s e o f Amad ia (mo re than th e

Cha l d ean d ioce se o f Zahko and Dohu k ( n ea r ly and th e th reeN e s to r ian d io c e s e s sca t te red abou t th e Liwa o f Mo su l (mo re than

hav e only so-ca l led na tiona l s choo l s , wh i ch all d ep end of

fic ially u po n th e D epa r tme n t o f Edu ca tion and are n ear ly all


s ide red th e p r i e s ts wh o we re h eadmas te rs o r teach e r s , a s s imp l e em

p loy e e s , and t ran sf e r red o r d i smi ss ed th em a t w i l l . Acco rd i ng to a

sy s tema ti c p lan , th e M i n i s try , l i t t l e by l i t tl e , remo v ed th e d i re c t io no f th e s ch oo l s f rom th e c l e rgy i n o rd e r to en tru s t i t to laym en . Ac

tu a lly all th e s choo l s (who se p remi s e s rema i ned th e p rop e r ty o f th e

chu rch e s ) hav e laym e n as h eadma s te r s (Ch r i s tian s o r lWo slem s ) t ra i ned in th e N o rma l S choo l a t Baghdad , and all i n fe c ted w i th a th e i sm ,

and, i n som e case s , e v e n w i th immo ra l i ty . F o r th e sake o f app ea rance s , th e o ld h eadma s te r s hav e b e en ma i n ta i ned , bu t th ey hav eb e e n redu ced to th e po s i tion o f teach e rs o f re l ig ion , a fu n c t i onwh i ch th ey hav e to fu lfi l l u nd e r th e o rd e rs , and a t th e me rcy o f

you ng laym en w h o u s ed to be th e i r su bo rd ina te s , and w h o are ,

u ndou b ted ly , i n fe r io r to th em in know l edge and i n exp e r ien ce . F o r

i n s tan ce , i n Cha l d ean s choo l o f Ch amou n-e l-Safa , wh i ch h ad for

twe n ty-five yea r s a s i ts h eadmas te r, Fa th e r J . Namo , th e fou nd e rand o rgan i z e r o f th e s choo l and th e t ra i n e r o f good , hon e s t, Ch r i st ian c i ti z en s , h a s b e en hand ed o v e r

,th e s e th re e yea r s pa s t, to t h e

di re c tion o f a m an o f K i rku k , Ch ukry E ff e nd i by nam e , wh o ha rdlyknows any A rab i c , wh i l e th e emin en t c l e rgyman h a s b ee n re l ega tedto th e v i l lage o f T e le sco fe a s teach e r o f th e Ca te ch i sm , a p o s twh ich h e wa s obl iged to a ccep t i n o rd e r n o t to di e o f hu nge r .I n th e sam e way , th e Sy r ian Sch oo l o f Tah ra h a s pas s ed f rom

th e d i re c tion o f Fa th e r Rahman i , l i cen tia te o f ph i lo sophy and a

do c to r of th e o logy o f th e Un iv e rs i ty o f Bey rou th , i n to th e hand s o f

Jami l Effe nd i , a fo rm e r s emina r i s t o f Bey rou th , wh o l ef t th e

semina ry b e fo re h e h ad fin i sh ed h is s tu die s , and wh o was an

o rd i na ry teach e r u nd e r th e fo rm e r h eadmas te r ( Fa th e r Rahman i ) .

Ano th e r i n s tan ce : Qu i te re ce n tly , th e las t p r ie s t wh o rema i n eda s h ead o f a s cho o l a t Mo su l , th e Sy r ian Schoo l o f Mar-Touma,was redu ced to th e rank o f a s imp l e teach e r o f ca te ch i sm . H i s

name i s Fa th e r G . Ande lla , an emine n t and v i r tu ou s man knownth rou ghou t th e town . H e h ad b e e n h eadma s te r o f th e schoo l f o rfi f te e n yea rs . I n h i s p lace a you ng p rodu c t o f th e N o rma l S choo lh as b e e n appo i n ted , who se mo ra l s , to say th e l eas t , are su sp e c ted .

At K i rku k i t i s a M o s l em wh o h as b e en appo i n ted h eadmas te r o f th e Cha l d ean schoo l , on th e p re tex t tha t th e fo rm e rh eadma s te r d id no t know Tu rk i sh , thou gh th e re a re a t l ea s t twe n tyCha l d ean p r i e s ts w h o know Tu rk i sh v e ry we l l .

T h e re su lt o f th i s p ro ce s s i s tha t th e Ch r i s tian schoo l s i n I raqnow e x i s t i n nam e o nly . T h e pu p i l s are no lo nge r u nde r th e

h ea l thy i nflu en ce o f th e p r i e s t ; th e re l ig iou s tea ch ing i s o ffic ial lyredu ced to a f ew l e s s o n s . T h e l i tu rg i ca l langu age i s n ominal lytau gh t , bu t a l re ady i t i s d i ffi cu l t i n th e v i l lage s to find ch i ld ren

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IN IRAQ 9 1

wh o can u nd e rs tand Cha l d ean and s o take pa r t i n th e s e rv i c e s .

T h e lay teache rs tra i n ed i n Baghdad fi l l th e ch i l d re n ’

s h ead s w i thp an-A rab p ropaganda and w eak e n i n th em th e f e e l i ng o f th e i r ow n

na tio na l i ty . T h e h i s to ry b ook s and o th e r read e r s wh i ch a re pl ac edi n th e i r hand s , l ike th e s ongs wh i ch a re l ea rn ed , a re all co n

s tru c ted fo r th i s same end, to th e g rea t d e t r im e n t o f h is to r i ca lt ru th , and to th e con temp t o f t ru e pa tr i o t i sm .

If th i s same p ro ce s s co n ti nu e fo r a f ew yea rs l o nge r , all tha tw i l l rema i n i s a you ng ge n e ra tio n wh i ch d oe s n o t b e l i e v e i n God .

wh i ch h a s no re sp e c t for Ch r i s tian t rad i tion s and wh o s e o ne e n th u s i

asm i s th e A rab cau s e .

To comp l e te th i s chap t e r ,I can do n o bett e r than to

quo te a repo r t w r i t t en by an Eng l i sh expe r t on th e educat ional sys tem in I raq wh i ch an oppo r tune hand has placedat my d i spo sa l to use i t i n any way I d e em fi t . but I mustsupp ress the name o f the w r i te r fo r obvious r e asons .

H igh ly confide n tial and fo r p e rs onal info rma t ion only .

N o te on th e p r es en t s ta te of educa t ion, i n I raq .

“ Thi s no te co n ta i n s no th i ng tha t I ha v e no t wr i t te n o r sai db e fo re . Some o f i t h as b een rep ea ted u n ti l to m e , a t an y ra te , i th a s b e com e s ta l e , bu t I we l com e any opp o r tu n i ty o f s ta ti ng w h a ts e em s to m e th e tru th , and I we l com e i t th e m o re a s p e o p l e i nmy p os i t ion hav e v e ry f ew opp o r tu n i ti e s o f sp eak i ng th e t ru thw i th any h op e o f pu b li c i ty .

1 . A lthou gh I rea l i z e th a t I ca n h e lp b e s t by p o in t ing o u t

th e rem ed iab le d e fe c ts i n th e p re se n t edu ca ti ona l sy s tem o f I raq ,I do no t p rop o se t o l im i t mys e l f to d e f e c t s fo r wh i ch I can su gg e s t ar em edy , no r e v e n to th o s e fo r wh i ch o th e rs may be abl e to su gge s ta rem edy , th ou gh I cann o t . And th e re a re som e , and th e s e p robably th e mo s t s e r iou s o f all, wh i ch se em to be almo s t i r rem ed iab l e .

“

2 . Th e re a r e d i ff i cu l t i e s comm o n to a ll b ran ch e s o f th e

admi n i s tra tio n o f I raq . Th e s e a r i se f rom m o re o r l e s s p e rman e n t facto rs , and n o t a t all app re c ia ted by th ose wh o do n o t kn ow th e

cou n try , nor su ff ic i en tly by tho se wh o do .

“

3. One o f th e ch i e f fa c to rs s e em s to m e to be th e sma l l ne s so f th e go v e rn i ng c las s . I do no t su pp o se tha t th e re i s i n all h is

to r y an o th e r e xampl e of a S ta te w i th a rep re s en ta t i v e go v e rnm en t o f a mod e rn typ e , i n wh i ch th e o nly p e op l e w h o co u n t a re


two o r th re e hu nd red a t th e mos t . I t i s , i n fa c t , a c lo s e o l iga rchy ,bu t w i thou t th e admin i s tra ti v e exp e r i en ce , th e edu ca t ion and th e

t rad i t io n o f pu bl i c se rv i ce , w i thou t whi ch , as far as I can re

m emb e r , o l iga rch ie s hav e n e v e r go v e rn ed su c ce s sfu l ly . T h i s , in

fac t , i s an o l iga rchy mad e u p mos tly o f u n sc ru pu l ou s ad v e n tu re swi thou t th e ru dime n ts o f t ru e pa tr io ti sm , who se obj e c t i s to makewha t th ey can as qu i ckly as th ey can , ou t o f th e r i ch e s t o f all

sou rce s o f su pp ly , nam e ly t h e S ta te . On e re su l t o f th e sma l l n e sso f numb e rs i s tha t e v e ryon e know s e v e ryon e . Ev e ry qu e s tion i s a

p e rso na l qu e s tion f rom th e b eg i n n ing, and i s n e v e r con s i d e red on

i t s m e r i ts . Thi s fac t i s so w e l l known tha t i t doe s no t n e ed i l lu st ra t ing . I f th e ma te r ia l w e re no t so poo r , th e e ffe c ts o f th e sy s

tem wou l d no t be so u n fo r tu na te . B u t as i t i s , th e co n s tan t re sh u ffl i ng o f p o s ts amo ng a l imi ted numb e r o f mo re o r l e s s i n comp e t e n tnd co r ru p t p laceho lde r s , pa ra lyz e s any ki nd o f good go v e rnm e n t .

4 . Ano th e r fac to r i s th e compl e te ab s en ce o f any t ru e p a tr io tism . Thi s i s n o t su rp r i s i ng co n s i de r i ng th e pas t h i s to ry o f th e

cou n t ry . B u t i t m ean s tha t th e fou nda tion o f all rep re se n ta t i v egov e rnm e n t— th e re cogn i tion by th e i nd i v idu a l tha t th e go od o f th e

commu n i ty a s a wh o le i s i d en ti ca l w i th h i s own p r i va te good—d oe sno t ex i s t h e re e v en i n th e mo s t ru d imen ta ry fo rm . T h e m en tali tyo f th e cu l ti va to r wh o re fu sed to d e s troy a swa rm o f l o cu s ts forfea r th ey migh t be i n tend i ng to ea t h i s n e ighbou r ’s c rop i s th e m en

ta l i ty o f all bu t a do z e n p e op l e i n th e cou n try .

5 . Th e re i s ano th e r fac to r wh i ch I th ink h as a p rofou nde ffe c t on th e who l e me n ta l ou tlook o f edu ca ted Mo s lem s . I onlyknow two edu ca ted Mo s l em s wh o are no t compl e te f re e-th i nke r si n ma t te r s of re l igion . On th e o th e r hand , th e d ead w e igh t of u n

e du ca ted pu b l i c op in ion i s s ti l l v e ry s trong and d emand s conf o rmi tyw i th o r thodox re l ig ion , u p to a p o i n t . As far as I can j u dge , an

edu ca ted Mo s l em m ay be as lax as h e p l eas e s i n h i s condu c t, p rov ided tha t h e do e s no t s tand u p and pu bl i c ly d i sav ow h i s re

lig ion . Su ch ea sy cond i tion s s e em to p u t a p remium on m en tald i shon e s ty . Th i s may be only a pha se , bu t wh i l e i t las ts I don o t s e e h ow i t can fa i l to p rodu ce a s ta te o f wha t Pla to ca l l ed th e

li e i n th e sou l wh i ch make s t ru th fu l and s tra igh t fo rwa rd d eal i ngsve ry d i ff i cu l t .

canno t pas s o v e r th e su bj e c t o f th e v e rnacu la r p re s s ,b e cau se I th i nk th i s h as p rodu ced a c rop o f co nd i tion s wh i ch i nth e ea r ly days o f th e manda te we re p robably no t fo rs e en . Ihav e o f te n po i n ted ou t th e dange r o f an u n cen so red p re s s on th e

sma l l s e c t ion o f th e l i te ra te s o f th i s cou n t ry . I hav e gen e ral lybe e n m e t by th e a rgum en ts ( I ) tha t th e l i te ra te s are so f ew that


p rema tu re ly to I raq i manageme n t . S i n ce 1922 th e re h as b ee n an

I raq i D i re c to r-Ge n e ra l,and th e B r i ti sh i n sp e c to ra te , b e s i d e s b e i ng

redu ced i n numbe r f rom fou r to two , hav e h ad th e i r p ow e rscu r ta i l ed s i n ce 1922 to i n sp e c t ion and ad v i ce . N e i th e r o f th e s ep owe r s hav e be e n s t ro ng e nou gh to cou n te rac t th e e ffe c t o f th e

va r iou s fo rc e s ou tl i ned abo v e . Thi s re su l t wa s fo re s e en and

fo re to l d i n 19 7 1, bu t‘

D i s a l i te r v i sum ’

.

9 . T o ana ly z e th e edu ca t iona l s i tu a tio n mo re i n d e ta i l , I wou l db eg i n by saying tha t i t h as a lway s s e em ed to m e tha t th e diffi

cu l ty o f th e edu ca t iona l p roblem h as n e v e r be e n su ffi c i e n tly reali z ed . I n 192 1 I sa i d i n e ff e c t tha t c i rcum s tan ce s h ad fo rced u s

to impo s e on th i s cou n try a con s t i tu t ion u n su i tab l e to i t, and tha ti t be cam e th e du ty o f edu ca t ion to t ry to b r idge th e gap b e twe e na v e ry backwa rd cou n try and a v e ry mod e rn fo rm o f go v e rnm e n t .Th i s was to be do ne by comba t i ng i l l i te racy th rou gh th e sp reado f e l emen ta ry e du ca tio n , and combin i ng th i s w i th th e h igh e r edu cat io n , w i th a v i ew to go v e rnme n t-empl oyme n t o f a ca re fu l ly s e l e c tedf ew . I a l s o su gge s ted tha t e v e ry pu p i l on l eav ing a p r ima ry o r

e l em e n tary s cho o l , u nl e s s h e w e re on e o f th e se l e c ted f ew , sh ou l dbe g i v en a compu l s o ry yea r a t a v o ca tiona l s ch oo l , so as to cou n te rac t th e b ias towa rd s c l e r ica l empl oym en t wh i ch i n th e Eas t i s th e

i n ev i tabl e re su l t o f l i te racy . B u t i t wou l d hav e n e ed ed mo re p ow e rthan th e p owe r o f adv i c e to ca rry th i s th rou gh .

I n s tead of tha t, wha t we hav e now i s a ne t -wo rk o f e l eme n ta ry ( fou r yea r s cho o l s ) and p r imary schoo l s ( s ix yea r s choo l s ) all

o v e r th e cou n try . I n nea r ly e v e ry Liwa h eadqu ar te rs w e hav e an

i n te rmed ia te s ch o o l ( g i v i ng th e fi rs t th re e yea rs of th e fu l l se conda ry schoo l ) and i n Baghdad , Mo su l and Bas rah fu l l se conda rys choo l s ( g i v i ng a five year cou r se ) . T h e numb e r s o f s choo l s o f

e a ch k ind a re g i v e n i n th e annu al repo r ts , and I n e ed no t rep ea tth em . I n th e who l e cou n try the re i s no v o ca t iona l tra i n ing g i v e ni n th e e l em e n ta ry o r p r ima ry or s e co nda ry s ch oo l s . Al th ou ghth e s c i en tifi c se c tion i n th e las t tw o yea rs o f th e s e conda ry cou rsei s mo re p opu la r than th e l i te ra ry s e c tion , i t canno t be cal l ed i nany s en s e v o ca t iona l . I n fac t th e ou tpu t o f go v e rnm en t s ch oo l si s di s ti n c tly c l e r i ca l , and th i s d r i f t i s en cou raged by th e sch oo lma s te r s th em s e l v e s , by th e pu bl ic op i n io n o f th e cou n try wh i chrega rd s any k i nd of wo rk excep t s i t t i ng i n a cha i r as d e roga to ryto a p e r son w h o can re ad and wr i te , and ab ov e all by th e pa re n tsth em s e l v e s , w h o , no tw i th s tand ing the i r compla i n ts aga i n s t th e sy s

tem o f edu ca tion fo r i t s c l e r i ca l b ias , ne v e r cease s to u rge th e i r s on si n to taki ng u p c l e r ica l wo rk o f some k ind .

CHRI STIAN EDUCATION IN IRAQ 9 5

10 . Go v e rnm en t s choo l s a re th e av e n u e to go v e rnm e n t em

p loyme n t , bu t to n o o th e r ca re er . Pos ts i n bank s and comme rc ialhou se s are n ea r ly a lways fi l l ed by boy s f rom non-go v e rnm e n tschoo l s , J ew i sh and Ch r i s tian , wh i ch a t any ra te , gi v e th e i r p u p i lsa fa i r a cqu a i n tan ce w i th o n e o r two Eu rop ean langu age s , wh e reasth e gov e rnme n t s choo l s teach on ly on e Eu rop ean language , Engl i sh , u p to a v e ry low s tanda rd . T h e e ffe c t o f th i s i s to emphas i z eth e d i s t i nc t ion b e tween Mo s l em and n o n-Mo sl em . I t i s an u nde n i

ab l e fac t tha t comm e rce i s la rge l y i n th e hand s o f no n-Mo s l em s .

B u t i n s tead o f s e ek ing to co r re c t th i s by a p o l i cy O f red i s t r i bu tion ,th e go v e rnm en t sh ows ev e ry s ign o f go i ng to th e opp o s i te ex t rem etha t i s to say , o f re s t r i c t i ng all go v e rnm e n t empl oym e n t t o th o s ewh o ha v e pa s sed th e go v e rnm en t p r ima ry and s e co nda ry e xamination , ( by th e Law o f Pu bl i c S e rv i ce ) , and a t t h e sam e t im e mak in gri t a lmos t imp o s s i b l e fo r any on e exc ep t a p u p i l a t a go v e rnm e n ts choo l i . e . a Mo s l em , to su cce ed i n th e s e tw o examina t i o n s .

“ I t i s i n te re s ti ng to compa re wha t h as happ e n ed i n Egyp t .The re i t was th e commo n comp la i n t tha t a ll comm e rc e w a s i n th e

hand s Of th e fo re ign e rs . T h e reaso n was tha t th e go v e rnm e n ts choo l syl labu s d id no t equ ip boys f o r a ge n e ra l ca re e r . In I raqth e compla i n t soon w i l l be , and fo r e xac tly t h e sam e re a s o n , tha tall comme rce , i s i n th e hand s o f J ew s a nd Ch r i s tian s . T h e p rop e rcou rse fo r th e go v e rnm en t to tak e wo u l d be t o re v i s e i t s p r ima ry and se co nda ry syl labu s s o a s to fi t b oy s f o r l i fe i n gen e ra l ,n o t m e re ly l if e i n a go v e rnm en t o ffi c e . By th i s m e an s i t w o u ldbe impo ss ib l e fo r Mo s l em b oy s f rom J ew i sh and Ch r i s t i an sch o o l sto go i n to go v e rnm en t s e rv i ce . I n s te ad , th e go v e rnm e n t h a s de

c id ed to bar all bu t s e conda ry s ch oo l g radu a te s f rom th e i n te rm ed ia te and h igh e r g rad e s Of go v e rnm en t s e rv i c e , and n o do u b t i n t e ndsto fo llow th i s u p by l eg i s la tio n fo rc i ng th e banks a nd c om

m e rcia l h ou s e s to acc ep t a min imum p rop o r t io n o f go v e rnm e n ts ch oo l g radu a te s . Of cou rs e i t i s d e s i rabl e fo r th e sak e o f n a t io na ls tab i l i ty , tha t ca re e rs sh ou l d no t be a ma t te r o f c re ed and rac e .

Mo s l em s w i l l hav e t o go i n to comm e rce . B u t i n o rd e r tha t th i smay be do n e w i th as l i t tl e d i s lo ca t io n and l o s s Of i nd u s t r ia l e ffic i

e n cy as p o s s ib le , th e gov e rnm en t sh ou l d take s tep s to b road en i t scou rse of tra i n i ng , i n s tead o f re lyi ng on fo rce maj eu re ( s e e Mr . F .

O . Mann ’

s re ce n t rep o r t on Egyp tian Edu ca t ion ) .

1 1 . Th i s l ead s on th e su bj e c t o f th e p rima ry syl labu s and

th e se conda ry syl labu s . T h e p r ima ry syl labu s i s . I th i nk , com

pa r ti v e ly u nobj e c tionabl e . F o r th e fi rs t fou r y ea r s i t i s th e sam ea s th e e l eme n tary syllabu s , bu t i t add s a fi f th and s ix th y ea r , i nwh ich Engl i sh i s tau gh t , i n add i t ion to th e o th e r su bj e c ts co n


t inu ed f rom th e e l em en ta ry p e r iod . If Engl i sh i s tau gh t a t all, n o

dou b t i t shou l d be b egu n ea rl ie r ; bu t th i s qu e s t ion , wh ich p re sen tssome d i ffi cu l t i e s a s a pu re ly edu ca tiona l one , i s now i nfin i te lycompl i ca ted by th e i n t rodu c tion o f p o l i ti ca l p ropaganda .

12 . T h e s e conda ry syl labu s ( n ow a five yea r cou r se ) i s in

c red ib ly bad . I n th e final examina t ion i n o rd e r to ob ta i n a ce r

t ifica te each pu p i l h a s to pa s s i n e l e v e n d i ff e ren t su bj e c ts . Thi sd i s s ipa t io n Of e n e rgy , i s combi ned w i th a mo s t p re te n tiou s syl labu s ,wh i ch go e s i n to g rea t d e ta i l f o r each su bj e c t . To cov e r th e

g rou nd la i d down i n th e syl labu s for on e su bj e c t , e .g . , h i s to ry ,u p to anyth i ng l ike a rea sonabl e s e conda ry s tandard wou l d re

qu i re th e who l e tim e a l lo t ted to all th e su bj e c ts i n th e cu r r icu lum .

I t i s wo r th wh i l e to i l lu s tra te th i s w i th re f e ren ce to th e h i s to rysyl labu s . Thi s b eg i n s w i th p reh i s to r i c t ime s , and go e s down to

p o s t-war mo v em en ts . I t emb ra ce s e v e ry cou n try i n th e wo r l d excep tI nd ia , wh i ch i s no t m en tion ed , ( fo r po l i ti ca l reason s) and Ch ina .

I t i s d i v id ed in to top i c s , and I hav e cal cu la ted tha t i f th e g rou ndi s to be cov e red , 15 minu te s on ly can be gi v e n by th e teach e ri n c las s to each top ic ( su ch top i cs be i ng e .g .

“

th e re su l ts o f th e

R ena i s san c e , ” “

a b r i ef h i s to ry of England u p to th e Tu do r s ,” “

re

su lt s Of th e F re n ch re v o lu tion ,” “

th e i ndu s tr ia l re vo lu tion and th e

change i n e co nomi c cond i tion s i n th e 19 th ce n tu ry and

I t mu s t be rem emb e red tha t p rac ti cal ly no p r i va te read i ng i s don eby th e pu p il s i n th i s o r i n any o th e r su bj ec t . T h e teach e r s , of

cou r se , canno t co v e r all th e g rou nd , and i t i s n e ce ssary fo r a

teach e r to“

a s s i s t” e v e ry commi tte e tha t se ts th e examina tionpap e r s , i n o rd e r to gu a ran tee tha t on ly qu es tion s are se t to wh i chth e pu p i l s know th e an sw e r . Thi s app l ie s to all su bj e c ts be

s i d e s h i s to ry . T h e resu l t , Of cou rse , i s th e wo rs t fo rm o f c ramming by th e teach e rs , and th e acqu i s i t ion by th e pup i l s of a

numb e r o f d i sconne c ted fac ts , wh i ch s tay i n th e i r h ead s j u s t l ongen ou gh to be ca s t u p u nd ige s ted and u n co r re la ted i n t

he f o rm

Of an sw e r s to qu e s tion s , and th e n are immed ia te ly fo rgo t te n . T h e

g e n e ra l e ffe c t on th e pu p i l s i s con ce i t, su p e rfic iali ty , and igno ran c e .

T h e edu ca ti ona l va lu e mu s t be a lmos t n i l : no th i ng so l i d can rema i na f te r th e d is co nn e c ted f ragm en ts hav e b ee n los t .

On ly two langu age s a re s tu d ied , A rab i s and Engl i sh ( Fren chhav i ng be e n i n trodu ced a yea r ago as a v o lu n ta ry su bj e c t tau gh tou ts id e s cho o l hou rs bu t now d ropp ed aga i n ) . At th e end Of th e

s e conda ry cou rs e th e b e s t boys can hardly wr i te a sen ten ce Of

i d ioma t i c o r e v e n o f g ramma t ica l Engl i sh . A rab i c i n th e who l ep r ima ry and s e conda ry cou rse take s u p mo re hou rs than any

o th e r su bj e c t , and y e t a t th e e nd o f th e t ime v e ry few boy s can


teach e r s a d iffe re n t cou rse o f t ra i n i ng f rom p r imary schoo l teach e r sand i n a s epa ra te i n s t i tu t ion . And i n fac t th e d i ff e re n tia tion may

l ead to s e r iou s fu tu re embar ras sm en t .‘

14 . T h e t ra i n i ng co l lege sy s tem in I raq embod ie s all th e

la te s t p edagog ica l i dea s f rom Ame r i ca , wh i ch th e pu p i l s ( u n ti l1929 gradu a te s o f p r ima ry s ch oo l s ) imb ibed fo r fou r yea rs , and

th en w e re lau n ch ed a s teach e rs . Th ey cou l d p robably d raw a

d iag ram show i ng wha t happ en s i n th e b ra i n o f a ch i l d wh e n i ti s con f ro n ted w i th ( a ) a wasp , ( b ) a banana , bu t th ey cou l d no t

a lways te l l wh i ch was th e v e rb i n a se n te n ce and wh i ch th e n ou n .

Un ti l a yea r ago pu p i l s w e re accep ted w i th ou t any ad equ a te sc ru

ti ny Of cha ra c te r and fi tne s s , and w i th no edu ca tion abo v e tha t Of

a p r ima ry s choo l . Th ey we re h e rd ed toge th e r u nd e r ba r rack con

di t ion s ( s ix squ a re f e e t p e r p e r son i n th e do rmi to r ie s ) w i thou tad equ a te exe rc i se and mo ra l su p e rv i s ion , and pau p e r i z ed by a

sy s tem wh i ch no t o n ly tau gh t , h ou sed , c lo th ed , and f ed th em a t

th e exp en se o f th e s ta te , bu t a l so gav e th em p ocke t m oneyi n add i tion . Some s ix hu nd red teach e rs we re p rodu ced by th i ssy s tem , and w e re e i th e r app o i n ted to n ew s choo l s o r rep laced so

cal l ed u n tra i n ed teache rs wh o h ad n o t h ad th e ad van tage o f fou ryea rs a t th e T ra i n i ng Co l lege . M eanwh i l e gradu a te s o f i n te rmed ia te and s e co nda ry s choo l s we re b e i n g d eba rred f rom th e

care e r o f teach ing and a l lowed to d r i f t i n to low g rad e c l e r i calpo s ts . F o r yea r s all my a t temp ts to ge t th i s sy s tem a l te red hav efa i l ed . I hav e co n s tan tly p u t my v i ew s b e fo re th e h igh e s t p ow e r si n th e land , and th ey hav e a l so b e en e xp re s sed i n my annu a lrep o r ts fo r 1927 , 1928 and 1929 . B u t igno ran ce , p re j u d i c e , s e l fi n te re s t and su sp i c ion hav e all be en aga i n s t m e , th ou gh th e onlya rgume n t ( i t can ha rdly be ca l l ed a reason ) e v e r advan cedaga i n s t changi ng th e sys tem i s tha t boys wh o l ea v e p r ima ry school shav e a r igh t to a h igh e r edu ca tion , tha t i s to say , a v e s ted i n te re s ti n th e r igh t to e n te r th e T ra i n i ng Co l lege and re l i e v e th e i r fa th e r so f all fu r th e r re sp on s ib i l i ty fo r th e i r ma i n tenan ce . B u t i n th e

Au tumn Of 1929 a grea t ad van ce wa s mad e , and i t was agre ed tha ti n fu tu re o n ly g radu a te s Of i n te rmed ia te and s e co nda ry s choo l swou l d be accep ted i n th e P r ima ry T ra i n ing Co l l ege , th e E le

m en ta ry T ra i n i ng Co l l ege b e i ng re se rv ed fo r g radu a te s Of p rima ry schoo l s . T h e n ex t re fo rm n e eded i s th e abo l i tion o f Ele

me n ta ry T ra i n i ng Co l lege s , and th e sho r ten i ng o f th e cou rse i n th e

P r ima ry T ra i n i ng Co l l ege to one year . Th e re i s no reason whywe sh ou l d no t fo r th e la s t th re e y ea rs hav e be e n ge t ti ng b e t te rteache rs a t mu ch l e s s co s t than we hav e b e e n paying fo r i n fe r io ron e s .

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IN IRAQ 99

Th e re i s no reasonabl e dou b t tha t th e s tandard Of teach ingi n p r imary and e l eme n ta ry s choo l s h as su ffe red s e r iou s l y f romth e sho r t-comings o f ou r t ra i ned tea che rs . T h e exc e s s i v e em

phas i s la i d on th e m e chan i cal s i de o f a teach e r ’s t ra i n i ng , a s th o u ghtea ch i ng we re a pu re sc i e n ce and no t an ar t , th e fac t tha t boy shav e b e e n e n ti ced i n to th e teach i ng p ro fe s s io n a t th e age o f fou

tee n or fi f te e n by th e p ro sp e c t o f f re e ma i n te nan ce fo r fo u r yea rsand a gu a ran te ed sa la ry af te rwa rd s , and th e lax i ty o f th e mo ra lsu p e rv i s ion a t th e T ra i n i ng Co l l ege , hav e re su l ted i n flood i ng t h e

cou n t ry w i th ha l f-bak ed teach e rs wh o ha v e no s e n se O f teach i nga s a v oca tion , and no rea l i n te re s t i n any th i ng bu t th e i r sala r ie s .

Thi s i s th e ki nd o f cha rge wh i ch migh t be b rou gh t aga i n s t th e

teach ing body Of many cou n tr i e s . B u t i n I raq th e re was mo re le eway to make u p . T h e Old teach ing tradi tion , wh i ch i s b e i ngtau gh t i s a pu re ly p a s s i v e p ro ce s s , s ti l l p e r s i s ts , th e spoke n wo rdo f th e teach e r is e v e ry th i ng . I f any th i ng , th i s h as be e n s t re ng th ened by th e exce s s i v e co n ce i t Of th e n ew ly t ra i n e d teach e r s . Th e i rmo ra l i n flu e n ce on th e i r pu p i l s i s n i l : th ey a re amo ng th e w o rs tpo l i ti ca l i n t r igu e r s i n th e cou n try , and i n ca s e s o f t ro u bl e , can

n e v e r be re l i ed on to su pp o r t th e au tho r i ty o f th e go v e rnm e n t o r

e v en th e d is c ip l i n e Of th e s choo l . Thi s i s a d i sapp o i n ti ng re s u l taf te r so mu ch mon ey h a s be e n sp e n t on th e t ra i n i ng o f teach e r s .

fe e l su re tha t co n s i d e r i ng th e ac tu a l co nd i t io n o f th i scou n try th e edu ca t iona l p rog ramme h a s b e e n to o ambi t io u s . B u t

u n fo r tu na te ly , th e cou n try h as to p ose a s an u p-to-da te co u n t ry ,

and app ea ran ce s mu s t be kep t up . T h e facad e , i t mu s t be admi t ted ,i s fa i rly imp re s s i v e , bu t i t i s th e bu s i n e s s o f som e p e op l e to l i v eb eh ind th e facad e . I t i s a p e rp e tu a l s t ru ggl e to g e t t ru e s tanda rd so f va lu e su b s ti tu ted for fal se s tanda rd s , and I hav e fe l t tha t a s fa ras edu ca tion goes i n th e las t two yea rs i t h a s b e e n a l o s i ng s t ru ggl e .

Al l ki nd s Of ex tran eou s cau se s hav e con t r i bu ted to my de f e a t ,and y e t I canno t f e e l tha t I hav e d e s e rv ed to l o s e .

“ A m an may

be i n as j u s t p o s se s s ion of t ru th a s o f a c i ty , and y e t be fo rced t o

su r re nd e r .ou gh t no t to omi t some d i scu s s io n o f th e m o ra l s ta te

Of th e you nge r gen e ra tion , al thou gh , as th ey n ea rl y all ge t fu l lmark s fo r condu c t i n th e i r s ch oo l s , su ch d i scu s s ion migh t be con

s ide red sup e rflu ou s .

I t may be r e ckon ed tha t som e th i ng l i k e 40-50 th o u sand boy shav e be e n o r are n ow i n gov e rnm en t s chools . M o s t o f th e s e a r :

b e t te r edu ca ted i n th e su bj e c ts Of fash ionabl e edu ca tio n thanth e i r fa th e rs . Pa re n ta l d i sc i p l i n e , wh i ch i s , i f n o t w eak , a t

any ra te , spasm odi c i n th i s cou n t ry , h as re ce i v ed a s ti l l fu r th e r

1 0 0 BRIT ISH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

s e tback , and t h e d i s c i p l i ne o f th e sch oo l s h as done no th i ng to t e

p lace i t . I t i s mo s t reg re t tab l e tha t i n a cou n try wh e re pas s ion sare s trong and e v e n p r ime va l , no co rp o ra l pu n i shmen t i s a l low edexcep t i n p r ima ry and e leme n ta ry schoo l s , and th e n i s l imi ted to

s ix b low s on th e hand . O th e r fo rm s of pu n i shm en t canno t ber egard ed as su b s ti tu te s , a s th ey are re v o cabl e and i n v o l v e th e

e l em en t o f tim e . A c tu a l ly th e i r i nfl i c t ion i s , i n many case s , m e rely nomina l w i thou t e v en th e i n ten tion to e n fo rce them . I t i s i n te re s ti ng tha t a t th e v e ry time I was p re s s i ng for mo re effe c t i v e co r

p o ra l pu n i shm en t and b e i ng to l d tha t I raq i schoo l boy s w e re of too

s en s i t i v e a na tu re to be exp o sed to any th i ng so b ru ta l as co r

p o ra l pu n i shm en t , a pu p i l and an ex-pu p i l Of a gov e rnmen t p r ima ry s choo l mu rd e red a you ng ma r r i ed woman wh o was th e i rre la tion and wa s l i v i ng w i th th em . Th e mu rd e r was commi t tedwh i l e sh e wa s wa l ki ng w i th h e r baby . Th e re was no mo ti v e fo r

th e mu rde r excep t ange r a rou s ed by a ra th e r b i t te r tongu e .

I t wou l d no t be reasonabl e to excep t th e s choo l s to be f re ef rom wha t i s s om e t im e s ca l l ed th e p re va i l i ng v i ce o f th e cou n try .

I t i s l ike an end emi c d i s ea se , and h as i t s u p s and down s . A yea rago i t wa s ce r ta i n ly i n c reased by a la rge imp o r ta t ion Of b i cyc l e s .

A f re e r i d e a t th e exp en s e of a s en io r p e r so n fu rn i sh ed th e b r i beand th e Opp o r tu n i ty . Aga i n , th e fi rs t v i s i t Of an Egyp tian d rama ti ccompany s ix te e n mon th s ago l ead to a d emand fo r ready ca sh on

th e pa r t o f th e s cho o l-boys , and one way o f ra i s i ng th i s cash wa s byh i r i ng ou t th e i r p e rson s ac co rd i ng to a regu la r ta r iff . I r i sk m en

t ion ing th e s e th i ngs pa r tly b e cau se I hav e reaso n to kn ow th a tth ey are tru e , pa r tly to emphas i z e th e fac t tha t i n th i s cou n trywh e re th e e ff e c ti v e numb e rs are so sma l l ou r i n s ign ifican t cau secan hav e qu i ck and w id e e ff e c ts . I t i s ha rd ly n e ce s sa ry to add tha thav ing b e e n ac cu s tomed to read e v e ry day u n ti l t h e end o f 1929

(wh e n s tep s we re taken to con tro l th e an ti-B r i t i sh campa ign ) th e

mo s t fan ta s ti c l i e s i n v e n ted by j ou rnal i s ts to th e d i s c red i t Of th e

B r i ti sh , e v e ry schoo l boy i s v i ru l e n tly an ti-B r i t i sh and b e l i ev e s tha te v e ry Eng l i shman i s a l ia r and a ty ran t, and tha t th e on ly reasonwhy th i s wo rl d i s no t a pa rad i se i s th e ex i s te nce o f th e B r i t i shEmp i re .

“

17 . I n th e i n sp e c to ra te and i n th e h igh e r teach ing pos ts we

hav e a ce r ta i n numbe r o f i n te l l ige n t and capab le men , bu t th e i ri n flu en ce i s la rge ly n eu t ra l i z ed by th e g rea t numb e r o f p lacemen .

” Mo reo v e r i n th e p re s e n t s ta te Of op i n io n i t wou l d be

v e ry dange rou s fo r th e se p e op le to be known to share any o f myv iew s . I canno t p ro te c t th em f rom th e pe rsecu tion th ey wou l din e v i tably su ffe r .

1 0 2 BRITI SH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

I t i s a l so fo r tu na te tha t some of ou r yea r ly exp e nd i tu res h asb e en on bu i l d i ngs . Abou t one-th i rd o f all th e schoo l s i n th e cou nt ry are now hou sed i n bu i ld i ngs bu i l t and i n te nd ed fo r schoo l s .

Thi s m ean s a g rea t dea l i n a cou n try wh e re th e o rd i na ry hou sei s ge n e ra l ly u n san i ta ry and h as v e ry sma l l room s .

20 . I hav e some time s be e n to l d tha t fo r a p e rso n in myp o s i tion i t i s u se l e s s to po i n t ou t th i ngs tha t are wrong u n l e s s Ican p o i n t ou t th e way Of pu t ti ng them r ig , t . I n th i s repo r t Ihav e t r ied to show tha t some o f th e cau se s of th e u n sa t i sfac to rys ta te o f edu ca tion are so d e ep-roo ted tha t i t wou l d re qu i re a mo ralo r so c ia l re vo lu t ion to a l te r th em . F or tho se cau se s wh ich migh tbe ca l led a cc i de n ta l , I hav e su gge s ted wha t ou gh t to be done .

I f I h ad known h ow to ge t i t done , I shou l d no t hav e wa s tedmy time a s mu ch as I hav e do ne th e se se v e n yea rs . I am qu i teco nv i n ced of one th i ng and tha t i s tha t i t i s u s e l e s s to d i scu ssedu ca tiona l re fo rm s w i th th e head s of th e s ta te . They a lwaysagre e w i th y ou tha t i t i s th e agreem en t of p o l i ten e s s no t o f con

v ic t ion . Anyhow i n th i s cou n try th e spoke n wo rd i s wo r th no th i ng .

“ Fo rce i s th e on ly th i ng tha t w i l l ca r ry th rough som e of

th e ne ce s sa ry re fo rm s , and I fea r tha t th e t ime fo r app lyi ng tha tfo rce h as pas sed . On e of two th i ngs w i l l p robab ly happ e n i nedu ca tion : e i the r th e p re se n t sys tem w i l l co l lap s e o f i t s own we igh t,and th ey w i l l hav e to bu i l d i t u p aga i n , o r whe n I am ou t Of th e

way and th e e l emen t of p e rsona l j ea lou sy i s remo v ed , th ey may

adop t as th e i r own some Of my su gge s tion s and ca r ry th em ou t .

I n tha t case to cov e r th em se l v e s th ey w i l l p robably say tha t th eyh ad long be e n t ryi ng to s e cu re th e se re fo rm s bu t tha t th e ma l ignan ti n flu en ce Of th e B r i t ish h as p re v e n ted th em . Thi s so r t Of th i ngh as happ ened be fo re . B u t i f e i th e r o f my fo re cas ts i s co r re c t i ta lmo s t fo l low s tha t th e B r i t i sh Go v e rnme n t shou l d f rom th ismome n t ( o r p e rhap s f rom Ma rch 1, 1931) abandon edu ca t ion al

toge th e r to th e con tro l o f th e I raq i s . Th i s i s th e d i re c t and

log ica l s equ e l to th e ac tion take n i n 192 1 . T h e p re s e n t measu reo f co n t ro l doe s n o t gu a ran tee th e p rop e r s tanda rd o f admin i s tra tionand b r i ngs n o c red i t e i th e r to th e B r i ti sh go v e rnmen t o r to th e

B r i ti sh o ff i c ia l wh o i s regarded a s re sp o n s ib l e for edu ca tion .

“ I may be a l low ed to an ti c ipa te comme n t on th i s n o te by a

qu o ta tio n f rom T . Hobb e s : “ E i th e r I a lo ne am mad, o r th ey a re

a ll m ad . O th e r con c lu s io n th e re i s n one u nl e s s a man shou l d say

tha t w e a re all mad toge th e r .

( Sign ed )30 th Au gu s t , 1930 .

DAV ID BARSUM I

P r e s zde n t , As sy r zan N a tio na l F ede ra tzo n

(Ju ne , [QM—Oc tober , 1935)

V lce-p r es z'

de n t ( ( lr tube r , 1935

th e J acob i te Ch u rch i s my Chu rch ,and I tak e f i l ia l p r i de i n th e acknow ledg

m e n t t h e re o f . p . 126


How many pe rsons are the re in Ch r i s t P”,yet al l o f them

are the Fr i ends o f the Cro s s o f Chr i s t . I f,i n any sense

,

th i s chapte r has succeeded i n help ing the reade r to see andto fee l

,i n th i s pre ss ing moment

, what the wr i te r sees andfee l s in the o r ig i n—be i t re l igious , nat ional o r o therw i seo f the Jacob i te People , and i f i t has succeeded in ind icat ingthe inj ust ices done to the i r nat ion , i t w i l l have fulfi l l ed i t sm i ss ion . Wh o ,

then,are the Jacob i t es ?

The Jacob i t e People are an o ffshoo t o f the EasternMonophys i te s . They are the representat ives o f the Syr i ane l ement in th e Ch u rch of A n tioch

,the ear l i e s t o f the

Gent i l e Chu rches . The name Jacobi tes o ccu rs fi r st inthe anathemas o r i n the synodal decrees o f the Counc i l o fN icaea

, 787 A .D . I t was i nvented by ho st i l e Greeks fo rthese “

Syr i an Monophys i te s” as founded by, o r rather

re stored by,Jacob B aradeu s , wh o was born toward the

c lo se o f the fi fth c entury and was o rdained i t s b i shop in

54 1 A .D .

These Monophys i te s o ften cal l themselves Th e Or th o

dox,l i ke the Greeks and the Russ i ans . The i r Chu rch i s

somet imes known as the Jacobi te S y r ian Ch u rch , whi chi s a t ruly O r i ental sec t w i th no Western connec t ion . I tmay be o f i nte rest to no t ice here , i n p ass ing . that fo re ignmi s s ion s have hop e le ss ly fa i l ed , i n the i r att empt to Chr i s tian i z e the Ch r i s t i an Assyr i ans

,to make any se r ious

imp ress ion on the main body o f the Church . Bo th Romanand Pro te stant m i ss ions have had no in st inct i ve regard fo rh i sto r ic cont inu i ty

,and have looked w i th l i t t l e reve rence

on customs made venerabl e by anc i ent use . They haveapp roached w i th th r eaten ing the i r i ndependence o r w i thd i sparag ing the p r im i t i ve t rad i t ions o f a Commun i on o l de rthan themse lves and have fo rgo t ten to no t ice that they are

pat r io t i c to the co re At any rate,these “ nominal Ch r i s t

i ans ’,vene rate p ic tu res and make the s ign o f the C ro s s

symbo l i c o f th e fac t th a t Ou r Lo rd d i ed on ' the C ro ss fo r

THE JACOBITES

ou r sa lvat ion . They pay infin i te hono r to Vi rg i n Mary andreve re h e r as th eMo ther o f God. They impo se upon themse lves excess ive fasts , as so l emn r i t e s

,i n hono r o f d ive r s

sain ts— there are five annual l ent s“. The p r i nc i pal t each ingo f the i r Chu rch inc l ude the seven H o ly Sacraments

,v i z

the Ho ly Bapt i sm ,the Ho ly O rde r s

,th e Ho ly Mat r imony

,

th e Au recu lar Con fess ion , th e Ho ly Ch r i sm ,o therw i se

known as the Mooran ; the Ho ly Euchar i s t “1 o the rw i s eknown as the K i i rba i i a

,and th e Ho ly Unc t ion . The i r

mo st sac red ce remony i s the Mas s" wh i ch they ce l eb ratew i th great r i tual i st ic spl endo r on eve ry Sunday and o the rI-lo ly

-days— the re i s n o secret Mass . Eve ry th ing i n the

Jacobi t e Chu rch cente r s about the a do rabl e sac r ifi ce o f th i sceremony . I t i s fo r the ce l eb rat ion o f th e Mass that theal tar i s erec ted and the c l e rgymen consec rated . The Mas si s regarded as th e mo st so l emn publ i c ac t o f wo r sh ip because i t i s the Last Suppe r ove r again w i th the add i t ionals ignificance o f Calvary . So that , to be p re sent w i th th e

3—( a ) T h e L e n t o f A d ve n t id e f o r 2 4 d a y s f r om D e t um b c r t h e l i t h .

( h ) T h e Le n t o f t h e N i n e va t e s f o r 3 d a y s f rom Mo n d a y i n t h e 3 d

w e e k be f o r e Le n t .( c ) T h e lon g Le n t f o r 48 da y s i n c l u d i n g t h e H o ly-w e e k .

( d ) T h e Le n t o f t h e Ho ly Apo s t l es f o r 1 3 d a y s f r om J u n e t h e 2 9 t h .

( e ) T h e Le n t o f Ou r B l e s s e d V i rg i n Ma ry f o r 1 4 d a y s f r o m A u gu s t 1 4 t h .

I n a dd i t i o n t o t h e s e f a s t i n g s ea s o n s . th e y f a s t o n e x e r y

a n d F r i da y exc e pt th o s e o f t h e \V h i t s u n t ld c s e a s o n .

4—On ly a. hypo s ta t i c u n i on o f t h e Wo rd w i th t h e B ra i d i s a s s e r t e d i n t h e

E u c h a r i s t . um t h e i d en t i t y o f t h e S a c r e d E l em e n t s Wi th t h e l i o dy a n d

B l o od o f Ch r i s t .5 ~—T h e Ja c o b i t e s c l i ng t o th e i r l i tu rg i c a l l a n gu a ge S y r i a c . w i t h a lm o s t

pa t h e t i c d evo t i o n b u t a dopt t h e ve r n a c u l a r f r e e ly i n s e rm o n s a n d po p u l a r

s e r v i c e s . A n y a t t em p t t o t am pe r w i t h t h e n a t i o n a l l a ngu a ge i s c o n

S i d e r e d a n a t t a c k on t h e n a t i o n a l i ty i t s e l f . U n f o r t u n a t e ly h ow eve r t h e

na t i o n a l l a ngu a ge Wi t h t h e J a c o b i t e s a s a p ra c t i c a l m a t t e r i s a

s a do e nm g s pec t a c l e . A r a b i c I S t h e l a ngu a ge i n c omm o n u s e a ll th ro u ghS y r i a a s f a r a s A l e ppo . f ro m Ma r d i n t o Mo s u l , a n d a ga i n i n S e r t .

Ta r a n i , a c o r r u p t i on o f t h e c l a s s i c a l S y r i a c . l S s pok e n c h i e f ly i n Jc b e l

T u r , w h i l e i n t h e n e ighbo r h ood o f U r ra . D i a r ba k i r . a nd H a rp o o t , l i n gu a ls t r e am s o f K u r d i s h .

A rm e n i a n a n d Tu rk i s h m e e t a n d a fi n e B i b e l i s

t h e r e s u l t e a c h c on t e n d i ng f o r s u p r em a c y . B u t e ve ryw h e r e t h e m o 0

e d u c a t e d u s e t h e S y r i a c o r A r am a i c c h a r a c t e r s f o r w r i t i n g t h e l o c a lla c g a g e . a c om b i n a t i on kn ow n a s Ga r s h i i n i . T h i s c h a o t i c c o nd i t i o no f t h e m o t h e r t o n gu e am ong t h e J a c ob i t e s i s c a u s e d s o le b y re a s o no f t h e i r h e te rogen eou s s e tt l em ent .T h e r e a d e r s h ou l d r e f e r t o t h e ve r y f u l l a c c o u n t o f t h e s e rv i c e s o f t h e

Ch u rc h o f t h e E a s t (N e s t o r i a n ) , w h i c h a r e ve ry s im i l a r . g i ve n byMac le a n B rown e , pp . 2 1 2-2 42 .

1 0 6 BRITISH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

p rope r mo t i ve and conduc t i s al l that i s necessary . Pietyw i l l sugges t fu r ther devo t ion— i t w i l l e stabl i sh fai th

,k indle

hope,regulate and qu icken the v i r tue o f Ch r i s t i an char i ty .

Monke ry i s ve ry common among the J acob i tes but thereare no nuns .

Th e Jacob i te Chu rch rej ec t s the decrees o f the Counc i lo f Chalc edon ( 451 A .D . ) and acc epts tho se o f the S econdCounc i l o f Ephesus ( 43 1 I ts pronounced doc t r i neconce rn ing Ch r i s to logy , as propounded by a Monk , by thename o f E u th y ch es , Abbo t o f Constant inopl e , almo s t thecontempo rary o f N esto r i u s wh o was the Patr i arch o f Con

s tan t inop le i n 42 9 A .D . ,i s that wh i l e the l att er held there

we re ty . o d i s t inc t persons in Chr i s t— human and div ineal though c lo se ly and inseparabl e j o i ned , the fo rme rheld that Ch r i s t had but one compo s i te natur e wh ich i s d iv ine . The Redeemer

,he l d E u thy ch e s , po ssessed but one na

tu re compo sed o f two . The div ine natu re o f Ch r i s t hasabso rbed the human s o that the two have become one ,

l ikea p i ece o f glass

,wh ich al though made o f sand

,i s only

g l as s now ,no longer sand . God i s i n Tr in i ty and Tr i n i ty in

Un i ty , be ing co - equal and co - eternal . There are threeknown pe rsons but one God. Ch r i s t i s the second person inTr i n i ty wh o was i ncarnated fo r the salvat ion o f mank ind .

He i s the Only Bego t ten Son o f God,

“ the Only -Bego tten ,th e Bego t ten from the Father be fo re al l the wo r l ds

,Light

o f l ight , Very God o f Ve ry God,bego t ten no t made

, con

substant i al w i th the Fathe r by whom al l th ings werem adeG

". Hi s i s a t ruly d iv ine nature ; he i s the true God.

Consequently , and by way o f log ical analogy,E u thy ch es

accep ted the D ivine Matern i ty o f the Vi rg in Mary .Thi s

i deo logy was condemned by the Counc i l s o f Constant inopl ei n 38 1 A .D . and 553 A .D .

,and o f Chalcedon in 451 A .D .

Neve r the l e ss , i t found an out let in Beth-Nah re en and cameto s tay as the Jacobi t e Syr i an Chu rch

,and the so-cal l ed

ti—F rom t h e A po s t l e ’

s C re e d o f t h e Ja c ob i te Chu rch .


Igna ti us , th eMar ty r , wh ich t i t l e was fi r s t assumed in 1 2 93A .D . by B ar V Vah ib . The ful l t i t l e o f the Patr i arch i s

,

Patr i a rch o f the Apo sto l ic Se e o f Ant ioch and al l o f theJ acob i te Chu rches o f Syr i a and in the East . I t i s o f greati nteres t to no t ice that al though he takes h i s t i t l e fromAntioch , he neve r res i des th e re S— h i s seat , th e ki i rs i , i s notfixed . I t i s o ften in a convent . I t has somet imes been inD iarbak i r

,al though Mardin has been fo r a long t ime the

Patr iarch ial See w i th the i r Schoo l s o f Theo logy in the nobleMonastery

,D ei r - el-Za

’-afe ran .

9 The present Patr i arch,His

Ho l iness,Mar Ignat iu s Aph rem I . ,

i s bel i eved to have h i sAMTS i i n Homs

, Sy i ia . Unde r the Patr i arch i s the Maph ri an

,

* wh ich l i t e ral ly means fruc t ifie r wh o i s pr imateo f the East and has l i ved in Mo su l s ince 1 0 87 . He i ssomet imes known as Catho l ico s o f the East . He o rdainsb i shops and gene ral ly succeeds the Patr i arch upon vacancycaused by death . The office o fMaph r i an i s now i n abeyance ,and the Pat r i archate i s an e lect i ve 1 0 office by and fromamong the bi shops and al l the b i shops are p resent at theconsecrat ion o f the Pat r i arch . There i s one i n stance even

S—A i i t ioc h i s t h e m e r e ly n om in a l s e a t o f t h e P a t r i a r c h a t e s in c e P a u l t h eB l a c k . N o P a t r i a rc h h a s l ive d t h e r e exc ep t E l i a s w h o l ive d th e r e i n

7 1 1 A . D a n d l a t e r A th a n a s i u s VI I I . I n t h e S um m e r o f 1 2 46 A . D

d u r i n g t h e oc c u pa t ion o f An t i oc h by t h e F r a n k s , t h e P a tr i a r c h Ign a t i u sD av i d a l s o re s i de d th e r e b u t f o r a s h o r t pe r i o d o f t im e .

D—T h e Mon a s te r y o f B a r s um n e a r Ma la t i a , w h i c h w a s bu i l t i n t h e t en thc e n tu ry by John S a r i g h t a , w a s t h e s e a t o f t h e P a t r i a rc h s . ( 1 1 6 7 -1 2 0 0

I t w a s re s t o r e d by Mi c h a e l 1 . La t e r D i o n y s '

i u s IV l e f t Ma la t i aa nd s e t t l e d i n Am i da i n o rd e r t o b e o u t o f G r e ek te r r i t o ry . Mi c ha e l I1 1 . tu rn w en t to D e i r-e l-Za "a f e r a n . Th i s m ona s t e ry h a d b ee n re s tore dby h i s pre d ec e s s o r . Joh n t h e G r e a t . ( 1 1 2 5 - 1 1 6 5 ) w h o w a s on e o f t h e

m o s t d i s t i ngu i s h e d h e a d s o f th i s Ch u rc h . a n d w a s a ga i n e n la rge d a n d

be a u t i f i e d by Ign a t iu s X 1 i n 1 48 4 A . D . D e i r -e l-Za ’

a f e r a n h a d be e n f i rs tr e s t o i e d by An a n i a s . B i s hop o f Ma rd i n , a bou t b u t h a vm g t a xi e a

i n to ru in w a s a ga i n re s to re d by Jo h n , wh o s a y s th a t h e w a s i gn o r a n to f t h e s a i n t E vg e n t o w h om i t w a s d e d i c a te d by An a n i a s .

Mr . H . C . Lu k e s ta te s i n h i s book o n p . 1 1 3 :“

I n t h e S p r ing o f

1 9 2 4 , t h e P a tr ia rc h , Ma r Ign a t iu s E l i a s I I I . w a s expe l l e d f rom h i s

m on a s te ry , w h i c h w a s tu rn e d in to a Tu rk i s h ba rr a ck .

-T n e n am e Ma ph r i a n i s de r ive d by B AR H E B RA E U S f r om t h e roo tA nli r a i i . f ru i t fu l n e s s , a nd m e a n s

“

F a t h e r o f f a th e r s " .

l fl—H e r e d i ta ry e p i s c o pa t e i s preva l en t am o n g th o s e i n t h e Chu rc h o f t h e

E a s t n ow e r r on e ou s ly c a l l e d t h e Ne s to r i a n Ch u rc h . bu t t h e O ld S y r i a no r E a s te r n ( Ja c o b i te ) Chu rc h h a s a lw a y s s t r ong ly r e pu d i a t e d i t . S e e

N e a l e ‘

s P a t r ia r cha te o f A n t i o ch .

THE JACOBITES

o f a layman , Dionys iu s I . ,i n 8 1 8 A .D .

,be ing cho sen

Patr i arch,and rece iv ing al l the p re l im inary p r i e st ly

orde r s .

1 1 The bi shops may depo se th e Pat r i a rch fo r he resyas was done i n the case o f Pau l the B lack

,i n 574 A .D .

He mav al so be deposed by the unan imous vo te o f thewho l e peopl e . Bes i des the se two

,the Jacob i t e s have e ight

met ropo l i tans and th ree b i shops , ( p r io r to the Wo r l dwa r ) . Each has a d ioce se 1 2 except two that are cal l ed

,

te zi i eloy o, i . e . un ive r sal,w i thout any r eg ula r dioc e s es . The

b i shops are d iv i ded i nto two c l as ses,tho se cho sen from

among the monks , wh o a re cal l ed N a trums,and tho se

cho sen from pa r i sh p r i e st s wh o have lo st th e i r w i ve s,and

have so become el ig ib l e fo r the Epi scopacy . These are

cal l ed A skof (Epi scop i ) . The Asko i rank s a l i t t l e belowthe Mi i trans

,and i s e l ig i b l e ne i the r fo r the Metropo l i tan

no r fo r Pat r i archal d ign i ty . O f th e p r i e st ly o rde r the re are

l l—On t h e s u b j e c t o f t h e c u s tom s a nd i n s t i t u t i o n s o f t h e J a c o b i t es . s ee

0 . H . P a r ry 's S ix Mo n th s in a . S y r ia n Mo n a s t e r y , 1 8 9 5 . B i s h o p P a r ryv i s i t ed t h e E a s t i n 1 8 9 2 a t t h e i nv i t a t i o n a n d o n b e h a l f o f t h e J a c o b i t eP a t r i a rc h a te E du c a t i o n S

oc i e ty i n o rd e r t o i n s pe c t t h e e l em e n t a ry s c h o o l sa l re a dy e s t a b l i s h e d by t h e P a t r i a r c h o f A n t i oc h . Ma r I g n a t i u s P e t e r I I I

w i th t h e h e lp o f f r i e n d s i n E ng la n d . a nd t o r e p o r t ge n e r a l ly o n t h e

p r o s pec t s o f e ffe c tu a l ly p rom o t ing e du c a t i o n i n t h e c h u rc h e s u n d e r t h e

P a t r i a rc h ’

s j u r i s d i c t i o n . T h e r e s u l t o f t h e v i s i t w a s t h i s m o n u m e n t .

T h e t e rm S y r i a n ”i s u s e d i n t e rc h a nge a b ly w i th t h e A s s y r i a n "

, w h o

i s a m em be r o f th e J a c o b i te Ch u rc h . S a y s h e o n p . 3 1 4 :“ Th i s n a m e

i s a do pt e d a s th a t by w h i c h t h e peo p l e a r e s pok e n o f b y t h em s e lv e sa n o th e i r n e i ghbou r s i n t h e E a s t . I t d i s t i n g m s h e s t h e m ( 1 ) f r om t h e

G r e ek s o f P a l e s t i n e by t h e w o rd o f S y r i a n . ( 2 ) f r om t h e La t i n p ro s e ly te sby t h e w o r d o ld . ( 3 ) f rom t h e A s s y r i a ns o r E a s t S y r i a n s " (m e a n i n gt h e Ne s t o r i a n s ) by t h e s am e w o rd s . N o t h e o ry i s p ro pou nd e d o r

m a i n ta i n ed by t h i s u s e o f th i s t i t l e ; n o r h a s a n y c o n s i d e r a t i o n w e igh e dbu t t ha t o f c u s tom a n d c onven i e n c e .

”

S ee a l s o D r . W . A . Wi g ram ’

s Th e S e pa r a t io n o f th e Mon oph y s i te s .

( Lon don . a nd A . A . Lu c e ’

s Mon o p li y s i t i s m , P a s t a n d P r e s e n t .( Lon don . 1 9 2 0 )

S ee a l s o Ch . VI I I o f H . C . Lu ke 's Mo s u l a nd I t s Mino r i t i e s . Lo n do n .

1 9 2 5 .

On t h e cu s t om s a n d in s t i tu t io n s o f t h e N e s to r i a n s , D r . \V ig ram'

s Th e

A s s y r i a n s a h a Th e i r N e i g h bo u r s , ( Lon don . i s c l a s s i ca l",S e e a l s o B a dge r ’ s Ne s to r ia n s a nd Th e ir R i tu a l s . a n d Cu t t ’ s Ch r i s t i a n sUnde r th e C r e s c en t .

1 2—Th e s e d i oc e s e s a r e o n e i n U rf a , on e i n D i a rbak i r o r H a r p oo t . o n e a t

J e r u s a l em . on e a t Ma rd in . th ree i n J e be l Tu r . o n e i n Mo s u l . a n d

a n o t h e r i n t h e Con v e n t o f Ma r Ma tta i i n t h e s am e d i s t r i c t .


th ree d iv i s ions : The monks,

1 3 the p r i e st s ( th e only c l assthat i s no t celebate ) , and the ch arep is c0 p i . The Deaconsare the last o rde r . I n the serv ices o f the chu rch

,th e

deac on has a par t almo s t as ind i spensabl e as the pr i e s t .The exho r tat ions and the psalms are sa i d by h im ; he p repares the ho ly bread

,sw ings the censer , and gives the ho ly

e l ements from the pr i e s t ’ s hand to the peopl e .

The Jacob i te Church has produced in the past manymen remarkable fo r the pro foundness o f the ir vi ews , the i rt each ings , and the i r wr i t ings . No l e s s than one hundredand fi fty archb i shops and b i shops can be counted in thed i fferent ages o f the sect . Among these , some o f themo st em inent are John

,b i shop o f Asi a ; Thomas o f Harkel

,

wh o rev i sed i n the 7 th century the Ph i loxeni an transl at iono f the New Testament ; J acob o f Edessa ; the Patr i archDionys ius I .

,i n the oth century , autho r o f a Syr i ac

chronic l e ; John , b i shop o f Dara ; Mo ses B ar—Kiph a ,wh o

w ro te a t reat i se on Parad i se ; Dionys ius B ar-Sal ib i , b i shopo f Amid , i n the 1 2 th century , autho r o f commentar i e s on

the B ibl e and o ther theo log ical wo rks ; Jacob , b i shop o f

Tagr i t ; Grego r i u s Abulfaragiu s ; Jacob o f Sarug ; I saac o f

Ephesus ; Mar E frem Syrus ; E fraim o f N i s ib i s ( 378the sweet s inge r” ; and B ar—H ebraeu s i n the 1 3th

c entury,wh o was the greates t and nobles t man o f th e

Eastern Church—“Hi s death was mou rned al ike byJacob i te s and Nesto r i ans , by Greeks and Armenians

,al l

o f whom fo rgo t the d i sputes wh ich wer e agi tat ing at thatt ime the Eastern Chu rch , and gathered at h i s grave to

ming l e the i r tear s fo r the lo s s o f a truly v i r tuous andgreat man .

”

1 3—Th e Mo n k s a r e h i g h e r i n t h e h i e ra r c hy th a n t h e p ri e s ts . A s f rom th emt h e B i s hops a r e c h o s e n . t h e i r l ive s a r e s pe n t i n t h e m on a s te r i e s r a th e rth a n i n t h e tow n s , a n d a r e g ive n u p t o t h e s t u dy o f G od ’

s w o rd . a n d

t h e p ra c t i c e o f s e l f—d e n i a l . I n t h e Au tum n th ey a r e s e n t by t h e

P a tr i a rc h t o c o l l e c t t i th e s th ro u gh o u t t h e V i l la g e s , a n d re po rt o n t h e

s ta t e o f t h e P a t r i a rc h a l p rope rty .

1 1 2 BR ITI SH BETRAYAL OF THE A SSYIRIANS

nat ion (mille t) , so that each o f these sec t s became aCh r i st i an-mi l l et , and inte rnal antagoni sm the sup reme law ,

w i th dis as te rou s consequences to the nat ion . The Jacob i tesbecame the S

'

i i ry ari i Kadim Melle ti and they were th e only

Assy r i ans . B lood had no th ing to do w i th i t . A Jacobi t ewh o was conve r ted by a Greek automat ical ly lo st h i s nat ional i ty . The Western i dea o f separat i ng po l i t ics from re l igionwas unknown in the East . The m i lle t was what mattered

,

and that was a re l ig ious body . Such are the c i rcumstancesthat explain th e fac t o f the intense conservat i sm o f each o f

these sec t s . Proud o f the i r own po sse ss ions handed downfrom the i r fathe r s , they guard w i th the mo st zealous carethe i r apo sto l ic her i t age

,and c l i ng fanat ical ly to the i r r i tes

even to the smal le st custom ,because i t i s by these that the

m ille t i s he l d together . The tu rning po i nt i n the l i fe o f

these sect s has now come to stay , however . The nat ionall i fe o f the Assy r i ans o f today i s based on an i deal o f creat iveunder stand ing . Freedom o f consc i ence i n the matte r o f

re l igious wo r sh ip and t rue loyal ty to the nat ion are heldto be matte rs no t i n confl ic t w i th one ano the r

,fo r r el ig ion

i s pe r sonal , rathe r than inst i tut ional ; eth ical , rathe r thanpatr io t ic . No on e group o f peopl e can be sai d to havemonopo ly o f the u l t imate truth o f re l igion . Ecc l e s i ast icali nd iv i dual i sm

,the re fo re

,can no longe r resu l t i n mutual

in tegrat ion but i n th e mutual strengthen ing and co -wo rkingo f al l o f these Churches and the nat ion who sein tegral par t s they are . So st rong i s th i s cu rrent o f feel ing ,

so s trong amongst the young as we l l as the old that tho seo ld marks o f ant ipathy and susp ic ion in te r s e

,they have

swo rn to themselves,are to be effaced fo rever . They

re fuse to be l i eve that the past must be ince ssant ly renewedand that h i s to ry w i l l neve r cease rep eat ing i t se l f . Suchi s the r evo l t o f the n ew generat ion against the nar

row provi nc i a l i sm o f the p ast that has un i ted us al l ,regardl e ss o f c reed

,unde r the banne r o f ou r E th ri arch , lll ar

THE JACOBITES

E s h a i S h imun XXI, ou r he ro

,bo th sp i r i tual and secular

,

i n ou r struggle fo r su rvival . Ove r a per iod o f about adecade , the sp i r i t o f the po l i t ical act i v i t i e s o f th i s youtho f seven -and - twenty

,wh o commenced h i s career i n the

fie ld o f bat t l e,has been cha ract e r i z ed by a sane des i re to

e stabl i sh a homeland whe re l ibe r ty might re ign sup reme .

Sel f- appo i nted re fo rme rs o f i n te rnat ional mo ral i ty have ,however

,fal sely accused h im o f sel f- s eek ing“

,desp i t e th e

fact that the A rabs o f I raq o ffe red h im weal th i f only hewould app rove the i r scheme fo r the set t l ement o f theAssy r i ans . He oppo sed i t , fo r the reason that the cont rarywould have meant nat ional d i saster . The re we re r ights andp r i nc ipl es

,he p roc l a imed and con fes sed them ,

and that evenat the expense o f becoming an exi l e . The inv inc ib l e Mar

S h imu n was no t w i l l i ng that the re shoul d be any peopl ew i thout a count ry whe re they can l iv e in peace . (Andwhat an unpardonabl e c r ime th i s must be"The natu ral andinal i enabl e r ight s are only for th e Eng l i sh men

,and some

t imes fo r the i r pro tégé s . ) Such re fo rme r s re fuse to be l i evein the se l f—ev i dent t ruth that th e cont rove r sy between th e

Mar S h imun and I raq i s p r imar i ly a reflex o f antagon i smbetw een I sl am i sm and Ch r i s t i an i ty . They have car r i ed muchharm fu l propaganda in the pr ess w i th th e p r imary obj ec to f d i sto r t ing publ ic Opin ion and d i st ract ing attent ion fromthe main i ssue

,thus eventual ly obscu r i ng the real i t i e s o f

the s i tuat ion . That he i s a Nesto r i an,

“

rep resentat i veo f only one s ec t” ,

i s no t the who l e t ruth . One ’s re l igiousfai th i s a matter o f h i s own conce rn and as such i t i sre lat ive ly un impor tant to the wor l d . Mo re

,Nesto r i an i sm

’

i sonly a re l igious des ignat ion . F o r rel igious pu rposes theAssyr i an s are many , but fo r nat ional pu rpo se s they are

one . The most fundamental and inescapabl e fac t about th eMar S h im un i s that h e i s an Assy r i an fi r st and a

l 4—Nea r E a s t a nd In d i a . Oc tobe r 1 9 . 1 9 8 3 . p . 8 5 5 . E rn e s t Ma in's I r a qf r om Ma n da te to I n de pe n den ce . ( Lon don .

p . 1 5 5 .


Nesto r i an a fte rwards . No longer w i l l any Judas be able tod iv i de a un i t ed ent i ty w i th a k i ss . We have l i kened the fivepr i nc ipal re l ig ious d iv i s ions o f the nat ion to the five finger son the on e hand . We have learned

,at the expense o f

centur i e s o f nat ional tragedy,that the finge r s are al l

re l ated , that they exi s t fo r mutual ass i s tance , and that to ac t

against one ano ther i s contrary to the very natur e o f thehand i t se l f . We shal l c lose ou r finger s i nto a re latedWho l e ,cal l ed the fis t, and bind them w i th the b ind ing power o f

the thumb,and sm i te the wo r l d w i thout b ru i s ing ourse lves ,

and,

B ea t down y on be t t ing m ounta inA nd r a i s e y on j u tt i n g c a pe ,

A w o r l d i s on t h e a nv i l :N ow sm i te i t i n to s ha pe .

Wh enc e c om e t h i s i ron m u s i c

Whos e s ound i s h ea rd a f a r ?

Th e h amm e rs o f th e wo r l d ’ s sm i th sA re be a t ing ou t a s ta r . ”

Such i s the real i sm and indestruct ib i l i ty o f ou r i deali sm . Col. -L t . R . S . S taffo rd i s de lud ing h imsel f i nto thebe l i e f that the nat ion o f the Assyr i ans i s no longe r .

1 5 To

that end he w ro t e h i s book , as i f a nat ion could be ann ih ilated by a stroke o f the pen"He seems to be alarmed atthe massacre o f the d i sarmed Assyr i an women and ch i l dren

, committed by the Arabs o f I raq in 1 933, i n h i s p resence wh i l e an Admin i strat ive I nspec to r i n I raq . I do not

blame h im ; but i f he honest ly bel i eves that such inc i dentscan w ipe ou t the nat ion o f the Jacob i tes , he i s sadly m i staken . Apparent ly he has no t read h i story . Fur thermo re ,the ve ry exi stence o f th i s peopl e , o f the pr ecept to “

S eekfi r st the Kingdom o f God,

through centur i e s o f persecu t ion bear s eloquent test imony to the fact that the soul o f

1 5—Th e Tr a g edy o f th e A s s yr i a n s , Lon don : 1 9 3 5 ,p . 2 1 3 .

S ta ffo r d ’

s s e c on d m o t iva t ing ob j e c t i n h i s book i s t o exon e ra te t h e

B r i t i s h o f re s pon s i b i l i ty .

PROF . A SH UR S . YUSU F o r HARPOOT

H i s l i fe w a s ge n tl e ; and t h e e l em e n tsSo mixed in h im tha t Na tu re migh t s tand u p

And say to a ll th e wo rl d , Th i s w a s a m an .

i n J u l iu s Cae sa r

THE JACOBITES

Assyr i a i s sp i r i tual through and th rough and no t mate r i a l .You can no t dest roy that wh i ch i s sp i r i tual ; i t i s co

exi st ent w i th eterni ty .

As I read ove r these pages,the re Sp r i ngs to my mind

the memo ry o f Saint Mary ’ s Monaste ry in Ha rp o u t , thenunde r the j ur i sd ict ion o f H i s Grace

,th e A rchbi shop Mar l “

Diony s i us Abdi tl’nu r . Wh il s t I wr i t e th i s , i t i s t e ii—al id-n i i i e

year s ago ,and yet at th i s moment

,I see

,as i f i t we re but

yeste rday , the exp ress ion o f the obj ec t on wh i ch I used tofix my ch i ldhood gaze . I t was the p ic tu re o f a loving l adyhang ing ove r the sta ined—glass on the l e ft s i de o f the Ho lyAltar . The who l e countenance was so rad i ant w i th d iv inet ranqu i l l i ty that I u sed to bow down a thousand t imes andcro ss myse l f wheneve r I besought God ’ s he lp and fo rg i ve ~

ness,to have He r i nte rcede fo r me , as my pat ron sa int . I

am rem inded at th i s moment o f the massacre s o f theCh r i s t i ans i n Tu rkey in the Fal l o f 1 9 1 4 when Mo sl emfanat ic i sm s o suddenly and so cr i t ical ly separated u s frommy father fo r ever ,

Bar sum (Kesh i sh ) .

1 7 On on e o f the seeven ings

,memo rabl e to mysel f , I wen t to the chu rch ,

bowed down be fo re the Mo the r o f God w i th al l th e usua lman i festat ions o f fi l i al wai l i ngs and so r row , c ro s sed mysel f

qu ickly and p rayed , hoping that H e r g lo r ious company o f

angel s might s t i l l b r i ng my fathe r back to us . I t was he re

l G—T h e t i t le MAR . p r e f ex ed t o t h e n am e s o f a ll B i s h op s , a s w e l l a s t h e

S a i n t s , m e a n s My Lo r d w h i c h i s s t r i c t ly a n E p i s c o pa l t i t l e .

1 7—H e w‘a s d e po rte d a nd m a s s a c r e d i n p om t s u nkn ow n toge th e r w i th P ro f .

A s hu r a n d o t h e r A s s y r i a n s f r om t h e s am e c i ty .

P ro t .A s hu r S . Yu s u f w a s born i n H a r p oot i n 1 8 5 8 . H e rec e ive d h i s

f o rm a l e du c a t i on i n C e n t r a l Tu rkey Co l l e ge a n d ta u gh t i n t h e s c h oo l so f H a r p oo t , Am a s i a , S m y r n a . A n t i oc h a . e t c . F o r s om e y e a r s . a n d u p

to t h e t im e o f h i s de p o rQa t i on , h e w a s on t h e t e a c h i n g s ta ff o f E u ph ra te sCo l l ege . H e rec e ive d a h i gh de gr e e f rom t h e Tu rk i s h B u re a u o f E du c at ion . H e wa s a poe t . a pu b l i s h e r , a tea c h e r a n d a f o r em o s t A s s y r i a npa t r i o t . H e o r ig i n a te d a nd e d i ted t h e m on th ly pe r i od i c a l . t h e Mi i r s h idD

’A s s y r ia n . i n H a r p oo t a t a t im e wh en pu b l i c i ty w a s a lm o s t u nknown

i n tha t v ic in i ty . Th i s pe r i od ica l w a s i n be ing f o r a bo u t s ix ye a rs a nd

c am e t o a p r em a t u re t e rm i n a t i on w i t h t h e l i fe o f i t s i l lu s t r iou s E d i to r .


whe re I l earned my fi r s t l e ssons i n fai th and in hope ; andas my praye r i n th i s church was my so l ace when i n so r

row, p rayers in o ther chu rches must b r i ng conso l at ion to

tho se that mourn . There i s no church where man cannotl i f t h i s eyes to heaven above ; no place i s too smal l to con

ta i n the crowd o f i ntr i ns ic v i r tues . That even ing , at theconc l u s ion o f my p rayer I recal l

,wh i l e tear s fi l l ed my

eyes , I wen t up to the p ic ture , c ro ssed myse l f , k i ssed i t ,then gent ly walked ou t . I n that atmo sphere I could not

help ra i s ing my eyes from the ear th to the sky and feel ingthe t rue maj esty o f God. Truly , the re was d i sc i p l ine morestr ic t than can be imagined in the West . He re was

emo t ional stab i l i z at ion,re l i e f from selfi shness

,the d i sc ip l ine

o f loyal ty,the oppo r tun i ty for i deal devo t ion , and the

cul t i vat ion o f mo ral and sp i r i tual i deal i sm . Many yearso f persecut ion

,because o f the fai th o f ou r fathe rs

,has

st rengthened the i nte l l ec tual and sent imental love o f eachAssyr i an sec t fo r i t s r espect ive chu rch . We have beenobl iged to pay the pr ice o f be ing such avowed fo l lowe rso f the Pr i nce o f Peace and have given a s ignal i l l u strat iono f what i t means to take up one ’ s c ro s s and fo l low Him ,

and that fo r many centu r i e s . We are exceed ingly proudo f ou r race because o f ou r g lo r ious h i sto r ic o r ig i n . Thatthe greatest Ch r i s t i an Empi re shoul d permi t such o rgani z ed pe rsecut ion

,murder and mal treatment and forced con

ver s ion (wh ich i s st i l l go i ng on at th i s very moment ) inI raq o f one o f the finest races in theMi ddl e East ,” in thephraseo logy o f Col. W'i l son , i s truly a lamentableevent" As a nat ion we loathe the thought o f beingunde r the j u r i sd ic t ion o f a Mo s l em gove rnment .F o r th is very reason

,the H i l l-Assyr i ans par t ic ipated on

the s i de o f the Al l i es 1 8 du r i ng the Wo r l d War . GreatB r i ta i n accepted and o rgan i zed them

,and used them

l S—T‘

h e rea d e r s h ou l d re fe r t o D r . Wig ram ’

s Ou r Sm a l le s t Ally , London .

1 9 20 .


t reason against human i ty . The B i shop o f Ripon i s consc iouso f i t when he dec l ares

B u t s o lately as las t A ugu s t ano th er blow fell on th e

good nam e and p res tige of Gr eat B r i tain I r efer to

th e mas s acr e of A s sy r ian Ch r is tians a t S im el and els e

wh e r e in I raq B u t I s ay , wi th a fu ll s ens e ofr espons i bili ty ,

th a t one cou ld h ardly conce ive a s i tu ation

m ore calcu lated to damage th is cou ntry a t th e bar ofworld op in ion as a be tray er of i ts fr i ends . A s s u ch we

h ave be en h e ld up to s corn in th e P r es s of o th er nations .

”

The admi ss ion o f a B r i t i sh officer i s enl ighten ing : “

I

never felt s u ch s h am e in my life as wh en I h ad to explainou r br each of fai th to my A s sy r ian s oldi ers .

”

As late as July the i sth o f th i s year,Lord Hugh Cec i l

admi tted the mo ral obl igat ion o f Great B r i ta i n to theAssyr i ans when he stated that the Assyr i ans are i n dangerand di stre ss because the B r i t i sh unw i se ly and prematurelyd i scharged themselves from the old obl igat ion o f a mandato ry power . The pr i nc ipal cause o f the i r d i s tress

,he

dec l ared , was that they were Great B r i ta in’ s al l i e s dur ing

the Great War . He there fore cons i der s there i s a moralobl igat ion on Great B r i ta in to prov ide “ the funds to transfe r as many o f the Assyr i ans as may w i sh to l eave I raqto new homes prov ided by the French in Syr i a .

“We h ave s e em ed by th e abandonmen t of th e A s sy r ians

and Ku rds to s acr ifice ou r very h onou r,” has proc l aimed

S i r Hen ry C . Dobbs , the fo rmer High Commi ss ioner .

The B r i t i sh po l icy w i th regard to the Assyr i ans hasbeen regarded by Dr . W . A . Wigram as a sta in on thenat ional sh i e ld o f B r i t a in . Thi s great human i tar i an has imp re ssed me so deeply that I canno t re frain from quot ingin to to h i s exce l l ent summary 2 1 o f the ent i r e s i tuat ion :

2 1—Th e C a s e f o r t h e A s s yr i a n s , d e l ive red be f o re t h e R oya l Cen tra l A s i a nS oc i e ty o n Oc tobe r 2 3 , 1 9 3 3 . Lo rd L loyd i n t h e Ch a i rR e -

p r odu e e rl by k i n d pe rm i s s i o n o f t h e a u th o r f r om t h e R o y a l Ce nt ra lA s i an S oc i e ty Jou r n a l , V o l . 2 1 . Ja n u a ry . 1 9 3 4 . pp . 3 8 -4 1 .

CANON VVI L U AM

Can i t be sa i d tha t w e ha v e ‘pl a y ed t h e gam e'

b y

th o s e t o wh om w e ga v e p romi s e s and w h o s e rv e d u s

b e cau s e th e y t ru s ted th o s e p romi s e s ? " p . lz z


commi ss ion fo r th e pu rp o se and gav e a ru l i ng tha t i ts m emb e rsnow admi t to h av e b e e n a hu ge wrong .

* I t gav e th e p rov i nceOf Hakkia r i ( th e A s sy r ian home ) to Tu rk ey and l ef t th e A s sy r ian si n ‘I raq , wh e re th ey d id no t w i sh to be and th e A rab s d id no t

wan t to hav e them . I t d id g i v e , howe v e r , a d e fin i te p romi se to th e

A s sy r ian s to th e e ff e c t tha t th ey we re t o be s e t tl ed as a homog en eou s who l e i n th e i r new home , wh e re th ey sh ou l d h av e th e irOld r igh ts—v i z . , l oca l au tonomy , th e i r own Off i c ia l s , and th e r igh tto p ay t r i bu te , no t taxe s , th rou gh th e Pa tr ia rch o f th e Chu rch ,wh o wa s a l so th e i r t r iba l ch ie f .

’

r

Th e p romi se was foo l i sh , very ha rd to fu lfi l l , and v e ryannoyi ng to th e n ew s ta te o f

‘I raq . B u t are th e A s sy r ian s to

be b lamed fo r saying : ‘We l l , y ou hav e tak en ou r cou n try f romu s and gi v en u s th i s i n exchange . I t i s a p oo r su b s t i tu te , bu t w e

mu s t accep t i t . N ow w e exp e c t y ou to ke ep you r p romi se and

s e t tl e u s as y ou you rs e l v e s say we ou gh t to be se t tl ed .

’

T h e

p ro v i n ce Of M osu l was a s s ign ed to‘I raq on th e se te rm s and

a c cep ted by tha t cou n try , su bj e c t to a‘manda te ’

to G rea t B r i ta i nt o admin i s te r th e who l e f or a p e r iod of twen ty years , da ti ng f rom1923

\Vh en i t came , howe v e r, to imp l em en ti ng th e p romi se Of th e

Leagu e to th e A s sy r ian s , admin i s tra to rs sa i d a t on ce : ‘We canno tp o s s i b ly p u t th em i n an au tonomou s a rea by th em se l v e s ; we

mu s t p u t th em whe re we can .

’ Thi s was no t th e p romi se made ,and good j u dge s say th e p romi se migh t hav e b e e n k ep t w i thou td iffi cu l ty .

‘

I never fe lt s u ch sh ame in my life ,’

sa i d one gal lan tOff i ce r to th e wr i te r , ‘

as wh en I h ad to exp lai n ou r breach of

fa i th to my As sy r ian s o ldi er s .

’ Pe rhap s th e A s sy r ian s ough t to

hav e b e en good ch i ld re n and sa id : ‘

You canno t g i v e u s wha t y oup romi sed , o r wha t th e Leagu e h as sa i d w e ou gh t to hav e i n s tead .

We l l , w e sha l l be v e ry gra te fu l fo r any th i ng tha t y ou choose to

gi v e .

’ Unhapp ily , b rav e m en wh o hav e b e en b i t te rl y wronged are

no t a lways reasonabl e , and they i n s i s ted on wan ti ng wha t th e

Leagu e h ad sa i d th ey h ad a r igh t to . Th ey wou l d no t be s ca t te redtenan ts a t w i l l—wh i ch m ean s s lav e s—among m en wh o w e re the i re n emi e s o f o ld and dou bly th e i r e nemie s now b e cau s e th ey had

se rv ed u s . F o r th e fac t o f th e se rv i ce i s n o t d e n ied e v e n by

th e i r en emie s . Ev e ry B r i t i sh Off i ce r wh o h as se rv ed i n th e‘A ssy

r ian Levy ’

sw ea rs th ey are th e equ al o f any troop s i n A s ia . Th e

—Adm i s s i on mia de pe rs on a l ly t o m e a t Ge n eva .

i—‘V i r s en Te le ki Rep or t : Tu rko-l r a k F r on t i e r ( C . 40 0 , M. 1 47 . 1 9 25 . VII

DR . W. A . V VIGRAM

Ku rkh a ba t tal ion s f rom Ind ia f rank ly admi t ted th em as th e i r ow n

equ a l s . Th e Ai r Marsha l d emand ed ‘

e i th e r B r i t i sh troop s o r th e

A s sy r ian Le vy ” fo r th e g rou nd gu a rd Of h is e s tab l i shm en ts i n ‘I raq .

By th e admi s s ion of th e th e n H igh Commi s s ion e r , i t was th e

A s sy r ian fo rce tha t sav ed th e swamp i ng Of ou r ru l e i n th e A rabrev o l t Of 1920 ( S i r A . W i l son , Mes opo tamia , p . and th ey wh o

( as th e C O . i n th e fi e l d , Co l o n e l Cam e ron , d e c la re s ) ro l l ed backth e Tu rk i sh i n va s io n o f

‘I raq i n 1922. -23, a t a t im e wh e n th e‘I raq i

t roop s w e re u t te r ly u nfi t to tak e th e fi e l d th em s e l v e s .

B u t th is v e ry fac t cau sed th e‘I raq i to ha te th em—Ch r i s tian s

w h o h ad now p rov ed th em se l v e s t o be as go od a s any t ru e b e

lieve rs and wh o se rv ed th e Engl i sh . Of cou r s e , a t temp t s w e re mad eto se t tl e them , and s om e ou t o f w e re g i v e n h om e s

Of a so r t, and a p re c iou s p oo r so r t . If any Ku rd l iked t o p u t i n a

c la im fo r any land A s sy r ian s cou l d no t hav e i t .“ Th ey w e re no t co n te n ted , h ow e v e r , and, b e i ng t r i b e sm en , t r i ed

to p re sen t th e i r g r i e van ce s th rou gh th e i r you th fu l Pa t r ia rch-Ch i e f ,IVIar Sh imu n . H e n ce h e wa s accu s ed Of fom e n ti ng t rou bl e i n th e

d e s i re for temp o ra l p ow e r , o f d i s loyal ty , and o f ca r i ng only f o r

h i s own family and k i n . I t i s wo r th n o t i ng tha t th e accu sa t i o n sare s e l f-con t rad i c to ry . A c tu al l y h i s d emand s amoun ted to th i s , farl e s s than wha t th e Leagu e h ad sa i d wa s h i s du e :

‘Al l mu s t Ob eyth e law , bu t su re ly th e ign o ran t w h o do no t kn ow A rab i c m ay

be p e rmi t ted to u s e th e m ed ia t io n o f th e i r own Pa t r ia rch w i th th e

Go v e rnm e n t . Tha t i s ou r t rad i tion and w e th i nk i t o u gh t to be

re sp e c ted . Tha t i s a l lowed to any A rab sh e ikh,and th e c la im w i l l

pas s au toma tical ly as edu ca t io n grow s .

” I t i s w o r th n o ti ng tha t th eAu tho r i tie s wh o blam ed th e you ng m an fo r

‘try ing fo r temp o ra lp owe r ’ a l so mad e a hab i t o f app ly i ng t o h im t o

‘

u s e h i s i n flu e n c eWi th th e A s sy r ian Levy and ke ep i t l oya l ’ wh en tha t n e c e s s a rybody b egan to p ar tak e th e ge n e ra l d i s co n ten t ; and th e man w h o

was a c cu s ed o f‘ca r i ng o nly fo r h i s own family ’

was Off e red a m o s tl ib e ra l e ndowm en t for i t by th e Gov e rnm en t o f

’I raq if h e wou l dbe

‘reasonab l e ’—and re fu sed i t . ‘

I take no br i be to abando n my

peop le .

’

“

Th e qu e s tio n was s t i l l Open and u nea sy wh en i n 1932 ( fif tee nyea r s b e fo re da te ) th e

‘Manda te was c lo sed ’

and‘I raq d e c la red ia

d ep ende n t . T h e A s sy r ian s p ro te s ted , wa rn i ng th e H igh C om

mi s s ion e r tha t th e i r mas sac re wou l d fo l low B r i t i sh w i th d rawa l . T h e

H igh Commi s s ion e r cou l d no t d eny th e dange r , se e i ng tha t i n h i sown tenu re Of Off ice h e h ad h ad to p u t a s topp e r o n two su chsch em e s ; ne v e r th e l e s s , h e as su red th e Pa t r ia rch tha t th e i nflu en ce of


th e B r i t i sh Ambas sado r—a po s t h e was to fi l l h im s e l f—wou l d su fficeto av e r t any dange r , and a t Ge ne va , S i r F ran c i s Humph ry s p roposedth e admi s si o n o f

‘I raq to th e Leagu e a s an i ndep end en t powe r ,d e c la r i ng tha t n e v e r h ad h e known su ch to l e ran t and c i v i l i z edMo s l em s , and tha t i n any case th e mo ra l re spon s i b i l i ty for any

mi shap wou l d be u pon G rea t B r i ta i n . Thu s w e l e f t th e p robl em ,

wh ich w e h ad p romi sed to se t tle and wh ich h ad p ro v ed too hardfo r u s , i n th e hand s o f th e raw admin i s t ra to r s Of a new Mosl ems ta te .

Th ey go t to wo rk i n the i r own fash ion . Th e Mar Sh iman was

i n v i ted to Baghdad to d i s cu s s th e ma t te r—and a r re s ted on a r r i val .Su b s equ e n tly h e was dep o r ted , w i thou t tr ia l by an ex p os t factolaw to Cyp ru s . O th e r l eade r s o f th e p eop l e we re al so i n te rned , and

tho se l e f t ga th e red toge th e r and to l d ,‘H e re a re th e Gov e rnmen t

te rm s ; a ccep t th em o r go .

’

“Many e l e c ted to go , repu d ia t i ng all i d ea Of rebe l l ion , and

aski ng tha t th e women fo lk migh t fo l l ow th em . Th e se men we r ed e l i be ra te ly goaded i n to an ac t of d i so rd e r, and—thou gh ou r

Fo re ign Off i ce h a s mad e e v e ry e ffo r t to h ide i t—i t h as now to be

admi t ted tha t a h id e ou s mas sac re fo l lowed , and tha t th e se “ to l eran tp e op l e se n t rou nd th e wo rd for a

‘ho ly war ’

agai n s t th e s e Ch r i s tian s .

“

Can i t be sa i d tha t w e hav e ‘p layed th e gam e ’ by those to

whom w e gav e p romi s e s and w h o se rv ed u s be cau se th ey tru s tedtho s e p romi s e s ? We hav e l e f t th em to th e re v enge Of tho se wh o

ha ted th em be cau se th ey s e rv ed u s , and th e Off i c ia l who se blu nde rsb rou gh t th e d i sa s te r abou t h as h im se l f h ad to own tha t th e mo ralre spon s ib i l i ty i s on u s .

“

T h e ma t te r h as gone to th e Leagu e o f Na tion s , and th eyhav e d e c la red tha t now a h ome mu s t be fou nd for th e se A s sy r ian sou ts id e ‘I raq . Ev e n th e

‘I raq i au tho r i t ie s ag re e i n tha t , bu t a p laceh as to be fou nd . Th a t p o in t i s u nder di s cu s s ion now, and s ur ely i t

is‘

up to u s’

to s e e th a t th os e wh om we h ave be tray ed do have a

s u i table h ome fou nd for th em even if we do h av e to pay down

money to s ecu r e i t .

”

F ar be i t from the Assyr i ans even to contemplate thatthe B r i t i sh p ubl ic had a hand in these ac t s o f betrayal .Such a thought

,i f eve r i n be ing

,must be ban i shed fo rever .

I t i s the po l i t ic i ans and the Offic i al s wh o s eem to have p reo rdained that the Assyr i ans can not have an autonomousexi stence i n a smal l po r t ion o f a country that i s the i rs ;


Indi a wh o has rai sed alo ft a no i s e o f fal se propagandaand be fouled the a ir w i th raucous counse l wh ich hasr endered h i s pape r the bu tcher ’s c l eav ing axe to cruc i fyan ent i re nat iO i i f —a nat ion that l a i d the foundat ion Of aglo r ious c i v i l i zat ion centu r i e s be fo re h i s ancesto r s emergedfrom barbar i sm . He has been consi stent ly , by h i s

greedy treachery , perver t ing the temple Of Chr i st into ab ro the l Of blood

,by h i s perenni al c ry ,

crucify th em"cr uc ify th em"Mo re than onc e has he so l d h i s Ch r i s t andbetrayed the b rothe r s O f Chr i s t . Crue l man , wh o w i thhea r t O f s tone and co r roded consc i ence

,can not see the all

admi rable i n the pe r son O f th e S ain t and th e H ero of th eages , Hi s l eat i tude the Mar S h imu n . I nstead , he hasglor i f i ed murdere rs and tr ickster s unt i l the vi r tues“ o f“ Frankness” and “ Courage have been complet ely denuded o f al l o f the i r moral and sp i r i tual values . How

could the band o f Assyr i ans have been the “ in i t i al aggre ssors on the Tigr i s bank when

,operat ing in a ho st i l e coun

try as they were , they must have been anxious about thesa fety o f the i r de fense l ess fami l i e s wh ich were l e ft beh ind in the m idst Of the Arabs ? The logic o f the s i tuat ion p roves beyond al l cav i l that they could have had no

po s s ib l e war l i ke intent ion . No tw i th stand ing th i s,wh ich

par ty was the “

o r igi nal aggresso r” i s a matter o f thel east impor tance . The impo r tant th ing

,fo r the moment ,

2 3 -H e i s t h e p rom o t e r o f a n i de a now tha t t h e s e A s s y r i a n h ave no

c la im t o b e h e i r s Of t h e gr ea t A s s y r i a n em p i re Of t h e pa s t"“

N e a r E a s t a nd In d i a ”, Ma y 9 , 1 9 3 5 . p . 5 6 5

2 4—A s s yr ia n s a nd th e L ea gu e , Ne a r E a s t a nd In d i a . Oc t obe r , 1 9 33 . p . 8 7 4 .

I t a ppe a rs tha t Ya s i n P a s ha , t h e I ra q i Min i s te r o f F i n a n c e h a d c on

t i n u a lly de n i ed t h e f a c t o f t h e m a s s a c re . b u t tha t h e w a s fi n a l lyc om pe l le d t o a dm i t t h e s am e be fo r e t h e Cou nc i l O f t h e Le a gu e of

Na t i o n s on Oc tobe r 1 4 , 1 9 33 . Th e a f o r em e n t i on ed E d i to r s ta te s tha tt h e I ra q i Gove rnm e n t d e p lo r e d th e s e exc e s s e s , w h e r e u pon h e c on gra tu la te st h e I ra q i Min i s te r u po n “

h i s f ra nk a n d c ou ra geo u s a c kn ow le dgm e n to f t h e exc e s s e s a n d t h e exp r e s s i on Of regre t f o r th e i r c omm i s s ion " ;neve r th e l e s s h e a gre e s w i th t h e Mi n i s te r tha t t h e A s s y r i a n s we re th e

in i t i a l a gg r e s s o rs .

Cu r io u s , i s i t n o t . t o n o t i c e t h a t i n h i s rev i ew Of S t a ffo rd ’ s book in

t h e Ne a r E a s t a n d In d i a O f Ja nu a ry 3 1 , 1 9 3 5 , th i s E d i to r d e c la res ?“

T h e im po r ta n t qu e s t i on a s t o w h o f i r e d t h e f i r s t s h o t on t h e

T igr i s ba n k i s s t i l l u n s o lve d , a nd w i l l , n o dou b t , rem a in in s o lu b le .

”

THE JACOBITES

i s the und i sputed fac t that a confl ic t has takenplace between these two fo rces i n the No r the rnpar t o f I raq i n th e fi rs t par t o f August , 1 933 .

That conflic t has rai sed an i s sue o f fac t . TheI raq i de fender s from w i thout asse r t that the Assy r i answere the o r iginal aggres sors” ; th e Assyr i an s makeno asse rt ion whatsoeve r bu t s imply inte rpos e a demu rre rthey are sat i sfi ed to have the matte r subm i tted to aj udic i al determinat ion . The Ed i to r o f

“ Near East andInd i a” and h i s co te r i e can no t pe rmi t th i s

,l e st j u st ice

,

t ruth,and reason p reva i l . No th ing smel l s wo rs e

than the aroma that i s se eth ing th rough the inte rnat ionala ir s ince th i s Edi to r ente red th i s fie l d o f th e d i spute . \Vh o

i s th i s Ed i to r ? Wh y does he no t announce h i s maj estyh imsel f to the wo r l d ? What i s the sanct i ty i n th e invocat ion o f anonymi ty ?

The cour teous readers should re fer to Chapte r Xfo r tho se wh o p rac t ice fal sehood unde r sa i nt ly gu i se

,such

as,Rev . R . C . Cumbe r l and and Rev . j ohn Van Ess .The Assy r i an s cer ta in ly have a war l i ke h i sto ry

,but

th ey h ave fought fo r only what they have held to be the i rb i r th—r ight and to p ro tec t themse lves . He re

,i f re spon

s ibility attaches to any at al l , i t at tache s to the i nst inct o fs el f-pr ese rvat ion . Beyond that , they a re might i e r than th em ight i e st i n the matter o f re spec t i ng law and o rde r andin the pract ice o f the common vi r tue s o f pe rsonal anddomest i c l i fe . Had there been an atom o f t ruth i n th estatement o f th e newspaper repor t er 2 5 that they a re

“

rai ders and loo te r s by inc l i nat ion and by t rad i t ion,and

dete rmined opponents o f any regime o f law and o rde rth e Russ i an and the B r i t i sh officers wou ld not ,

t ime and aga in,have expre ssed the i r pre fe rence fo r

Assyr i an so l d i ers . The book proves i t s autho r to be D iehard in regard to I raq . The maj o r po rt ion o f i t i s com

2 5—E r n e s t Ma in's I ra q f rom Ma ndat e to Indepen dence , ( Lon don , 1 9 35 )p . 1 3 2 .


posed o f chapters that contain repet i t ion o f fraudulent andm i s interpreted fac t s

,i n ways most d i abo l ical

,wh ich i s

al i en to the gen ius o f t rue j ournal i sm and whichexc i te s contempt . Mr . Main canno t perver t truth and expectto have an ar t-wo rk o f permanent value . Thi s i s by thed ic t ionary . Un fo r tunate ly ther e i s on e fac t wh ich he cannotapparent ly conceal— the fact o f the massacre . He fearsthat the Amer ican publ ic w i l l rai s e the i r vo ice o f p ro testagainst the barbar i sm o f I raq . H i s fear i s palpably j ust ih ed. Amer ica i s a nat ion o f g lo r ious pro test s— the fi rstpro te st o f magn i tude took pl ace on the eve o f the Fourtho f July

,1 776 ,

wh ich translated k ings i nto dust .

I now find myse l f i n the m idst o f a n ew c iv i l i zat ionthousands o f mi l es away from the chu rch o f my bi rth .

And yet,as th i s old- fash ioned O r i ental recal l s i t s r i tual s

,

he i s capt ivated anew by the i r i rres i s t ib l e charm,v iv i dness

,

fo rce and v i r tue . The wh i r and bang and d in and c l angand c l at ter o f the mach ine have not i n any degreed im in i shed h i s love fo r i t . He st i l l finds fasc inat ion inthe imaginat ion o f th e p ictures there in . The p ic tu re o f theHo ly Vi rgin i s

,to h im

,s imply a mo t ive i n sp i r i t . His

soul craves to find He r and the Son and the Saints andthe Ange l s i n the cu rves o f c er ta in l ines and in thelovel ine ss and subt i l i t i es o f cer ta in co lor s . They are

o ccas ions and counse l lo rs l eading on to o ther mo reg lo r ious scenes and sphe res . Only on the w ings o f suchsuggest ions can one

,i n h i s fl ight

,pass from the hydra

to the ange l,from matte r to the soul

,from stones to God,

and find

Tongu e s i n t ree s , book s i n th e ru nn i ng b rook s ,S e rmo n s i n s ton e s , and good in e v e ryth i ng .

Yes,the Jacob i te Chu rch i s my chu rch and I take

fi l i al p r i de in the acknow l edgment the reo f .

CHAPTER VI I I

THE YAZIDIS

The Ya z idis are known as the dev i l—wo r sh ipp e r s f i< In

I raq,they a re est imated at some and inhab i t th e

two d i st r ic t s o f Shaikhan and S i nj ar i n the Mo su l L iwa .

They are p robably o f Kurdi sh o r ig i n . They speak Kurdi shbut they are no t Mo s l ems . They fo rm an ent i re ly d i st i ncte l ement o f the popul at ion o f I raq . They are a un i tedo rgan i sm and are almo s t the only set t l ed populat ion i n theWeste rn dese r t . They regard I s l am as a sacr i l egiousr e l ig ion . The Ya z idis themse lves mainta in that they are

d i fferent from al l the o ther races i n the wo r l d and o f mo r e

anc i ent o r ig in . Acco rd ing to the i r l egend,they are de

scended from Adam alone,whe reas al l o the r men are

descended f rom Adam and Eve .

From the r emo te st t imes , the Yaz idis have l ived incomplete i so l at ion . Acco rd ing to the i r bel i e f

,a man can

neve r become a Yaz i d i—h e can only be bo rn on e . Theydo not attempt to make convers ions

,and there i s acco rd

ingly no i nfi l trat ion o f fore ign blood . I nte r—mar r i age w i ththe fo l lowers o f o the r fai th i s impo ss i bl e . The i r r e l ig iouscasts are the She iks , the Pi rs , the Faqi r s , the Qawwal s ,the Avans and the se rvants o f the tomb o f She ik ’Adi ,i n the d i st r ict o f Shai khan Qadha . The Ami r ( Pr i nce )i s the only man ent i t l ed to s everal w i ves and can choosethem w i thout restr ic t ion .

The re l igion o f the Yaz idis i s a cur ious con fus ion o f

al l k i nds o f e lements . Nobody has ye t succeeded i npenet rat ing al l i t s secret s . I t bo rrows from the Pers iansthe concept ion o f good and evi l p r i nc ip l e s and al so the

‘S e e C . H . Go rdon ’

s Sa ta n ‘Vo r s h i p p e r s i n Ku r d is ta n , i n t h e“ As ia " .

Oc to be r . 1 9 35 . pp . 6 2 6—6 3 0

THE YAZIDIS

be l i e f i n the t ransmigrat ion o f soul s . They p rac t ice c i r

cum c is ion,wh i ch may have been bo r rowed fro m Judai sm

o r I s lam,o r p robably— as Wigram th inks— from an o l de r

sou rce common to bo th . The Yaz idis venerate Je sus Ch r i s t

and the S ign o f the Cro s s . On the wal l s o f the Templ ethere i s seen the sun

,the moon and the star s

,and bes i de

the great doorway an immense image o f a black se rpent .The Ya z idis al so wo rsh ip fi re ,

and he re the re i s some con

n ect ion w i th the Zo roast r i an re l igion .

The Ya z idis bel i eve in a Sup reme be ing th e Mo s tH igh”

,whom they cal l “

Yasdan and th i s p robably i s th ede r i vat ion o f the i r name . The Sup reme Be ing ,

howeve r,

i s far too h igh fo r d i rec t wo r sh ip . He i s i n the Heavensand takes no heed o f the Ear th . From him have i s suedseven great Sp i r i t s

,the fi r s t and greate st o f whom i s

Mal i k Taus,wh o i s no o the r than the Devi l . The second

i s J esus . Mal i k Taus i s wo r sh ipped i n theform o f a bronze peacock . He i s car r i ed by the Qawwal

( the fou r th caste ) from vi l l age to v i l l age and i s wo r sh ippedby the Ya z idis . The Ya z idis took re fuge i n th e mounta ino f S i nj ar after Timu r ’ s invas ion .

The Ya z idis are fo rb idden to utte r,o r even to h e a r ,

th e name o f Satan o r the sy l l abl e s o f that name : no r maythey wear blue . These pecul i a r i t i e s and the sec ret p ract ice s o f the i r r e l ig ion have l ed to many d i fficul t i e s i nconnect ion w i th the i r mi l i tary se rv i ce . In Russ i a ( Caucasus ) whe re there are s t i l l Ya z idis

,they we re . at o n e

per iod - exempt from mi l i ta ry se rvice . In Mo s lem count r i e s

,th i s was not so . They we re regarded as a Mo s l em

sect and as such they we re frequent ly pe rsecuted by theMo s l em c l e rgy and re l igious communi t i e s .

I n ear l i e r t imes,the Ya z idis we re nume rous . In the

e ighteenth and n ineteenth centu r i e s they we re dec imatedby st rugg l e s w i th the Arabs and Tu rks and by g reat massac re s wh ich ensued . The m ap show i ng the extent o f th e


fo rme r Yaz i d i te rr i to ry was greate r than what i t i s now .

That map i s i n manuscr ip t ent i t l ed“ArmeniaMaj o r

,based

upon A rmenian Autho rs,and drawn up by the A cadem i c

Francai se in 1 765 .

Mi neralog i s t s,sent to Jabal S inj ar by the I raq i au

th o r i t ie s when the Syro - I raq i front i er was st i l l u h

se tt l ed , have repo r ted the exi stence o f var ious k inds o f

mine ral s st i l l unexplo i ted in cons i derabl e quant i t i es . TheJabal was al so repor ted to contain o il and i ron .

The Yaz idis r e fused to take par t i n the e l ec t ion o f

Fai sal as k ing o f I raq,fo r they knew from past exper i ence

o f the Arabs what that would mean to them . But S irKeneh an Co rnwal l i s pa i d them a spec i al v i s i t and p e r

suaded them to do s o promi sing them at the same t imeve ry l iberal t reatment under B r i t i sh ausp ices . They werep romi sed that no Arab offic i al s woul d be po sted to the i r

’

d i str ic t s ; that the i r agr icu lu ral l ands would not be e h

c roach ed upon ; and that the i r re l igion would be safeguarded . L t .

-Co lonel Nadle r l,the then B r i t i sh D iv i s ional

Advi se r,Mo su l

,i n a pr i vate l ett er to the Chr i s t i an

Qaimaqam at S i nj ar i n structed the l atte r to assure theYa z idis o f the i ndefini t e cont inuance o f the B r i t i sh mandate

,i f they vo ted fo r Fai sal .These were par t ly the methods adopted to bomb Ami r

Fai sal on to the throne o f I raq .

Arab offic i al s have been po s ted to the Yaz i d i d i st r ic ts .

Encroachments upon the i r l and by Arabs are o f constantoccu rrence , and the B r i t i sh mandate has been removedlong be fo re i t s l egal te rm and long be fo re the Arabs inI raq became hal f- c i v i l i z ed .

The Yaz idis have pet i t ioned the League o f Nat ionsand defin i te ly stated that they would welcome an Assyr i anenc l ave in the Mo su l Liwa

,and asked that the i r di st r icts

m ight be inc l uded in that enc l ave , as in th i s way alone

l—N ow i n t h e S u da n C iv i l S e rv ic e .

CHAPTER IX

THE JE‘NS AND OTHER MI NORITIESI . TH E JEws

The Jews o f I raq are o f S em i t ic race . The l anguagest i l l i n use i n the i r synagogues and p r i vate co rrespondencei s Hebrew but they al l know Arab ic . I n I raq , they are

est imated at some soul s . They are found in almo steve ry co rne r o f I raq but the maj o r i ty inhab i t the th reep r i nc ipal towns , Basrah , Baghdad , and Mosul . I n th e

Mo su l L iwa , mo st o f them,par t icular ly tho se i n Zakho

,

speak Syr i ac l i ke any Assyr i an o r Chaldean . They com

mand about e ighty p e r cen t o f the I raqi t rade . On Satu rday

,fo r i nstance , the offic i a l ho l i day o f the J ews

,the

I raq i market s resemble a cemete ry,fo r the maj o r i ty o f the

shops and comme rc i al houses run by the J ews as they are,

are c lo sed . The Jew s are the best race fo r p r ese rv ingst r ic t ly the i r offic i al ho l i day as sacred , but I doubt whetherthey w i l l be abl e to maintain th i s p r i v i l ege ow i ng to then ew rul es en fo rced by a fanat ical I raq Gove rnment .

The Jew s are c l ever and labo r ious and one can hardlysee an i d l e Jew ,

but i t i s a matte r o f great doubt i f theI raq Gove rnment w i l l al low them to pro spe r and advance .

Subj ec ted to cal lous Oppress ion l ike the o ther mino r i t i es ,they hear t i ly share the sent iments and suffe r ings o f theo the r minor i t i e s . They keep aloo f from al l gove rnmentalcontrover s i e s ; yet they are never l e ft alone . Almo st everyI raqi h igh offic i a l owes money to the J ews , and repaymenti s hardly eve r made . The Jews canno t re fuse to l end”

as one day o r o ther they w i l l be dragged in bus inessconnec ted w i th the Gove rnment and i f they had fai l ed

“

to

l end” o r re fused “

to st r i ke o ff” such loans

,o r rather the

bad debts”,they w i l l have to acco unt fo r i t there and then .

THE JEWS

It was no t long ago that—King Fai sal bo r rowed from

the famous Jew ra i lway cont racto r , Hayy im e ffend iNath ana il

,a sum o f th ree hund red thousand rupe e s wh ich

Fai sal had earmarked fo r ant i -French p ropaganda i n Sy r i a .

Thi s i s,o f cour se

,not the fi r st p ropaganda o f i t s k i nd o r

the fi rs t al lo tment made unde r that head ing . In 1 9 2 0 ,j u s t

be fo re Fa i sa l was k icked ou t o f Sy r i a by Gene ral Gou raud ,s imi lar ant i -French p ropaganda was conduct ed by Fai sa land h i s p resent I raq i Min i ste r s . To be fa i r

,I must adm i t

that the sou rce wh ich suppl i ed the nece ssa ry funds fo rthat ho st i l e p ropaganda i s no t qu i te as the p re sent

,though

the a im i s a j o i n t on e . Du r i ng tho se days,when the re

was ample j ust ificat ion fo r Gene ral Gou raud'

s ac t ion ( fo rs igns o f Fai sal ’ s despo t ic rul e had become apparent s ) , thep ropaganda was conducted w i th B r i t i sh money wh i ch was

be ing suppl i ed by the Arab Bu reau who se he adquar te rswas i n Cai ro unde r Co lone l Gi lbe r t Cl ayton , th e Chi e f o f

the Arab Bu reau,and late r B r i t i sh H igh Commi ss ion e r i n

I raq .

Hayy im e ff end i,I am su re

,woul d be g l ad to st r i ke o ff

the debt agai ns t Fai sal and be qu i te contente d i f no mo redemands fo r money are made to h im . Hayyim e ffend i i sthe I raq ra i lway cont rac to r and he was th reatened w i ththe cance l l at ion o f h i s cont rac t i f he re fused to advancethe money . Mo reover

,h i s re fusal— even i f he d i d no t

have the cont rac t— would have me ant an undoubtedunt imely death .

The Jews we re the fi r s t to be te rr ified at the newso f the l i ft i ng o f the B r i t i sh mandate , but th rough fear o f

repr i sal s they re fra ined from appeal i ng to the League o f

Nat ions o r from taking an act i ve pa r t i n the e ffo rt s madeon behal f o f the I raq mino r i t e s from t ime to t ime .

Ever s ince the fo rmat ion o f the I raq i Gove rnment i n1 92 1 , there has only been one Jew min i s te r , S i r SasunI i isqa il, i n the I raq i cab inet and th i s was many yea r s ago


for po l i t ical reasons . Al l the Jews appo i nted by S ir Sasunin the Mints try o f Finance and o ther min i str i e s o r depar tments are be ing gradual ly weeded ou t though they are thebest offic i al s so far as finance s and accounts are concerned .

As i n the Turk i sh days,the Jews o f I raq can always

be go t ten in to troubl e to enable tho se in power to squeezethem fo r money . Z ioni sm has been an effect i ve weapon inthe hands o f the Arabs o f I raq to ach i eve th i s end . Theyare unfor tunate ly be ing attacked i n the pre ss fo r the i ral l eged p ro—Z ion i sm fee l ings though there has been no s ignwhatsoever o f any publ ic ac t iv i ty in that respec t to j ust i fythese scandalous attacks

,fo r they are c l ever enough to

r eal i z e that the pl ace to promo te Z ion i sm i s Palest ine andno t I raq .

But the min i ster s and offic i al s want money . The Jewshave the money and the i dl e I raq i s must share i t w i ththem . The lat ter ( though no t Reds ) s tate that the J ewshave obtained the i r money i n I raq and

“ i t i s ou r l egal r ightto share i t w i th them .

”

I n 1 9 2 4 , on the ar r i val o f the l ate S i r Al fred Mondw i th h i s par ty in I raq ,

a w i l d ant i -Z ioni sm demonstrat ionwas set i n mo t ion in Baghdad . A mob o f over twentythousand Arabs cro s sed the Maude B r i dge to BaghdadWest to l ay ou t S ir Al fred and h i s party . Passenge r scoming from Europe and o ther countr i e s vi a Syr i a on thatday were savagely treated . Some we re inj u red , o thersin sul ted and we re only re leased on finding that S ir Al fredwas no t amongst them . To rescue S ir Al fred and h i spar ty

,Captain R . E . Alde rman Adm in s tra

t i ve - Inspec to r ( Baghdad ) was despatched w i th a number?

o f emp ty car s to meet S ir Al fred at Khan Nuqtah at wh ichplace S ir Al fred and par ty were t rans fe r red to Alderman ’sconvoy and brought into Baghdad unde r the cover o f darkness v ia A ’

dh am iy ah . What i s o f immedi ate inte rest i sthat the r i ng leade r was promo ted and ul t imate ly given a


ten the ho r ro r s o f the Great War . Dur i ng tho se b lackdays , Tu rk i sh pape r no te s were equ ival ent to one -fi fth o f

the i r o r i g inal value and all the weal thy J ews w i thoutexcept ion we re ordered by the then author i t i e s to acceptpaper note s at the i r face value i n exchange fo r go l d co inage . Re fusal to do so meant death . They we re fo rced tobecome so l d i e r s

, ( though they had paid the l egal bloodmoney mo re than once wh ich p rocedure exempted themfrom mi l i tary serv ice , and al though they were to r tu redand expo sed to in to l erab le treatment by var ious devi l i shmeans and al though they had accepted consi derabl e sumsin paper no te s and exchanged them fo r go l d ) we re put inbags and th rown in to the r i ve r al i ve ; o thers were c ruc ifiedin the godowns o f the Mesopo tam ia Pe r s i a Co rpo rat ion ,Ltd . wh ich was occup i ed by the Tu rks . The I raqi s wh ow i sh to en fo rce conscr ip t ion are tho se same people o f thewar days and no doubt wo rse .

I n po i nt o f fac t , conscr ipt ion to them means mo remoney from these help l es s people . One o f the po l iceinspec to rs wh o was re spons ibl e fo r tho se flagi t ious ac t s i snow a commandant o f po l ice in I raq and there are manyo thers o f h i s type .

I f conscr ip t ion i s a real nat ional move and i f Yas inand o the r s w i sh the co -ope rat ion o f the J ews and the o the rmino r i t i e s

,the l atter must fi r s t be permit ted to exe rc i se

the i r ful l r igh ts be fo re the law w i thout d i scr im inat ion btween an Arab and non -Arab o r a Mo s l em and non

Mo s lem . But i f Yas i n w i shes to have a strong army to

o rde r the B r i t i sh to l eave I raq bag and baggage , I th i nkan al l i ance w i th the ne ighbo rs would be mo re effec t ive .

Du r i ng one o f Ami r Ghaz i ’ s v i s i t s to Mo su l and at1 d inne r par ty

,an influent i al Arab o f Mo su l asked Tahs in

Al i,the Mu tasar r i f o f Mo su l , i f he could have the v i l l age

o f S i ndu r i n Dohuk whi ch has been under the d i spo sal o fth e Jews fo r many centu r i e s . The Mu tasar r i f repl i ed , I f

THE JEWS

y ou real ly mean i t,i t i s ve ry easy to ej ec t these J ews from

the lands . Thi s i s the manne r i n wh ich j u st ice w i l l beadmin i stered when H i s Royal H ighness

,Ghaz i

,succeeds

h i s father on the throne .

The Syro-Palest in i an Committee has been rather busyi n Geneva publ i sh ing inj ud ic ious pamphlet s i n de fense o f

the act s o f extreme he inousnes s o f the i r b ro ther- I raq i s .

F o r i nstanc e , the i r repor t fo r th e per iod end ing Septembe r ,1 933, ent i t l ed , La Nat ion Arabe

”

,conta i ns the mo st r idicu l

ou s and p repo sterous mater i al that has eve r appeared andI bel i eve i f they have no bette r common sense to producebetter qual i ty , there i s no doubt that th ey are stup id lydefeat i ng the i r own end by these puer i l e publ icat ions .Desp i te the i r deni a l o f the massacre o f th e Assyr i ans

,the

I raq i del egat ion a few days l ater was made to admi tthat excesse s we re committed .

” The Arab uni ty wh ichth i s and the o the r Arab commit tee s pretend to be se rv ingi s dro l l , fo r two -smal l groups in a smal l town l ike Genevahave no t been abl e to agree on one l ine o f act ion as w i l l beseen from the above . I f th i s and the o ther Arab com

m itte e s,th e j ou rney-men o f Fai sal

,w i sh to serve th e A rab

cause,they woul d be wel l adv i sed to ask the i r bro the r

I raq i s to respec t the r i ght s o f th e o the r race s i n I raq so

that the i r own may be respec ted by the J ews in Pal est i ne .

But has the A rab h i sto ry eve r been const ruct i ve ?

Cases o f Jew i sh gi r l s k i dnaped by A rabs i n I raq andfo rc i b ly mar r i e d have inc reased l ate ly . Gi rls o f unde rfi fte en have been par t ed from the i r parent s and the latt e r ,

togethe r w i th the Rabbi s , have no t been g i ven the chanceo f even speak ing to such gi r l s to see whethe r o r no t theyaccept I s lam vo l untar i ly . Thi s pr i v i l ege i s a l egal one but‘

on p ape r”

only . The case o f the g i r l Khatun i s one o f

many example s . I sl am i s a scou rge on these m ino r i t i e s .

On the o ther hand , any l\/Io slem g i r l that may mar r yo ther than aMo s l em ,

even o f h e r own free w i l l , i s i nstantl y


k i l l ed . The age o f a gir l fo rced to embrace I s lam underthe pretext o f marr i age i s by law est imated by the admini s trative counc i l o f the d i s tr ic t concerned o r by the cour t swhe re the maj o r i ty o f the membe r s i s Mo s l em and th e

vo te o f a B r i t i sh j udge ( fo r normal ly he i s a m inor i ty )does not help the v ict ims .

I n I raq a Mo s lem finds i t mo re easy to k i l l a Jewthan to k i l l a ch icken . Murderers as in the case o f theo ther minor i t i e s are sel dom pun i shed . I t i s a cr ime to

execute a Mo s l em fo r k i l l ing a Jew ; the Jew i s cons i deredtoo mean an obj ec t to be equal to an Arab l i fe . I regretthat th i s i s no t the pl ace to narrate case a fter case o f

mansl aughter . One example should suffice .

On December 2 3rd,1 93 1 , Ez ra Daud Hayyim ,

a Jewfrom Baghdad , was s tabbed to death by an Arab . Thed i spute aro se ou t o f a land case . The Arab wh o was thetenant o f the Jew had re fused to pay the r en t fo r threesuccess ive year s and the fr i endly request s o f Ez ra fai l edto p roduce any sat i s fac tory resul t . He was obl iged to t akethe case to the cou r t s

,and for t ak ing the normal l egal

cou rse he had to suffer death . The murderer was arrestedand condemned to death by the cour t s but h i s papers hadto go to Hi s Maj es ty King Fai sal to i s sue h i s royal decreesanc t ioning the death penal ty . Just as the pape r s went upto the King , a ve ry prominent Arab in the service o f theGovernment intervened and to l d th e k ing that the deathsentence must not be confirmed as a Mo s l em must not beexecuted fo r having k i l l ed a “

dog-Jew . The death sentence

was commuted to impr i sonment wh ich means that themu rdered w i l l be re leased through fu r ther i n te rvent ionsthat are bound to fo l low .

Du r ing the recent massacre o f the Assy r i ans , the J ew s

gene rou sy subsc r i bed financ i al ly to help the fami l i eso f the so-termed Arab martyrs wh o were k i l l ed dur i ng themi l i tary ope rat ions agains t the Assyr i ans . Some o f the se

CHAPTER X

MIS S IONARIES AND POLITI CS

REV . R . C . CUM B ERLAND

Th i s m i ss ionary-po l i t ic i an i s an Ame r ican Presbyter i anl i v ing at Dohuk (Mo sul L iwa ) who se wo rk IS to conver tI\Ios lem -Ku rds into Ch r i s t i an i ty . He has no connect ion w i ththe Assyr i ans desp i te the statement made by the I raq Timeson the second o f May ,

1 933 ,i n regard to an ar t ic l e 1 w r i t t en

by Mr . Cumbe r l and , on the Assyr i ans . The I raq T imesstated that “Mr . Cumber l and

,has been l iv ing i n Dohuk

among the Ne s to r ian Chr i s t i ans w i th whom he has been inint imate contact fo r n ine year s . ” The statement o f theI raq Times i s to tal ly w rong

,but i t was me re ly wr i t ten “

to

pump” the unlucky Cumber l and wh o had by now gone ou t

o f h i s way i n dabbl ing i n affa i r s o f wh i ch he was abso l ute lyigno rant . On the o the r hand , the I raq Times by ut i l i z i ngthe poo r services o f Mr . Cumber l and was serving i t s own

pu rpo ses to gain the favou r o f the I raq Government as i thad dec l ared on the day o f i t s i nco rpo rat ion ( i t was

fo rm e r ly known as the Baghdad Times ) w i th the BasrahTimes

,that i t s n ew po l icy would be to always suppo r t the

po l icy o f the I raq Gove rnment in pow e r . The I raq Timesi s looked upon by the Arab new spaper s as the mouth -p ieceo f the B r i t i sh Embassy and fo r th i s reason i t i s ce r ta in lyunpopular . I t has attempted to gain popul ar i ty at the co s to f th e Assyr i ans and i t could have found no mo r e u h

p r i nc ip l ed man than Cumbe r l and as w i l l be seen from hi scont r adic to ry repo r t s w r i t ten w i th i n a very sho r t t ime .

Having no p ract ical connec t ion w i th the Assy r i ans,

Cumbe r l and know s a s much about them as I do about

0 0

l—VVo r ld D om i n i on ( a re l ig iou s m on th ly ) . Apr i l , 1 9 0 0 .

MI SS IONARIES AND POLITICS

ast ronomy . The I raq Gove rnment , having d i scove red h i sweakness and amb i t ions , made a foo l o f h im—ah act wh ichi s harm ful to the Amer ican name in that par t o f the wo r l d .

F o r that he has to thank h i s fr i end Maj o r Wil son .

Mr . Cumbe r l and i s known to me pe r sonal ly . My fi r s tcontact w i th h im was when he dashed into my o ffice now

and then complai ning b i tt e r ly o f the A rab offic ials’ d i s

honest ly and incapac i ty,fo r he was unable to obta i n t i t l e

deeds fo r th e l and he had p u rchased in Dohuk though hewas l egal ly ent i t l ed to such deeds

,and he thought that

w i thout a b r i be i n some fo rm o r o the r,i t woul d be im

po ss ibl e to obtai n them . Maj o r i nt e rvened to r ightthe wrong but i n vai n .

Having devo ted h i s t ime to lo cal po l i t i c s . thus negl ecting hi s p r ima ry wo rk

,h i s po s i t ion became awkward i n

1 933 . Hi s wo rk w i th the Ku rds has been a complete fa i l u re .

Du r i ng a pe r iod o f some ten year s , only one Ku rd i srep o r ted to have been ch r i s t i an i zed and th i s . i t shoul d bemade c l ea r

,was not due to Cumber l and ’s m i s s ionary wo rk .

Al l that Mr . Cumber l and d i d was that on hea r i ng o f th ech r i s t i an i zed—Ku rd

,he j ou rneyed a d i stance o f two day s

to v i s i t th e n ew Ch r i s t i an” and sp eed i ly do t ted down h i sname in h i s books

,repo r t i ng h i s succe ss ful ach i evement to

h i s Board . The t ruth was no t such . The Ku rd had al r eadyeen a Ch r i s t i an fo r fou r yea r s and th i s was so l e ly due toh i s connec t ion w i th the Assy r i an s .

When Mr . Cumbe r l and was impar t i al,he w ro t e a

statement i n 1 9 2 9-

30 o f wh ich I g ive an ext rac t he reunde r :

T h e cas e s of th e tr i b e s o f Tkhuma and T iy ar i hav e b ee ne sp e c ial ly u n fo r tu na te : I n 192 1 and 1922, w i th B r i ti sh e n co u ragemen ts tha t we re i n te rp re ted a s p romi s e s o f s ecu r i ty , th ey re tu rn edto th e i r an ce s t ra l h om e s , i n v e s t i ng all th ey h ad o r cou l d b o r row :

i n l924 th ey we re e j e c ted by th e Tu rk s . I t i s no t su rp r i s i ng tha tth ey f e e l tha t th ey hav e b ee n s e r iou s ly wronged , and tha t th ey ar

h e s i tan t abou t mak i ng e v e n an i n v e s tm en t of e ffo r t i n e s tablish'

ng

th em s e l v e s aga i n on th e s t reng th of any p romi se o f th e go v e rnm e n t .


E ve n amongs t those wh o are now in v i l lages, one can sen se th e

f ee l i ng tha t th ey con s i d e r them se l v e s ready to ru n a t a momen t ’sno t i ce ; and th e gloom of d espair i s i n su ch a commu n i ty as th e

e igh t o r ten hou seho l d s hav e bee n l i v i ng s i nce 1924, i n th e cav e sabo v e Alqo s sh and eki ng ou t a p re car iou s ex i s tence by su ch m en iallabou r as th e es tabl i sh ed c i t i z en s of th e commu n i ty may choose to

gi v e them .

T h e land lo rd i s on e fo cu s o f th e se t tl em en t p robl em . Mos tof th e d e s i rab l e land i s p r i va te ly own ed ; and i t w i l l be a goodmany yea rs , a t b e s t, befo re th e A s sy r ian s can become i ndep ende n te conomica l ly . I t i s no t u nna tu ra l tha t th e A s syrian s do no t findsu ch a po s i t ion in th e commu n i ty sa t isfac tory . Th e Gov e rnme n th as made ra the r ge ne rou s o ffe rs o f land owned by i t, i n c lu d i ngth e remi s s io n of taxe s for a number of years and a cheap sa l ep r i ce to cu l ti va to rs ; bu t su ch o ffe rs hav e bee n accep ted i n on ly a

few case s , pa r tly be cau se of lack of confide nce i n th e p romise s o f

th e Go v e rnme n t and pa r tl y be cau se a good many of th e p lace so ffe red are con s i de red u n i nhabi tab le be cau se of th e u np rodu c t i v en e s so f th e land , th e dange r of malar ia , or th e fear of Ku rd i sh n e ighbou rs . T h e fu tu re su cce s s of se t tl eme n t on Go v e rnme n t land w i ldep end large ly on th e degre e of su c ce s s of th e f ew grou p s tha thav e h ad th e hardi hood to u nd e r take i t now .

T h e s econd fo cu s of th e s e t tl emen t p roblem i s taxa tion . Thi syear th e re are fi e l d s ly i ng idl e tha t we re cu l ti va ted two years ago ,

s imp ly be cau se th e cu l ti va to rs say i t i s no u se to a year ’s wo rk and

th en hav e th e Gov e rnme n t ea t th e re su l ts . Th is i s no t e sp ec ialfyan A s sy r ian p robl em , h owe v e r ; i t app l ie s to all of Ku rd i s tan . B u t

i t i s p e r t i n e n t to th e se t tl emen t p robl em in th i s : th e A ssy r ians can

ha rd ly be exp ec ted to be ke e n to begi n an u nd e r tak ing of cu l t i va t ionwh i ch o ld e s tabl i sh ed s e t tle rs a re no t ab l e to ca r ry on .

“Ano th e r imp o r tan t e l emen t i n th e s i tu a tio n i s th e na tu ra ld e s i re o f th e A s sy r ian s to k e ep th em se l v e s n ea r toge th e r . I t i sd iffi cu l t to p e rsu ad e a g rou p o f t en o r twe l v e hou se s to e s tab l i shth em s e l v e s i n a v illage fa r d i s tan t f rom o th e r A s sy r ian v illag

‘

s .

C lann i sh ne s s a ccou n ts for a pa r t o f th i s ; bu t i n th e i r mind s se cu r i tyi s th e la rge r fac to r . N o tha t th ey exp e c t to e n te r i n to a rmedcon fl i c t w i th th e i r n e ighbou rs— th ou gh th e h i s to ry o f th e i r re la t ion sw i th th e Ku rd s doe s no t e n cou rage th em to fo rge t su ch a p o s

s ib ili ty—bu t tha t th ey f ea r b e i ng i n a smal l m i no r i ty i n th e soc ia land e conomi c and l ega l c lash e s tha t are th e appa ren tly i n e v i tabl ecou rs e o f human re la tion s . Th ey hav e e nou gh d iffi cu l ty , a t b e s t ,to ob ta i n any th i ng e v e n app roach i ng j u s t ice i n a M o s l em cou n t ry ;and th ey tend to con s id e r tha t th e i r po s i tion i n th e commu n i ty w i l l


The I raq i l aws , i nc l ud ing the const i tu t ional law, are

reasonable but i n I raq,the law i s “ th e m ini ster” o r

“ provinc i a l offic i a l” wh o construes the c l auses o f the law sto meet the i r own mal ic ious aims and personal ambi t ions .Cases do occur where two typ ical demands rece ive two

d i ff erent treatments . Mr . Cumber l and ’s case i s a typ icalone . Thi s gent l eman

, wh o proved a fa i lure i n h i s“Kurdi sh

Mi s s ion , attempted to pro se lyt i z e the Assyr i an wh o are

by far more Chr i s t i an than h imse l f . Having al so fa i l ed inth i s l atter under tak ing

,he gave h imse l f up to the I raq i

autho r i t i e s w i th who se infl uence , he probably thought toCh r i s t i an i z e the Chr i s t i an Assyr i ans . He so l d h imse l f andh i s consc i ence to the same peopl e o f whom he was so

bi t ter ly complain ing no t long ago . He under took to se rvethe Arab case by dabbl ing i n affai rs fo r wh ich he was not

dest ined .

Dr . Petro s , son o f Qasha Dan i e l,an Assyr i an , sen t

an ar t ic l e i n Oc tobe r,1 932 ,

to theWorld D om in i on expo si ng the true po s i t ion o f h i s suffer i ng compat r io t s . Mr .

Cumber l and vo l unteered to reply in the same paper i nApr i l

,1 933 . The I raq Government wh o hate s everyth ing

non -Arab and wh o had no t long ago prevented m i ss ionar i e sfrom dabbl i ng in po l i t ic s , sent Cumbe r l and

’s ar t ic l e,duly

translated,to the I raq i newspaper s fo r publ icat ion . Thi s

was publ i shed i n Al I raq i o f Al I st iq lal o f

Al Ahal i and ’Alam u l‘Arab i ’ o f and i n

the I raq Times o f As the ar t ic l e was offic i al lycommun i cated to the new spape r s i t s publ icat ion was un

avo i dable . On the o the r hand , a Chaldean pr i e s t ( Rev .

Pau l Bedar ) , sent a reply to al l the I raq i new spaper s i nde fence o f the Assyr i an s but i t was ignored . Rev . Pau lBedar had n o alte rnat i ve but to p ubl i sh h i s v i ews i n thefo rm o f a pamphlet wh ich the po l ice confi scated , though it scontents were no t i n any way i n cont ravent ion o f the law s .

On June 2 8,1 933, howeve r , Sa

’ i d Chalb i al Haj Thab i t


1 932 , i n the Fo r tn ight ly Revi ew j ust when I raq was on thepo i n t o f be ing bombed into the League o f Nat ions

,and

p roph es i z ed c er ta in th ings wh ich tu rned ou t to be t ruew i th i n a per iod o f l e s s than a year o f h i s prophesy . Otherpred ic t ions awai t complet ion . The newspaper o f

’Alamu l

’Arab i,admini stered by Sal im B az z un

,attempted to

t rans late Mr . Kenneth ’s ar t ic l e fo r the in fo rmat ion o f thepubl ic and actual ly publ i shed a par t o f i t on Septembe r1 7 th , 1 932 . On the 1 8 th o f September , he was warned bythe press bureau that “

cont inuat ion o f the translat ionwould mean suppress ion o f h i s newspaper” and he wasobl iged to give i t up . The edi to r was sent fo r by theRoyal Palace and censured . B az z un was at the t imein the Lebanon .

Sovi e t Russ i a i s accused o f some ho rr ib l e th ings .

Would I be reprehens ib l e i f I accuse I raq o f many mo re“ ho r r i b l e th i ngs ?”

I have no Eng l i sh vers ion o fMr . Cumber l and ’ s ar t ic l et hat has formed the subj ec t o f th i s chapter . The Arab ictrans lat ion i s unre l i abl e and I shoul d no t l i ke to run th e

r i sk o f c r i t ic i z ing h im on the bas i s o f that translat ion .

Never the l es s,my att i tude i s j ust ified by h i s o ther repor t s

be fo re me . Captain Ph i l i p Mum ford,former ly B r i t i sh

Spec i al Serv ice officer i n I raq ,made the fo l low i ng state

ment be fore the Royal Central As ian Soc i ety , j ournal V ol.

XX . par t I I I page 483, j uly , 1 933 :

Tho se i n te re s ted i n th e A ssy r ian qu e s t ion shou l d no t fa i l to

read D r . Pe tros ’ l e t te r pu b l i shed i n th e Wo r l d Domin ion o f

Oc tobe r, 1932, and th e reply th e re to by lVIr . Cumb e r land in th e

same pap e r o f Ap r i l , 1933, as th ey gi v e th e ma i n p o i n ts of bo ths i de s of co n t ro v e rsy .

D r . Pe tro s h a s s ix compla i n ts , th e mo s t impo r tan t b e i ng ( a )tha t th e A s sy r ian l e v ie s now b e i ng d i sbanded , th e d i scha rged s o l d ie rshav e nowh e re to go excep t to th e malar ia l and ge ne ra l ly u nh ealthyz o ne s a l ready o c cu p i ed by th e i r compa tr io ts : ( b ) tha t ow i ng to

na tu ra l i z a tion gr i e van ce , th e A s sy r ian s are d ebar red f rom wo rk i ngo v e rnmen t off ice s and th e I raq p e t ro l eum coy ; and ( c ) tha t th e

MI S S IONARIES AND POLITICSland s gi v e n to th e A s sy r ian re fu ge e are ma la r ia l and i n o the rways u n su i ted fo r a mou n ta i n dw e l l i ng ra ce , i n s i nu a t i ng t h a t as a

fu tu re n o u n l ike ly e v e n t . Mr . Cumb e r land , app ears to be o f th e

op i n ion tha t th e p l igh t of th e A s sy r ian s i s no t a s i s som e t im e sc la im ed , and fu r th e r tha t many o f th e i r d i sab i l i t ie s a re th e re su l tof th e i r own fo l ly . Th e fi rs t o f h i s rep l ie s to D r . Pe t ro s ’ p o i n tsare : ( a ) Tha t n o tw i th s tand ing c e r ta i n ac tio n o f th e A s sy r ian o ffi ce rslas t y ea r by wh ich th ey fo rf e i ted a good d ea l o f th e fo rm e rd ep end e n ce p laced u p on th e re l iab i l i ty o f th e A s sy r ian s , th e le v i e sa re no t b e i ng e n ti re ly d i sband ed , bu t mad e i n to a n ew fo rce i n towh i ch th e A s sy r ian s a re b e i ng g i v e n th e op ti o n t o e n l i s t . ( b ) He

s ta te s tha t mo re A s sy r ian s migh t be wo rk i ng i n t h e I raq Pe t ro l eumCompany i f p rop e r ly qu a l ifi ed and tha t I raq i c i t i z en sh ip i s n o t an

u n reasonabl e qu a l ifi ca t ion fo r su ch empl oym e n t . ( c ) “

T h e A s sy r ian sa re s e t tl ed i n th e b e s t pa r t o f th e cou n t ry a s fa r a s c l ima te i s

con ce rn ed . B u t h e go e s o n to c r i t i c i z e th em fo r g row i ng r i ce ,w i th i t s co ro l la ry o f mala r ia ; fo r no t t rou b l i ng to d ra i n swamp s ;and las tly ac cu s e s t h e e x-l e vy so l d i e rs , w h o , as h e s ta te s , ha v el ea rn ed th e e l em en ts o f san t i ta t ion , f o r re v e r ti ng to th e

“ v i l e and

u n san i ta ry cu s tom s o f th e i r f o rm e r l i f e .

“ T ru th l ie s b e twe e n ex trem e s , bu t look ing a t th e wh o l e p o s i t io nf rom an u nb ia s s ed p o i n t o f v i ew , I can no t h e l p fe e l i ng tha t th e

t ru th i n th i s case l i e s n ea re r to D r . Pe t ro s ’ compla i n t than Mr .Cumb e r land ’

s exp lana ti o n s .

T o re cap i tu la te th e p o i n ts a l r eady ra i sed : blr . Cumb e rland ’

s

s ta teme n t tha t th e A s sy r ian s can now re-en l i s t i n th e n ew fo rc e is

o n ly pa r tia l ly co rre c t . Tha t f o rce i s abou t ha l f th e s i z e o f th e

d i sband ed A s sy r ian l e v ie s and i s a mixed fo rce o f A rab s , Ku rd s ,and A s sy r ian s . On ly a v e ry sma l l p e rc e n tage o f th e o ld l e vyso l d i e r s can th e re fo re be re-e ngaged . Mr . Cumb e r land fu r th e ras se r ts tha t th e A s sy r ian s i n th e lev i e s re ce i v ed h igh e r p ay than i sgi v e n to th e I raq a rmy . Thi s aga i n i s only par tial ly tru e . Th e“

o th e r rank re ce i v ed m o re than th e i r co r re sp o nd i ng po s i t io n i nth e I raq a rmy , bu t th e A s sy r ian o ffi ce rs re c e i v ed l e s s than I raq a rmyoffi ce rs .

“With rega rd to th e qu e s t ion of na tu ra l i z a tion and employm en t ,wh i l s t many A s sy r ian s , ow i n g to na tiona l p re j u d i ce , we re s low to

ava i l th em se l v e s of th e opp o r tu n i ty o ffe red , i t i s known to all

B r i ti sh offi ce rs wh o hav e re cen tly s e rv ed i n no r th e rn I raq tha t ,i n ac tu al fa c t, su ch na tu ral i z a tion was no t f re e ly gi v e n to thoseal ready i n Gov e rnm en t s e rv i c e , and many A s sy r ian s hav e b e e nrefu sed na tu ra l i z a t ion w i th th e o n ly appa re n t mo t i v e o f ge t ti ngr id of th em f rom th e s e rv i ce .


I t i s on th e las t p o i n t , howe v e r , tha t M r . Cumb e rland app ea rsto be mo s t u nj u s t to th e A s sy r ian compla i n t , and b eg i n s by con

t radic t ing h im s e l f bad ly . Hav i ng s ta ted , a s a l ready qu o ted tha tth e A s sy r ian s are s e t tl ed i n th e b e s t pa r t o f cou n try as far as

c l ima te i s con ce rned , and con ti n u i ng by s ta ti ng tha t th e i r hyg ien iccond i tion s are no wo rs e than those o f th e Ya z idi s and Ku rd s ” , h ese em s to hav e fo rgo t te n tha t a t th e b eg i n n i ng of h i s a r ti c l e h e h asa l ready sa i d tha t na tu ra l ly th e i nhab i tan ts o f th e cou n t ry, mo s tlyKu rd s o r Yaz idi s , h ad for ge ne ra tion s b ee n o ccu pying th e b es tv i l lage s i te s and t i l l i ng th e be s t s o i l and g ra z i ng the i r flo ck s i nth e be s t pas tu re s .

“ Th i s , of cou rse , i s th e g rea t and i n su p e rab l e d iffi cu l ty tha tthose wh o w i sh ed to so l v e th e A ssy r ian qu e s t ion hav e a lways be e nu p aga i n s t . Anyon e wh o h a s sp en t time in I raq know s tha t th e

p lace s i n tha t cou n try wh i ch are hab i tabl e , bu t hav e b ee n l ef tu no ccup ied fo r “ ge ne ra t ion s ” by th e loca l i nhab i tan ts , are no t pa r t icu larly de lac table o r salu b r iou s spo ts . H e th en ac cu se s l e vy so l d ie rso f d egen e ra ti ng i n c l ean l i ne s s wh e n re tu rn ing to th e i r v i l lag e s .

C l ean hab i ts are pa r tly a ma t te r of e n v i ronme n t and oppo r tu n i tyTo go no fu r the r than Baghdad i tse l f , h as Mr . Cumbe r land ev e rv i s i ted th e A s sy r ian v i l lage ou ts i de th e sou th ga te ? Placed n ea rone o f th e ru bb i sh dump s of th e town and ly i ng aga i n s t a s tagnan tpoo l f ed ma i n ly f rom su ch s ewe rs as Baghdad po ss e s s e s , th e w r i te rdou b ts h i s own ab i l i ty to ma i n ta i n reasonab le hyg ie n i c hab i ts i f p u tth e re for l ife .

“ Las tly, Mr . Cumbe rland refu te s th e c la im o f th e A s sy r ian s to

th e d e s c r i p tion o f“ re fu ge e s . Wha t e l se are th ey ? Up to th e

p re se n t, some hav e u n su i tab le land ; a t leas t hav e no landa t all ; they we re d r i v e n f rom th e i r cou n try du r i ng th e war, and

many p romi se s bu t no d efin i te p lan s for e i th e r se t tl eme n t or s ta tu s ,hav e b e e n mad e to th em , a t l ea s t t i l l las t Au tumn , o r why a con

fe re n ce a t Ge ne va abou t th e i r fu tu re las t Oc tobe r ? Re fu ge e sth ey ce r tai n l y rema i n ed u n ti l a few mon th s ago , and wha t th eyare a t th e p re s en t mome n t I do no t know .

“ I t canno t be d e n ied tha t th e se p e op l e hav e re nde red u s goodse rv i ce du r i ng th e pas t fi f te e n yea rs , and, wh i l s t no t c l o s i ng on e ’

s

eye s to th e imme n se d iffi cu l tie s of th e s i tu a tion , th e l i t tl e we hav edon e fo r th em in re tu rn w i l l , i n la te r yea r s , no t be o f th e b r igh te s tmemo r ie s o f B r i t i sh co lon ial po l icy .

”

Mr . Cumber l and , on h i s way to Ku rdi sh v i l l ages ,always put up w i th the Assyr i ans , and the sudden change


Th i s qu e s t ion was an swe red qu i te d efin i te ly whe n th e Angl oI raq T rea ty was pu b l i shed i n Ju ne , 1930 , and th ey rea l i z ed tha tB r i ti sh w i thd rawa l wa s immi ne n t . Pe ti tion s f rom all sou rce s we rere ce i v ed by th e Manda to ry Powe r and by th e Leagu e o f Na tion s ,a sk i ng fo r fu r th e r safegu a rd s b e fo re th e w i thd rawal of B r i ti shoff i c ial s .

“

T h e d e c i s io n o f th e Leagu e Cou n c i l i n 1926 wh ich award edth e Mo su l a rea to I raq was based u pon th e r igh ts o f mino r i tie s .

“Withou t b e i ng u nfa i r to th e p re se n t I raq Gov e rnmen t, w e

mu s t face th e fa c t tha t i t i s comp r i sed of m en b rou gh t u p u nde rp re-war Tu rk i sh i n s ti tu t ion s , and tha t th e We s te rn idea s wh i ch we

hav e b rou gh t them—and hav e tr i ed to teach th em—are s ca rce ly sk i nd e ep and may fad e as qu i ckly as su nbu rn . The s e m en hav ed e v e l op ed a rde n t na tiona l i s t id eas—A rab na tiona l i sm ; th ey f ea r , and

are ho s ti l e to , th e i r mino r i t ie s , and th e i r me thod s of deal i ng w i thth em do no t co i n c i de w i th th e v iew s and d ec lared i n ten tion s o f

e i th e r th e Manda to ry Powe r o r th e Pe rman e n t Manda te s Com

mi s s ion .

“Wha t h as happ en ed du r i ng th e p as t two yea rs ?A s a l ready m en tion ed , th e Ang lo-I raq T rea ty go v e rn ing ou r

re la tion s w i th I raq af te r tha t cou n try be came i ndep e nd en t, was

pu b l i sh ed i n Ju n e , 1930 , and re su l ted i n p e ti tion s and fu tu re s ign so f u n re s t amongs t th e Ku rd s and o the rs .

“

T h e Ku rd s a t temp ted , w i s e ly or o th e rw i se , to boyco t t th e e l e ct ion s du e tha t Summ e r .

“ Th i s agi ta tion e nd ed i n a r io t, wh en th e I raq a rmy fi red on a

Ku rdi sh c rowd . She ik Mahmu d took th i s a s an excu se for b reak i ngou t i n to op e n rebellion l . Mahmu d asked for a l imi ted fo rm o f

au to nomy u nd e r B r i t i sh p ro te c tio n and p ro te s ted aga i n s t d i rec t ru l ef rom Baghdad u nde r th e A rab s .

I t was hop ed tha t th e A rab Go v e rnmen t wou l d be able to d ea lw i th th e s i tu a t ion u na id ed , bu t i t soon be came obv iou s tha t, ow i n gto th e d ep th o f Ku rd i sh f e e l i ng and th e i n effi c i en cy o f th e A raba rmy , th i s was ou t o f th e qu e s t ion .

“

T h e Roya l A i r Fo rce h ad to b ea r th e ma i n b ru n t of th

op e ra tion s , and th e b omb ing o f v i l lage s was u navo i dabl e i f th e

re b e l l ion wa s to be c ru sh ed ; e v en s o , i t wa s e igh t mon th s b e fo reMahmu d su r rend e red .

“

B u t mo re w a s to fo l low . The re was ano th e r Ku rd i sh ch ie fp ow e rfu l e nou gh to cau s e th e I raq Gov e rnm e n t mu ch u neas i ne s s ,

l m S h e i k Q u a d i r Ag h a , t h e b ro t h e r o f S h e i k Ma hmm u d , w a s am ongs t t h e

l e a d ing K u rd s w h o w e re i l lega l ly de ta in e d i n Su la im a n i y a h a nd con

v e y ed t o K i rku k pr i s on .


She ik Ahmad of Ba r z an . He wa s , howe v e r , a t tacked by th e

I raq Go v e rnmen t ear ly las t Wi n te r . T h e a t tack wa s a fa i lu re .

An I raq army co lumn was th e re fo re se n t aga i n s t h im las tSp r i ng . Th is a l so was a fa i lu re , and con s equ en tly th e po s i t io n h adgrown v e ry se r iou s , e sp e c ial ly i n v iew o f th e n e ce s s i ty fo r th e I raqGo v e rnm en t to p re s en t a p eace fu l and sa t i sfac to ry p i c tu re to th e

Leagu e o f N a tion s i n th e coming Au tumn .

“

On ce mo re th e Roya l A i r Fo rce h ad to com e to th e re scu e ,and i n te n s i v e bombing was i nau gu ra ted i n Ahmad ’

s a rea , w i th th e

re su l t tha t h e was fo rced to l eav e I raq and g i v e h im se l f u p to

th e Tu rk s las t Ju n e .

“ I t w i l l be s ee n , th e re fo re , tha t op e ra t ion s aga i n s t th e Ku rd sdu r i ng th e pas t two yea rs hav e b ee n a lmo s t con ti nu ou s , op e ra t ion saga i n s t Sh e ik lVlahmud taki ng p lace f rom S ep temb e r , 1930 , to

Ap r i l , 1931, and op e ra t ion s aga i n s t Sh e i k Ahmad i n te rmi t te n tlyf rom N o v emb e r , 1931, to Ju n e , 1932, b e i ng i n te n s i v e f rom Ap r i lto Ju ne .

“

Th e grea tes t c red i t i s du e to th e Roya l A i r Fo rce fo r th e

e ffo r ts wh i ch th ey mad e to ca r ry ou t th e i r u npl easan t task as

humane ly as p oss i b l e , bu t th e qu e s tion a r i s e s wh e th e r th e b ombi ngo f v i l lages , w i th i ts u navo i dab l e l o s s o f l i fe to non-comba tan ts ,i n c lu d i ng women and ch i ld ren , is j u s tified fo r i n te rnal d i s tu rban ceon behal f o f any fo re ign powe r .

“ Rememb e r , th e ch i e f c r im e o f th e se Ku rd s was to a sk fo r

ou r p ro te c t ion , or a t l eas t th e fu l fi l lm en t o f th e p romi s e s mad e byou r Go v e rnme n t and th e Pe rman en t Manda te s Commi s s io n s .

REV . JOH N V AN E s szk

Rev . John Van Ess d i ffe r s from Rev . R . C . Cumbe r l andin that wh i l e the l att er has exceed ing ly v it i ated

,muddled

and exto r t ed the fac t s about the Assy r i an Probl em,he

has , never the le s s , showed h imse l f to know fac t s—h e hasactual ly l i ved in the troubl ed area . But th e fo rmer h asshown h imsel f to be amaz ingly ignorant o f the bas i c fact so f that Probl em . H e has l ived i n Basra du r i ng fiverégimes —th e régime o f old Sul tan Abdul Hamid

,th e

- B y DAV ID B . P E RL E Y .


régime o f Enver Pasha , the Wo r l d War , the B r i t i shMandate

,and i ndependent I raq . Thus

,he may be sai d to

be we l l acquai nted w i th that d i st r ic t ( South ) and i tsprobl ems . Un fo r tunate ly , however , he i s not so fami l i arw i th the p robl ems in the northern par t o f I raq ,

such asthe Assyr i an Problem

,upon wh ich he has ventured to

comment in an ar t ic l e ent i t l ed,Th e H e irs of th e Ages .

1

Rev . Van Ess i s now i n the Un i ted S tates on aSabbath ical l e ave . Po ss i b ly the read ing publ ic can

sympath i z e w i th h im when i t i s real i z ed that he mustcul t ivate the fr i endsh ip o f the Mo s l em Arabs o f I raq

(whose m i ss ionary wo rk i s bound to suffer we re he to

speak the truth ) and th i s , even at the expense o f deve loping a c ompl ex o f i nst inc t ive ly seek ing to l ive a l i fe o f

pretense . ( But that complex appear s to be inna te i n h imanyhow . ) He pretends to love l iber ty and does everyth ingin human power to de fy and persecute the champ ions o f

f reedom ; he p ra i ses t ruth and in h is secre t hear t mostenj oys the fr i endsh ip o f cheat s and murdere r s .

“

Th e

I raq i s”,states he at the outset o f h i s ar t ic l e

,

“

a re m y

fr i ends” . I n Th e H e i rs of th e Ag e s are many fa l l ac i e swh ich render i t se l f as unho ly as the sermon 2 he p reachedin the Fi r st Re fo rmed Church in Pas sai c , New le rsey ,

i nFeb ruary

,1 935 . A br i e f analys i s o f h i s ar t ic l e w i l l betray

i t s t rue charac te r

l—A s ia , Ju n e , 1 9 3 5 , pp . 3 42 e t s eq .

2—H e to l d , i n s om e d e t a i l . o f a n expe r i en c e h e h a d i n B a s ra , i ra q . Mo s to f t h e A r a b s a r e poo r—ve ry poo r . S om e o f th em e a t o n ly on c e e a c hda y . H e t ho u gh t s o m u c h ove r t h e f a c t o f h i s be i ng a c tu a l ly im pote n t t o c om e t o t h e i r h e lp th a t h e bec am e d e l i r i o u s . I t s e em s tha tw h i l e i n th a t s t a t e , a yo u ng A ra b c am e t o h im Ju s t l ike Ch r i s t”a nd h e i s c o nvm c e d th a t n eve r b e f o re d i d h e h ave a m o r e i m p r e s sw e

p i c tu re o f Ch r i s t . R ev . V a n E s s w e n t on t o c on f e s s t ha t h e w a s

s a n e s t w h i le i n s u c h s ta te o f d e l i r i um a n d i t w a s i n tha t m om e n to f s a n i ty tha t h e s u dde n ly c am e t o t h e rea l i z a t ion tha t h e . i n h i s

l u c i d i ty , i s b e h a vm g lk e a c ra z y m a n .

I w on de r i f i t I S t oo m u c h t o sla y t h a t th e re s pon s i b i l i ty f o r t h e

m i s f o rtune s o f t h e A s s y r i a n s i n I ra q i s t o b e p la c e d , i n a l a rge m ea

s u re , a t t h e d oo r o f s u c h m e n a s R ev . R . C . Cum be r la n d a n d R ev .

J o hn V a n E s s " I w onde r i f i t i s t oo m u c h t o s a y tha t t h e d e lu s ion so f g r a n de u r a nd d e s i re f o r pe rs ona l pow e r o f s u c h m e n a r e n o t t h e

c a u s e s th a t a r e l e a d i ng t h e n ob le i de a o f m i s s ion to c a ta s tro p h e i n

t h e E a s t"

1 54 BRITISH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIA NS

an z‘

l di sp ensar i e s s o sadly l ack ing i n the Assyr i an d i str ict s .

That demand was per fec t ly in o rder as par t compensat ionfo r al l the Assy r i ans had lo st in Tu rkey .

Contrary to h i s content ion,almos t psychoneuro t ic the

Assy r i ans we r e no t“

o ffe red ampl e and fer t i l e lands bythe I raq gove rnment wh ich he cal l s “ generous and fo r

bear i ng . No th ing could be more inherent ly fal se" I n1 933 , the re we re i n I raq homel ess Assy r i ans to

whom no ass ignment o f l ands was made at al l . The fewAssy r i ans that hel d land we re constant ly evic ted as theywe re mere ly tenants—a t -w i l l . These l ands were “ amp iand fer t i l e” i n d i seases only

,as i t w i l l c l ear ly be seen from

the fo l low i ng ext rac t s4 o f a d i s in tere sted w i tness :

I t i s th e wo r s t f e v e r area in.

all I raq . F or ten mon th s Il i v ed on th e Pla i n ” ( i . e . o f M osu l wh e re many o f th e Hakkiari

h igh land e rs , th i s “ v i r i l e Ch r i s tian race ”, w e re s e t tl ed ) and saw

i t s ravage s among th e c i v i l ian p opu la tion and my own A s sy r ians o l d ie rs . I n many v i l lage s hu nd red p e r cen t are su ffe r i ng f romf e v e r , and i n 192 1, as many as tw en ty-five p e r cen t d i ed i n th re emon th s . I su bmi t tha t i f th e A s sy r ian s a re t o be se t tl ed on

th e Pla i n , th e i r ex te rmina tion w i l l be j u s t as e ffe c ti v e . and one

o f th e o l d e s t race s i n h i s to ry wou l d cease to exi s t . ”

Commenc i ng,then

,w i th such spu r ious and fal se

p remi se s,Rev . Van Ess p roc eeds to exonerate the Arabs

o f I raq o f respons ib i l i ty .

“

I f blame attaches to any one”

,

w r i te s he,

“ i t at taches to the League o f Nat ions . ” I t i sparadoxical

,however , that no one

,not even the K ing o f

I raq,ever dared make that c l a im . Fai sal knew that the

Assyr i an women and ch i ldren we re mach ine-gunned by h i sown mi l i tary fo rces , and when the new s o f the massacrereached h im

,he suddenly fel l i l l and reso lved to retu rn

home “ i n a co ff i n Dr . Wo l fgang vonWe i sl’

s descr ipt ion6

4 —F rom a lec tu re d e l ive re d by Ma j o r A . W . D . B en t i nck be f o re t h e

f e l low s o f t h e R oya l C e n t r a l A s i a n S oc i e ty i n Lon don on D ec em be r1 2 . 1 9 2 4 . R epo r te d i n t h e R oya l Cen tra l A s i a n S oc i e ty Jo u rn a l . vo l .

X I I , P a rt I I , 1 9 2 5 . Ma j o r B e n t i n c k c omm a n d e d a ba t ta l ion o f t h e

A s s y r i a n s .

6—Th e L a te K in g F a i s a l i n t h e Neu e F r ie P r e s s e . V i enn a L i be r a l D a i ly .

R e p r i n t ed i n Th e L ivm g A g e , N ovem be r , 1 9 3 3 . pp . 2 2 6 -2 2 8 . P e r son s

a nd P e r s o nages .


i s a re al i s t ic exp ress ion o f the s i tuat ion in the languagewh ich fo l lows

Th e Ch r i s tian A s sy r ian s , to whom King Fa i sal , th e B r i t i shGov e rnm en t , and th e Leagu e of Na tio n s h ad p romi sed , i n a p eac et rea ty s ign ed w i th Tu rk ey i n 1925, te r r i to r ia l au ton omy , f re ed omf rom taxa t io n , and o th e r fine th i ngs ,—p romi s e s tha t w e re no t kep t ,w e re s i nk i ng i n to g rea te r and g rea te r mi s e ry .

“ Th i s l i t tle na tion , th e o l d e s t Ch r i s tian se c t i n th e wo r l d , h adfou gh t b rav e ly on th e s id e o f England aga i n s t th e Tu rk s and

P e rs ian s , w i th th e re su l t th a t b o th th e Tu rk s and Pe rs ian s tookv engean c e on i t wh en th e \Vo rl d Wa r e nd ed . Tw en ty th ou sand of

a to ta l p op u la tion o f a hu nd red th ou sand fled t o I raq to be u nd e rEngl i sh p ro te c t io n . Ab ou t fou r te e n th ou sand rema i n ed i n Pe r s ia .

bu t kep t t ryi ng to re j o i n th e i r co-re l ig io n i s ts i n I raq , w h o s e em eddo omed to ex t i n c t ion , s i n ce th e hard-h ea r ted na t io na l i s ts o f I raqh ad no t a l lowed th em to fo rm a s i ngl e commu n i ty , bu t h ad d i v id edth em in to v i l lage s o f no t mo re than a hu nd red fami li e s each , and

e s tabl i sh ed th em on ba r re n s o i l wh e re m ale ria wa s rampan t . Wh e nth e Pe rs ian t r i be s o f A s sy r ian Ch r i s t ian s a t temp ted to c ro s s th e

I rakian bo rd e r a f ew w e ek s ago and u n i te w i th th e i r b ro th e r s . th i ss e rv ed as a s igna l fo r a p rogram o f th e Ch r i s t ian s i n I raq . Hu nd red so f m en , women , and ch i l d re n w e re k i l l ed .

Th i s was too mu ch e v e n f o r th e Leagu e o f Na t ion s , wh i chh ad mad e Tu rkey su r re nd e r imp o r tan t te r r i to ry n o r th o f B lo su l

and g i v e n i t to I raq w i th th e u nd e rs tand i ng tha t i t w a s t o be a

h ome fo r th e A s sy r ian Ch r i s t ian s . B u t th i s p rogram gav e many o f

Fa i sa l ’s opp on en ts a w e l com e opp o r tu n i ty to damp e n th e sympa th i e stha t h ad bee n a rou s ed i n Eu rop e fo r th i s mod e rn , f r i e nd ly . e l egan tru l er . Th e King u nd e r s tood th i s dange r and d e c i d ed to d i spa tchh is b e s t d ip l oma t , tha t i s to say , h im s e l f . H e ha s te n ed to Sw i t z e rland to u ndo th e ha rm tha t Ku rd i sh mu rd e re rs h ad d on e , and now

h e i s re tu rn i ng f rom th i s j ou rn ey i n a coffi n

At the conc l u s ion o f h i s se rmon that Sunday mo rn ingi n Passa ic

,Rev . Van Ess made an admi ss ion to th e w r i te r

pe r sonal ly that “ the massacre was a bad bus ine s s”,al

though he no to r ious ly l acked the moral cou rage to ment ionthe same i n Th e H e irs of th e Ag es . What i s th i s“ l amentabl e consequences” y ou speak o f

,my dear Dr .


Van Ess ? What your noble mo t i ve in supp re s smg theexp ress ion mas s acr e i n your ar t ic l e ? Such an act ion i sunwo r thy o f any body ’ s scho l ar sh ip—no t to ment iontheo log ical e rudi t ion —fo r i t betrays the temper

,not o f the

sc i ent ific i nvest igato r and student,but o f the dogmat i st

and i r respons ibl e fanat ic . Flagrant omiss ions are j u st asunmo ral as unsuppo r ted asser t ions

,gratu i tous assumpt ions

and fal lac ious po i n ts .

I t i s now safe to say that,i n v i ew o f al l th i s , Rev .

Van Ess ’ conc l u s ion that i f the I raq government ’ s casewe re bette r known

,the sympathy

,wh ich has been exc i t ed

fo r the Assyr i ans in Europe and Amer ica,would be

d i scovered to be no t s o we l l founded— I say th i s conc l u s iono f h i s i s a fraud perpetrated by one th eo re th ically amessenger 7 o f the go spe l o f bro therhood and peace uponthe r ead ing publ ic

,mo re espec i al ly , upon the people wh o

suppo r t h im at home . The I raq government d i d use al lthe avai labl e means to make i t s case known , but dec i dedlyfai l ed for the s imple reason that no one who s e l i fe IS

gu i ded by the Rule o f Reason and Human i ty w i l l eve rto l erate the barbarous massacre s conduc ted by i ts regulart r0 0 ps .

A fur ther analys i s o f Th e H e irs of th e Ages wouldseem inconsequent i al . I am sat i sfied to conc l ude that mycar e ful study o f i t , as wel l as the in fo rmal d i scuss ion andstreet talk o f my fr i ends i n Ame r ica , wo r thy o f thatsac red name

,reflec t a po s i t ive confidence in my i r revocable

conv ic t ion that the gro t esque propaganda evidenced there inaga inst the peace ful Ch r i s t i an populat ion o f the [WarS h imun i s no t a cou rse wh ich any one w i th a regard fo rhumani ty and truth would care to contemplate . No on e

w i th a know l edge o f the landmarks o f the arduous struggl e

7—Q u e ry . Wou l d i t no t h ave be en m o r e c on s i s tent w i th h i s c a l l ing i t h e

h a d w r i tten on t h e num be r o f t h e Mo s l em s h e h a s c on ve r ted i n toCh r i s t i a n i ty ? H e i s i nv i te d to do s o a t h i s c onven i en ce . I t i s m y

th ough t tha t h i s m i s s i on i s de fi n i te ly d i re c te d to t h e Mos lem s .

CHAPTER XI

THE ASSYRIAN LEVIES AND THE KIRKUKINCIDENT

I . TH E ASSYR IAN LEV IES

The Assyr i an l evy was a m i l i tary force rai sed by H i sB r i tann ic Maj esty ’s Government in I raq under B r i t i shoffice rs to mainta in B r i t i sh autho r i ty over a w i de turbul entarea , wh ich o therw i s e would have meant many B r i t i shl ive s and much money .

The Assyr i ans free ly gave the i r l ives in maintain i ngthat autho r i ty on the s tr ic t under s tandi ng that the promisesmade by the B r i t i sh fo r an Assyr i an Nat ional Home 1

would be hono red . I nsurrec t ion after i nsur rec t ion and r is

i ng a fter r i s ing wer e suppressed w i th the help o f thegal lant Assyr i an troops . No B r i t i sh officer has served w i ththe Assyr i an l ev i e s wh o has no t pra i sed the i r di sc i p l ine

,

honest ly,

fine charac ter s and figh t ing qual i t i e s .Assyr i an officer s and men were total ly aloo f from al lpo l i t ic s dur i ng the i r fi f teen years se rv ice unt i l j une , 1 932 ,

when c ircm u s tance s fo rced upon them by the many i l lus ivepromi ses o f S i r Franc i s Humph rys to the Assyr i anPatr i arch compel led them to j o i n hands in the Assyr i anNat ional movement . On that occas ion , they no t ified the i rcommand ing officer that i t was the i r duty to the i r fami l i esand rel at ives to l e ave the service to go and share the i rt r i bu lat ions and so they gave h im on e month ’s no t i ce i n

acco rdance w i th the te rms o f the i r service- contrac ts . Theywe re

,the re fo re

,ne i ther mut inous nor rebe l l ious . I f they

we re , the fi rs t th ing they would have done was to shoo t

1 —S e e end o f th i s c ha pte r .

THE ASSYRIAN LEVIES

down al l the i r B r i t i sh office r s , as the Arabs had done be fo re ,whose gove rnment , they knew , was del ive r i ng them to abunch o f cowards and th i eves . They d id not do so ; th ey

exerc i sed the i r l egal r i ght .

The admi ss ion o f I raq to the League o f Nat ions wasimminent . The Kurds were i n open revo l t and the Assyr i answe re apprehens i ve o f the i r futu re

,once unde r complete

Arab dominat ion . The t roubl ed wate rs had to be c l earedfo r I raq . Th rough extens i ve B r i t i sh bombing

,the Ku rd i sh

revo l t was suppressed and B r i t i sh troops we re t ranspo r t edby a ir from Egypt to replace the Assyr i ans pend ingnego t i at ions w i th the Assy r i an Patr i arch

,th e Assyr i an

l eade r s and the l evy office rs .

Why shoul d B r i t i sh tr0 0 ps be impo r ted in to the country to guard the B r i t i sh ae rodromes and B r i t i sh i nte re st s ,unt i l that t ime guarded by the Assy r i an s

,when the I raq

army could have ra i sed—as an al ly o f B r i ta i n—a suffic i entnumber o f troops from among the A rabs ? The reply i sperhaps very s impl e . On many occas ions , the B r i t i sh A irOfficer s commanding

,and the office r s under the i r command

expressed th e v i ew that the honesty and r e l i ab i l i ty o f Arabt roops i s too dub ious . The A i r Vice-Mar shal stated thathe shoul d e i ther have B r i t i sh t roops o r Assyr i an l ev i e s .

I f the B r i t i sh autho r i t i e s i n I‘raq—w i th al l th e powe ro f the B r i t i sh Empi re beh ind them—canno t t rust the i r al ly

,

I raq ; h ow could the Assyr i an s have t rusted the I raqGovernment to treat them w i th equ i ty and j ust ice ? I t wasmadness to th ink so . Could the re sul t s have been o the rthan tragic ?

Having made a mess o f th ings and having very l i t t l eexpe r i ence w i th the Assyr i an s , ( l i ke Maj or Huber t Youngwh o dec l ared be fo re th e Permanent Mandate s Commi ss ioni n j une , 1 930 ,

that though he had been in I raq fou r teenmonths

,yet he had had no t ime to v i s i t th e Assyr i an s )


S ir Franc i s sought the he lp o f th e Mar Sh imun to easethe minds o f the troubled Assyr i ans .

Th e Mar S h imun agreed to do s o,a f t er consul tat ion

w i th the Assyr i an l eaders at Sar Amadiyah , on condi t ionthat the futu re i nterests o f the Assyr i an s would be safeguarded a fter the l i ft ing o f the mandate .

Some letter wr i t ten by S ir Franc i s to th e MarS h imun may be o f i nterest .“

N o . SP . 841

T h e Re s i den cy,Baghdad , 18 th Ju ne , 1932

I hav e re c e i v ed you r l e t te r of th e 17 th of Ju n e , toge th e r w i thtwo cop ie s o f th e p e ti tion of th e A s sy r ian l eade rs of th e same da te ,one o f wh ich i s add re s sed to m e and th e o th e r to th e Cha i rman o f

th e Pe rman en t Manda te s Commis s ion .

Thi s p e ti tion pu ts fo rwa rd a numb e r of d emand s of far-reach i nge ffe c t and grea t imp o r tan ce and ra i se s i s su e s wh i ch canno t be se t tl edw i thou t a re f e re n ce to th e Leagu e o f Na tion s . I t th e re fo re , i s qu i teimp o s s ib l e fo r m e to gi v e an u nd e r tak i ng by th e 28 th o f Ju n e tha tth e d emand s mad e i n th e p e ti tion w i l l be app ro v ed . T h e p e ti t ionmu s t be fo rwa rd ed to th e Leagu e f or con s ide ra tion ; and as i t i sd emand ed tha t th e c la im s p u t fo rwa rd i n i t mu s t be adop ted by th e

Cou n c i l o f th e Leagu e , no u nde r taki ng can be gi v e n con ce rn i ngthem w i thou t th e Leagu e ’

s au tho r i ty . I am fo rwardi ng th e A s sy r ianl ead e r ’s p e t i tion a t on ce to my Go v e rnme n t fo r o nwa rd d e spa tch t o

th e Leagu e , and Y ou r Bea ti tu d e may be a s su red tha t i t w i l l re ce i v eth e ea r l ie s t p o s s ibl e con s i de ra tion .

I n th e m eanwh i l e , you r p e op l e hav e e v e ryth ing to lo se f romp re c ip i ta te ac tion and s i n c e , I hav e shown , i t i s qu i te imp rac ti cab l eto make a rep ly to th e p e ti tio n by th e 28 th of Ju ne , I u rge y ou to

ad v i se th e A s sy r ian l e v i e s to‘ pos tp on e th e exe cu t ion o f th e i r

re so lu t ion to cease s e rv i ng , u n ti l su ch time as a rep ly i s re ce i v edf rom th e Leagu e .

I f Y ou r Bea t i tu d e doe s no t so ad v i s e th em , and i f they p e r s i s ti n l eav i ng t h e l e v ie s and j o i n i ng th e Na t io na l mov emen t , to wh i chy ou mad e re fe re n ce i n th e las t pa ragraph o f th e p e t i tion , b efo rean an sw e r i s giv e n to y ou , I mu s t warn Y ou r Bea t i tu de tha t th e

A s sy r ian s w i l l be rega rd ed as hav i ng o ffe red a g rav e d i scou r te sy to

th e Leagu e , wh o w i l l hav e be e n g i v e n no p os s ib l e opp o r tu n i ty to

rep ly b e fo re you r u l tima tum exp i re s . Mo reo v e r , i n su ch c ir


i n fo rmed by Y ou r Bea t i tu d e tha t th i s was th e las t wo rd of th e

l ead e rs and tha t they re fu sed to pos tp o n e th e re s igna tion of th e

A s sy r ian Le v i e s u nl e s s I ac cep ted all the i r demand s , excep t tha tre la ti ng to Hakkiari , by

’

th e 28 th of Ju ne . I hav e a l ready exp la i n edtha t i t i s no t w i th i n my p owe r to ac cep t demand s of th i s na tu re ,wh i ch w i l l hav e to be carefu lly con s id e red by my Gov ernmen t i nLondo n and by th e Leagu e o f Na t ion s a t Gene va ; no r i s a rep re

s en ta t iv e o f th e I raq Go v e rnmen t emp owe red to accep t th em w i thou tth e app roval o f th e I raq Go v e rnmen t, s i nce th e d emand s i n v o l v ea l te ra ti on s to th e fu ndame n ta l law s of I raq i n regard to mino r i t ie swh i ch can on ly be agre ed to w i th th e con se n t of th e Leagu e of

Na tion s .

I hav e i n fo rm ed Y ou r Bea ti tu de tha t I am u nabl e to u nde rs tand wha t th e A s sy r ian s hav e to ga i n by gi v i ng u p th e ir p re sen ts e rv i ce , wh i ch i s wo r th n ea r ly a lakh o f rup e e s a mon th to th em ,

and by d i squ a l i fyi ng th em s e l v e s for fu r th e r s e rv i ce i n th e fu tu re .

On th e o the r hand , th ey hav e a grea t dea l to lo se by su ch sho r ts igh ted b ehav iou r , wh i ch canno t fa i l to app ea r to th e B r i t i shGo v e rnme n t and p eop l e as s i ngu la r ly u ngra te fu l and i noppo r tu ne .

I wou l d fi nal ly po i n t ou t tha t th e fac t tha t an ea rlie r p e ti tio n ,wh i ch wa s su bmi t ted by th e A s sy r ian l eade r s to th e Pe rman e n tManda te s Commi ss ion las t N ov emb e r to th e e ffe c t tha t i t wou l d beno longe r poss ib l e fo r th e A s sy r ian s to rema i n i n I raq af te r th e

te rmina tion of th e B r i ti sh manda te , i s s t i l l u nde r th e con s id era tionof th e Leagu e , make s i t s ti l l mo re i n comp reh en s ib l e tha t th e

As sy r ian l eade rs sho u l d expe c t a rep ly to an e n ti re ly n ew se t o f

d emand s of th e mo s t comp l ica ted and far-reach i ng na tu re b efo re th e

p e ti tio n can e v e n hav e b ee n se e n by th e Leagu e . I n gi v i ng an

u l tima tum , You r Bea ti tu de canno t fa i l to rea l i z e tha t th e A s sy r ianl eade rs are pu t ti ng th em se l v e s lin th e wrong w i th th e B r i ti shGo v e rnmen t and th e Leagu e o f Na tion s .

Th e re i s no th i ng mo re fo r me to say i n th i s ma t te r , excep t toexp re ss my d e ep regre t a t th e u nne ce ssa ry su ffe r i ngs wh ich th e

A s sy r ian s s eem d e te rmined to b r i ng on th em se l v e s . I am mak i nga r rangeme n ts to take o v e r th e du tie s vaca ted by tho se A s sy r ian s wh od e s i re to l eav e and to e n tru s t them to B r i ti sh t roop s u n ti l o therI raqi s hav e be en re c ru i ted to rep lace them .

B u t th e doo r i s s ti l l open .

I rema inY ou r s i n ce re f r ie nd ,F . H . Humph ry s .

THE ASSYRIAN LEVIES

Comments by th e au th or .

I s there i n fact such a th ing as I raq i representat ive ?

I f o il i n t erest s were i nvo l ved , woul d the I raq i rep re s en

tat ive have a real say in th e matte r ? Would he no t do

what the creators o f S i d i Fa i sal te l l h im to do ? I f matte rswere l e ft to the d i scret ion o f the I raq i representat i ve , h i sfir s t demand would be to s ee the l ast s igh t o f Engl i shmenin I raq . Do not the da i ly ar t ic l e s wr i t ten i n th e I raq inewspapers suffice to j u st i fy th i s v i ew ? Did no t Nah iShawkat , when Pr ime Mi n i s ter , dec l are that the c l ause so f the Anglo- I raq treaty o f the 30 th o f June

,1 930 ,

woul dhave been o the r than what they are now

“

i f we had anarmy beh ind us” ?

Does S ir Franc i s real ly bel i eve that there are i n I raqsuch th ings as fundamental l aws ? What i s the i r value ?Doe s not S ir Franc i s be l i eve that i f the fate o f theminor i t i e s was l e ft i n the hands o f the League o f Nat ionsthat the Assy r i ans woul d no t have been massacred ?

The l ev i e s , to my know l e dge , we re asked to cont i nuese rving fo r ano ther pe r iod o f s ix month s . Th i s woul dhave gi ven them some five and a hal f l akhs o f rupees o r

some pounds . Though the o ffe r was at trac t i ve,i t

was flat ly re fused,fo r th e Assy r i an l eade r s

,par t i cula r ly

the Assy r i an officer s , knew what they had at stake . Theyknew from past expe r i ence that th i s o ffe r woul d no t g i vethe i r fam i l i e s and rel at i ve s pe rmanent peace and secu r i tyfor wh ich they h ad been c l amou r i ng eve r s ince they a rr i vedin I raq .

S ir Franc i s was ve ry anxious to set t l e the quest iono f the Assyr i an l ev i e s

,fo r he was aware that the “ bene

vo l en t” I raq Gove rnment would look upon the exi stenceo f B r i t i sh t roops in I raq as pre l im inary s ign o f B r i t i shm i l i tary occupat ion o f the count ry .


H igh Commi s s io n e r ’s Offi ce , Baghdad ,28 th Ju ne , 1932

Bea t i tu de ,I n sp i te o f e v e ry th ing tha t h as o ccu r red I am s ti l l p repa red t o

o ffe r fo l low i ng cond i tion s for l evy se rv i ceOn cond i tion tha t y ou and th e o th e r l ead e r s w i l l g i v e a so l emn

u nd e r tak i ng no t aga i n to i n te rfe re w i th th e d i s c ip l i n e o f th e

A s sy r ia n l e v i e s , and on condi tion tha t all rank s g i v e u nde r tak i ngsto s e rv e loya l ly and tru ly , l e v i e s w i l l be ma i n ta i n ed a t p re s e n ts tre ng th , u n ti l an an swe r i s g i v e n by th e Leagu e to th e A ssy r ianp e ti tion o f th e 17 th o f Ju n e , or u n t i l th e 15th o f D e cembe r wh i ch e v e ri s th e ea rl i e r da te . I f , h owe v e r , Le v ie s hav e d e fin i te ly d ec id ed tha tth ey do no t w i sh to se rv e a t Bas ra , on e company mu s t be redu cedto a l low for th e fo rma t io n o f a company o f o th e r I raq i s t o takeo v e r f rom th e A s sy r ian s a t Bas ra .

On re ce ip t o f th e an sw e r f rom th e Leagu e , a r rang emen ts w i l lbe made t o re ta i n su ch m en as i t may be d e s i red to re c ru i t f o r th e

fo rma tion o f a company o f o th e r I raq i s t o take o v e r f rom th e

A s sy r ian s a t Bas ra .

On re ce ip t o f th e an swe r f rom th e Leagu e , a r rangem en ts w i l lbe mad e to re ta i n su ch m en as i t may be d e s i red to re c ru i t fo r th e

fo rce s to be fo rm ed u nd e r th e Anglo -I raq T rea ty o f 1930 .

I t i s imp os s i b l e for m e to g i v e y ou a rep ly i n p re c i se te rm s a s

to wha t d emand s i n th e A s sy r ian p e ti tion w i l l and wha t w i l l no t becon s i d e red as reasonabl e and i n con fo rmi ty w i th th e gen e ra l po l icyo f my Go v e rnmen t and th e Leagu e . I canno t a t th i s s tage commi tmyse l f fu r th e r than to i n fo rm y ou tha t su ch qu e s t ion s as re cogn i tiono f Pa t r ia rch , land s e t tl em e n t, rep re s e n ta t ion i n pa rl iam en t , s choo l s ,d i sp en sar i e s , re te n tion o f r ifle s , and cond i tion s o f se rv ice i n th e

I raq fo rc e s , a re re cogn i z ed by m e reasonabl e su bj e c t s fo r con s id e rat io n and tha t th e ea rl i e s t and m o s t sympa th e ti c a t ten tion to th e s ema t te rs w i l l be p re s sed by m e on th e I raqi Go v e rnm e n t and, th rou ghmy Go v e rnmen t, on th e Leagu e of Na tion s .

Y ou m ay be a s su red o f th e s i n ce re good-w i l l of th e B r i ti shGo v e rnme n t and myse l f and o f ou r d e s i re to do all tha t i s p o ss ib lefor th e we l fa re o f th e A s sy r ian p e op l e . I canno t b e l i e v e tha t y ouw i l l d e l i be ra te ly re j e c t my adv i ce to g i v e u p has ty ac tio n and to

awa i t th e d e c i s io n o f th e Leagu e , so tha t th e s e imp o r tan t i s su e s may

be d i scu s sed i n a ca lm a tmo sph e re .

I rema i nY ou r s i n ce re f r ie nd ,F . H . Humph ry s .


Comments by th e au th or .

As I have sai d e l sewhere , S ir Franc i s has done h i sbest fo r the Assyr i ans by deser t ing them to be treacherou s ly massacred by the very same s avages aga inst whomS i r Franc i s was us ing 4 h e Assyr i ans as a weapon in h i shand . H i s act ion in fac t encouraged the massacre .

As regards Hakkiar i,the or ig inal home o f the Assyr

i ans i n Turkey,the Turks w i l l suspec t , and ul t imate ly

rej ec t , not w i thout good reasons , any pro j ec t put up by H i sB r i tann ic Maj esty ’s Gove rnment o sten s ibly for the we l fareo f the m inor i t i e s . I n conversat ion w i th Hasan Basr i B eg ,th e Tu rk i sh Consul-General , Beyrouth , he made i t qu i tec l ear that Mustafa Kamal ’s Government w i l l not favou rany such scheme espec i al ly i f pr esented by people wh o we reth e ac tual cause for the present l amentable condi t ions o f

the Assy r i ans . He conc l uded by saying , We sympath i zew i th the Assyr i an s in the i r ter r ib le pl ight as we know thati t was so l e ly due to fo re ign inst igat ion that they took uparms aga inst us i n the GreatWar .

”

I I . TH E K IRKUK IN C IDENT

The peopl e o f Ki rkuk are Turcomans and Kurds andare i n no way Arabs . There the Arabs are unpopular .

The reader w i l l have observed in the ear l i er par t o f th i sbook h ow the people o f Ki rkuk rej ec ted the candi datureo f Ami r Fai sal to the th rone o f I raq .

On the 1 4th o f Oc tobe r , 1 9 33 ,Yas i n al Hash imi was

cal led to the Counc i l Table at Geneva to read h i s Government ’ s de fence 1 i n regard to the Assy r i an massacre . To

par t ly j ust i fy the beast ly ac t s o f h i s gove rnment,o f wh i ch

he was on e o f the ch i e f i nst igato rs , he brought up theKi rkuk inc i dent and stated “ that the r io t s i n Mo su l town

1—No rm a lly w r i tte n by h i s B r i t i s h a dv i s e r s .

THE KIRKUK INC IDENT

in 1 9 2 3 ,and the inc i den t o f Ki rkuk i n 1 9 2 4 ,

when two

compani es o f the Assyr i an l evy had run amuck and k i l l edfi fty o f the townspeopl e

,i nc l ud ing women and ch i l d ren

,

had l e ft b i t ter memor i e s .

”

I t i s common know l edge that an Arab w i l l never saythe t ruth unl ess care ful ly examined and c ro s s - examined .

Yas in and h i s co l l eagues are o f that s tock . I w i l l no t

myse l f re fute the tal e o f Yas in and the I raq i de l egat ionat Geneva , but w i l l me re ly quot e offic i a l s tatements r eco rdedat the t ime wh ich w i l l

,p r ima fac ie

,show to an impar t i a l

obse rve r h ow much re l i ance can be pl aced on statement smade by I raq i del egat ions .

B r igad i e r J . Gi lbe r t B rowne, C .M.G ;

i n h i s book,

“ The I raq Lev i es,

”1 9 1 5

- 1 932 ,page 34 ,

make sthe fo l low ing statement as regards the Mo su l i nc i dent :

T h e na tu ra l an tipa thy a cce n tu a ted by d i ffe re n tre l ig io n s co n tinu ed and i t o n ly r equ i red som e th i ng to s ta r tt rou b l e . Th i s b egan i n Mo su l . I n Au gu s t , 1923, t rou bl eo ccu r red i n th e m ea t ma rk e t, wh i ch sp read , and one o r two

A s sy r ian ch i l d ren we re k i l l ed . N o one was b rou gh t to b o okfo r th i s , and th e A s sy r ian s mu ch re s en ted i t , and ta l k ed o f

th e I raq Go v e rnme n t no t admi n i s te r i ng j u s ti ce i n th e i r caseaga i n s t Mo s l em s .

”

I t was on Sunday mo rn ing when Assyr i an womenwh o had gone shopp ing were suddenly attacked by Arabbutcher s w i th the i r knives . Seve ral women and men werewounded

,i n add i t ion to the ch i l dren k i l l ed , as repo r ted by

B r igad ier B rowne . One o f the in st igator s o f th i s beast lyaffa i r was an Arab Commandant o f po l i ce , wh o was l aterpromo ted to the rank o fMu tas sarr i f . Except fo r fanat i ci sm and hat red

,th e re was no reason for that regret tabl e

inc i dent wh ich was , as I sa id , engineered by w el l-knownmale facto rs . The behaviou r o f the Assyr i an l ev i e s was

h ighly commendabl e as the fo l low i ng let t er w i l l i nd icat e :


Refe re nce

Air/523/ 159

Secre t .

Ai r Headquar ters ,Iraq Command ,14th Ju ly, 1924

To

Co lone l-Commandan tCommandi ng, I raq Lev i es , Mosu l .

Refe rence you r of 9 th Ju l y .

T h e A ir Office r command i ng h as a l ready commu n ica ted w i thHF . th e H igh Commi s s ione r on th i s su bj ec t and asked tha t eve rye ndeavou r shou l d be made to apprehend and se v ere ly pun i sh th e

o ffende rs con ce rned .

T h e Ai r Offi cer command ing no te s w i th g rea t sa ti sfac t ion th e

behav iou r o f th e l e v ies on th is occas ion and requ e s ts tha t h i sapp re c ia t ion of th e i r ac tion s shou l d be commu n ica ted to thoseconcerned .

Sd. Ai r Commodo re .

Ch ief S taff Offi ce r .

B r igad i er B rowne goes on to narrate the Ki rkukinc i dent as fo l lows :

I n May , 1924, th e 2nd Ba t tal ion I raq l e v ie s was i n Ki rku k ,and the i r famil i e s w i th th em . Th e Ba t tal ion was i n th e p ro ce ss o f

fo rming a camp a t Chem ch emal for th e Su la iman i op e ra tion s , and

on May 4th on ly two companie s and th e A s sy r ian famil ie s rema i nedi n K i rku k .

“Al ready th e re h ad b e en a ce r ta i n amou n t of back-cha t b e twe enth e town sp eop l e and th e A s sy r ian s , i n wh i ch th e fo rme r, se e i ng th e

g re a te r pa r t o f th e Ba t ta l ion mov i ng ou t , th rea te ned t o d eal w i thth e A s sy r ian wom e n wh e n th ey h ad gon e . Ma t te r s we re i nfac t v e ry ten s e . Many p e op l e i n th e town w e re i n sympa thy w i thSh e i k hf ahmu d .

A t on May 4th th e re was a d i s tu rban ce i n th e baz aa r .An A s sy r ian so l d i e r re tu rn ed wou nd ed , af te r a d i spu te o v e r th e

p r i ce o f an a r tic l e i n a shop .

Rab Kh am sh i Ra ij o w en t w i th th e Reg im en ta l po l i ce to c l ea rth e A s sy r ian s f rom th e ba z aa r .


C . M . So re l-Came ro n a t Ch em ch emal ; and a w i re of wha t wasgo i ng on to Baghdad .

Cap ta i n O . M . F ry o f th e l e v ie s was on th e aerod rome , and

re cei v ed a me s sage to come u p a t on ce . H e mad e h is way u nderfi re f rom th e hou se s of Ki rku k , n ea r th e po l i ce s ta t ion , o v e r th e

b r i dge to th e Hou se of Tooma , and af te r some time co l le c tedva r iou s pa r t ie s o f A s sy r ian s . He e v e n tua l ly go t toge th e r somee igh ty of th e A s sy r ian s , i n c lu d i ng th re e o ff i ce r s , and go t th em backto th e Fo r t, b e i ng fi red a t f rom th e hou se s n ea r th e p o l i ce s ta tion .

F i r i ng co n ti nu ed i n th e town . Th e l e v ie s h ad lo s t fiv e and one

c i v i l ian A rab emp loyee . Abou t on e hu ndred Ch r i s tian refu gee s h ada s sembl ed i n th e Fo r t, and w e re kep t th e re and ra tion ed . T h e

town was qu i e t by abou t 5 P . M. ; and a t th i s hou r a p la toon of

th e Royal I n n i sk i l l i ng Fu s i l ie rs a r r i v ed by ae rop lane , and took o v e rgu a rd s and pa tro l l i ng .

As th e s i tu a tio n was mo s t c r i t ica l , and th e fee l i ng v e ry b i t te r ,th e who l e of th e A s sy rian Ba t tal ion was marched ou t o f th e towna t on ce , famil i e s i n c lu ded , and camped a t a p lace fou r mil e s away .

Th e Ba t ta l ion rema i ned a t Ch em ch emal for th e p re sen t .Th e re su l t o f th i s affa i r was tha t a cou r t-of—enqu i ry was he l d .

A f te r th i s th re e off i ce rs and twe l v e m en we re a r re s ted , bu t af te r th etr ia l , th e th re e off i ce r s and two o f th e m en we re fou nd no t gu i l ty,and n i ne , wh o we re fou nd gu i l ty, were p u t i n to th e Baghdad j a i l .

“

T h e ki l l i ng of all th e s e c i v i l ian s cou l d no t , o f cou r s e , be le tpa ss w i thou t se v e re p e nal ty , bu t i t was real iz ed tha t th e A s sy r ian sh ad grea t cau se o f i r r i ta tion

,and b e i ng fi red a t , cau s ed th e se

v e ry h o t-h ead ed p eop l e to ac t as they d id .

I t w i l l be seen from the fo rego i ng that the statemento f Yas in , as expla i ned to the Counc i l , was far from thetruth . He mere ly quo ted the lo sses o f one party not

ment ion ing the casual t i e s o f the Assyr i ans wh o were not atfaul t . I t was d ifficul t to admi t the truth . The Assyr i answere attac ked and i t was qu i te natural that they wouldrespond in se l f-de fense . They were be ing attacked fromthe roo fs i n al l d i rec t ions and th i s compel led them to takea s im i l ar po s i t ion in the house o f Tooma . Yasin should beexcused for not te l l ing the truth , as he mere ly read beforethe Counc i l ( as Nu r i al Sa

’ i d d i d on fo rme r occas ions )what Edmonds and Co . had drafted for h im to read .

THE KIRKUK INC I DENT

As soon as the news o f the Ki rkuk inc i dent reachedBaghdad

,the Arab deput i e s and h igh Arab offic ials—the

perpetrato r s o f the pre sent massacre— i n st igated the Arabso f Baghdad to attack the Assyr i an s i n the Gailan i camp ,south o f Baghdad . The ar rangements made at that t imewere as tho se made in 1 933 ; they only d i ffe red in one

re spec t . I n 1 9 2 4 ,the re was a gene ral outcry to massac re

th e Armeni ans as we l l as tho se wh o had taken no par twhatsoever i n the po l i t ics o f I raq .

I t would no t be ou t o f place to s tate that the I raq i sd i strust each o ther and among them there are alwaysint r igues and counte r - i n t r igues . Mi n i ste r s are offiC 1als andcensor the mai l s o f each o ther

,the secret s o f wh ich they

use against each o ther when ou t o f j obs . O f the i r un

grate fulness,there i s much to say . Had i t no t been fo r th e

gal lan t stand made by the Ku rds and the Assy r i an s,the

Mo su l o il woul d have been Tu rk i sh rather than Ang lol raq i p roper ty . These two war l i ke e l ement s we re p romisedthat they woul d not be pl aced unde r Arab dominat ion andso they suppo r ted the I raqi case agai nst Tu rkey . Theywe re ul t imately dece ived .

On page 1 1 0 and again on page 1 1 7 o f the B r i t i sho ffic i a l repo r t on l raq Admin i strat i on fo r th e p e r iod o f Oc tobe r

,1 9 2 0 to March

,1 9 2 2 ,

the then B r i t i sh H igh Commi ss ione r gives the fo l low ing account o f the se rv ice s r ende r edby the Assyr i an s . The I raq army wh ich was st i l l i n i t sch i ldhood , and when fo rmed was no mo re than a j unk

,

could not have guarded the dange rous front i e r s o f I raqagainst th e strong Tu rk i sh incu r s ions .

I n j u s t ice to th e A s sy r ian s i t mu s t be add ed tha t du r i ng th e

fi rs t th re e mon th s of th i s yea r, wh en th e Tu rk i sh a t tack wa s a lway sa p os s i b i l i ty , th ey p ro v ed th e i r s t rag e t ic v a lu e on th e I raq f ron ti e r .I n l\'Iarch , o v e r enl i s ted i n th e l e v ie s w i th i n th re e w e ek s . I tis far f rom imp robab l e tha t th i s i n s tan tan eou s re sp on se on th e pa r tof a p eop l e wh o se qu al i t i es as figh ti n g m en are renown ed was th e

ma i n reason wh i ch i ndu ced th e Kemal i s ts to abando n th e i r p roj e c ted

1 72 BRITISH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRI ANS

a t tack . Led by B r i t ish office rs , th ey are a na ti v e fo rce second to

n on e . The i r qu i ckne s s i n p ick i ng u p d i sc ip l i ne , and th e i r me t tlei n ba t tle h as su rp r i sed and de l igh ted all wh o hav e b ee n con ce rn edw i th them .

Th rou ghou t th e pas t yea r, rumo rs o f an imp endi ng Kema l i s ta t tack on I raq w ere p e rs i s ten t and af te r th e conclu s ion of th e

Ango ra-Agre eme n t cau sed s e r iou s anx ie ty . T h e fac t tha t th e h eadqu ar te rs o f th e 3rd D i v i s‘ion we re t ran sfe r red to As

’

ir t h ad, w i thou tdou b t, grav e s ign ifi can ce ; th e gar r i son a t Jaz ira t i b n ’Umar was

s treng th e n ed and smal l p o s ts p laced among th e f ron tie r . I t wa s a t

th i s mome n t tha t th e ra l ly i ng o f th e A s sy r ian re fu ge e s and th e i re n l i s tme n t i n g rea t numbe r i n th e l e v ie s , as h as b ee n re cou n ted ,p rov ed of s igna l valu e and as th i s repo r t close s, i t i s i n creas i nglyu n l ike ly tha t th e Kema l i s ts can v en tu re on an a t tack i n fo rce i nth e immed ia te fu tu re . B u t u n ti l th e con c lu s io n of p eace be tweenth e Al l i e s and Tu rkey fi nal ly s tabili z ie s th e s i tua t ion , th e th rea tf rom th e no r th canno t be di sregarded , wh il e Tu rko-Bo l she v i s ti n t r i gu e w i l l con ti nu e to be a menace to t h e I raq S ta te .

”

What has Yas in to say about th i s ?

Capt . Gracey , who se name has become fami l i ar to thereader

,has den i ed having made any promise to the Assyr

i ans for se l f-government a fter a successfu l conc l us ion o f

the war . H is promise was not , o f course , made i n wr i t ing,but i t must be remembered that he was a B r i t i sh I nte lligence Officer and i t i s qu i te natural to expect such aden i al a fte r a long lapse o f some th i r teen year s , par t icul ar lywhen i t became qu i te ev i dent that h i s Government has , forreasons o f po l icy , d i shono red i t s many pl edges to theAssyr i ans .

Capt . Gracey has stated that he had at tended thefamou s con ference at U rum ia to sett l e cer ta i n internald i fference s amongst the Assyr i ans themse lves . I fa i l tosee h ow h i s in tervent ion could have po ss ibly been asked forwhen Niki t in e was i n a mo re favorabl e pos i t ion to sett l esuch tr i v i al d i fference s

,i f any .

I wonder i f Gracey i s i n the service o f the Fore ignOffice travel ing under the c loak o f ardent m i ss ionar i es ?

The Assyr i an s do know that Gracey ’s bare denial


yea r 19 17 and h e l d i n U rum ia a spe c ia l mee ti ng of th e A s sy r ian sand fo re ign rep re se n ta t i ve s and inv i ted th e A s syr ian Peop l e to takeu p arms . He so l emnly p romi sed them finan c ia l and po l i t ica lass is tan ce o f h i s Go v e rnmen t, bo th du r i ng th e war and af ter th e

fina l regu la tion o f th e p eace .

Requ e s ted by Cap ta i n G racey, I a t tended th e m ee ti n g i n mycapac i ty a s Ru ss ian Con su l and toge the r w i th th e o th e r fore ignrep re se n ta ti v e s . I declared tha t i f th e A s sy r ian s took u p a rmsaga i n s t th e enemie s , they cou l d cou n t af te r th e war on mak i ng th emob ta i n th e ir i ndepe ndence wh ich they wou l d hav e we l l m er i ted .

SD. BASILE N IK ITIN E .

CHAPTER XI I

THE ASSYRIANS IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS

Human memo ry i s s o sho r t,par t icular l y when i t

pretends to be so,that I cons i de r i t abso l u te ly nece ssary

to take back the reade r to the immed i ate past to enabl eh im to fo rm a co r rec t i dea o f the atro c i t i e s pe rpet rated byI raq i vandal s s ix weeks ago . These act s o f extreme vandalism we re ne i the r un fo reseen no r unexpec ted .

The B r i t i sh H igh Commi ss ioner i n I raq ,wh o has a

net o f Sp i es th roughout the count ry,was i n a po s i t ion to

know that these th ings we r e to happen . Repo r t s sent toh im by B r i t i sh p rovinc i a l offic i a l s o f the c i v i l admin i st rat ion and the r epo r t s o f the B r i t i sh s e rvi ce o ffic e r s l e ft no

doubt that a massacr e,unl e ss stopped

,woul d take place

,

once the predato ry Arabs we re l e ft alone .

Was he not aware that She ik ’Abdul Wah i d al HajSukar , the i nfluent i a l A rab She ik

,i n an in te rvi ew w i th

S ir Renehan Co rnwal l i s asked the lat ter (when Nu r i Sa’ i d

was i n power and Yas in ou t o f job ) ,“

i f i t we re t rue thatB r i t i sh respons ib i l i ty woul d end when I raq was admi tt edto the League o f Nat ions

,because i f that we re s o

,he had

the in ten t ion o f attack ing the I raq i cap i tal w i th h i s tr ib esmen” ? S ir Keneban , acco rd ing to S ir Pe rc i val Ph i l l i p sin h i s ar t ic l e i n the Dai lyMai l ent i t l ed , “ I raq on theWrongPath

,r epl i ed that “

Ou r aeroplane s would tear y ou to

p i eces .

Where were tho s e aeroplane s when the wombs o f theAssyr i an women were be ing cu t to p i ece s ? Were th e i rdut i e s and i nstruc t ions mere ly confined to t ak ing pho tographs from the air o f tho se horr ib l e scenes ? I f not ,

can I conc l ude by o ther than say ing that the massac reop erat ions were conducted w i th th e full approval and


suppor t o f the B r i t i sh author i t i es ? I f Engl i sh women weresubj ec ted to the se ac t s o f barbar i sm

,would the B r i t i sh

aeroplane s have sat i sfied themse lves w i th tak ing photographs ?

The B r i t i sh H igh Commiss ioner heard the statemento f Ma ’ru f al Risafi i n the I raq par l i ament to the effectthat n inety-five percent o f the Arab populat ion o f I raqwas i l l i t erate . He also heard Naj i Shawkat , the ArabMi n i s ter o f I nter io r , on the 1 9 th o fMarch , 1 932 ,

say that“ I raq was st i l l l ead ing the l i fe i t l ed i n the tenth century .

”

Wh i l e I raq i Mi n i ster s and deput i e s were admit t ing the iri nab i l i ty to rul e and acknow l edging the i r unc i v i l manners ,S ir Franc i s was act i ve ly dec l ar i ng before the PermanentMandates Commiss ion that “ I raq was fi t to stand alone . ”

Does S ir Franc i s , wh o was i n the country for a few monthsonly

,know the I raq i s more than themselve s ?

Coul d not S ir Franc i s have obtai ned h i s honoursw i thout betray ing the Assyr i ans ?

Wer e not Yas in al H ash imi , Naj i al S iwaidi andJa ’ far Abu Timman

,the suppo sed three prominent I raq i

polit icans wh o t e legraphed to the League o f Nat ions latein 1 930 ,

rej ec t i ng the ir entrance into the League o f Nat ions ?

Doe s not S ir Franc i s th ink that the massacre couldhave been prevented i f he had ser iously warned Yas in ,Nur i

,Rustam Haidar

,Rash id ’Al i and the o ther male

fac to r s that the i r p roper ty , wh ich they have co l l ected byrobbe ry and the ft

,would be fo r fe i ted i f the ant i -Assyr i an

propaganda was not s topped ?

Do es no t S ir Franc i s know that th i s same gang,headed

by Fai sal , were , by t reachery , the assass inato r s o f Tawfig

beg al Khal i d i,the Muh afidh . o f Baghdad near the j ama

’

al

Sarai j ust as he was return ing home ? Wer e no t officerso f the I raq army in d i sgu i se wh o as sas inated Tawfig beg ?

1 78 B RITISH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

Decembe r , 1 9 1 9 , V ol. 38—No . 1 1 2

,offic i al repo rt under the

t i t l e o f,

“ Tu rk i sh Rule i n Armenia .

”

The i tal ic s he re made fo r the easy re ference o f

the reade r be fo re coming to the chapte r deal ing w i ththe massacre o f the Assyr i ans

, are mine,as the

phrases i tal ic i z ed co r respond e i the r par t ly o r who l ly (w i ths l ight d i ffe rence o f c i rcumstances ) w i th the ar rangementsmade by the I raq i knaves be fo rehand to massacre theAssyr i ans

,as the i r fo rmer master s had done in the case

o f the Armenians .

TURKISH RULE IN ARMEN IA

TH E LORD ARCH B ISHOP or CANTERBURY ro se to cal l a t te n tion to

th e su ff e r i ngs o f th e Ch r i s t ian , re fu ge e s , A rme n ian , N e s to r ian , and

Cha l d ean , wh o are s ti ll pr even ted from re turn ing to th e ir h omes

by th e Tu rki sh t roop s wh o a re o ccu pyi ng th e d is tr i c ts f rom wh i chthey we re d r i v e n , and to th e rep ea ted d e c la ra tion s mad e by th e

Gov e rnm en t tha t all Tu rk i sh ru l e shou l d cease i n A rmen ia and

th e o th e r d i s t r i c ts re fe r red to ; and to ask H i s Maj e s ty ’

s Gov e rnme n twh e th e r th ey can g i v e any i n fo rma tion as to th e s tep s take n o r

p ropo s ed i n re la t ion th e re to .

LORD HYLTON“

Th e mo s t Re v . P r ima te sa i d : My Lo rd s , I do no t th i nk tha tany of you r Lo rd sh ip s wh o hav e taken an i n te re s t i n th e qu e s tionre la ti ng to wh ich I hav e p laced a no ti ce on th e Pape r w i l l takeex cep tion to pu bl i c a t te n tion b e i ng ca l led to th e ma t te r a t th i s t ime .

We hav e reach ed a s tage i n wha t may be ca l l ed th e re se t tl emen t ofth e wo r l d af te r war , wh e n th i s ma t te r , wh e the r i t be p oss ib l e or

no t to handl e i t tho rou gh ly , a t p re sen t, i s one o f u rgen t and mass i v eimp o r tan ce ; and i t i s to be handl ed , i t i s we l l tha t i t shou l d bei n th e pu bl i c re co l l ec tio n wha t h as pa s sed h i th e r to re sp ec ti ng i t,and w i th wha t i t i s we real ly hav e to deal .

“ Ju s t th re e yea rs hav e pas sed s i n ce a remarkabl e Blu e-bookwas pu bl i sh ed i n Oc tobe r , l9 16—a Blu e-b ook wh ich I v e n tu re to say ,

i f th e war h ad n o t a t tha t t ime ab so rb ed e v e ry on e’

s a t ten tion and

re ta i n ed th e i r a t te n tion fo r some time af te rwa rd s , wou l d hav e h ada po s i tio n and a repu ta tio n u nl ike mos t o f th e book s wh ich app ea ru nd e r co v e rs o f tha t co l ou r and i n tha t fo rm . I t wa s th e Blu e-bookgi v i ng th e s to ry o f th e tr ea tm e n t of Arme nians i n th e Ot toman

I N THE HOUSE OF LORDS

Emp ir e and conta i n i ng a co l l e c tion of do cume n ts re la t i ng to i t .Th e t rea tmen t o f A rm en ian s , As sy r ians , Cha l d ean s , and to s om eex ten t Gr e ehs i s handed i n som e m easu re a t l eas t i n tha t book , and

th e book i s one wh ich to any one wh o d e s i re s to u nd e rs tand th e

who l e qu es t ion i s no t only e s se n tia l for p rop e r i n fo rma t io n bu t i si n te re s t i ng f rom co v e r to cov e r .

“

Th e appalling s tor i es of wh o les ale mas sacr e , of expu ls ion of

g r ea t popu la tions fr om th e ir h om e s u nder condi t i ons wh ich cou ld

o nly be des cr i bed as in mos t cas es s lowly -dragg ed-ou t mas sacr e , are

s e t b e fo re u s i n i n c i d en t af te r i n c i d en t , sh ow i ng tha t wha t h ash app ened on a s cale s o vas t as i s s carce ly credible in ou r own

t ime , o r , i nd eed , i n any t im e . E v e ryon e w h o s tu d i e s th e su bj e c ta t on ce b eg i n s to ask h im se l f : a re th e ou trage s wh i ch a re h e rede sc r i bed th e mi sd e eds o f law l e s s ru ffian s w h o a re o u t o f h and and

i n capabl e o f know i ng wha t m e rcy or human i ty m ean , o r can th e ybe th e de li bera te ac ts of a g ov e r nme n t i ts e lf? On tha t qu e s t ionv e ry la rge i s su e s wou l d n e ce s sa r i l y tu rn . Unhapp i ly th e Blu e-b o okl eav e s th e impa r tia l read e r i n no d ou b t wha te v e r as to th e an sw e rwh i ch mu s t be g i v e n . T h e Book i s n o m e re s tr i ng o f i n c i d e n t .I t g i v e s th e coh e re n t s to ry o f th e s e y ea r s , i n t rod u ced and s upp le

m en ted by narra tiv es of th e pas t and summa r i e s o f wh a t h as

h app en ed in th e pr es e n t wh i ch e nab l e u s by th e l u c i d i ty , th e range ,and th e c l ea r a r rangem en t o f th e wh ol e , to d ea l w i th tha t qu e s t io nw i th ou th h e s i ta tion and to a r r i v e a t th e co n c l u s i o n wh i ch i s , I th i nk ,i n e v i tab l e . N o on e read i ng i t bu t mu s t be c o n v i n c ed , n o t . I w i l lsay , o f th e Tu rh i sh Gov e rnm e n t

’

s comp li c i ty i n th e s e ma t te rs , bu tof i ts au th or sh ip , th e au th ors h ip of th es e u nsp eakable o u trag es .

At th e v e ry ou ts e t o f th e war a de li be ra te p lan was adop ted,

i t i s p erfec tly clear , by th e Tu rhi s h g overnm e n t for dea ling w i th

th es e long opp r e s s ed p eop le s , p e op le i n th e i r va r io u s g roup s wh os e

cou rag e , wh os e loy alty to th e ir Ch r i s tian F a i th and, i n s om e cas e s

wh os e indu s try and g r i t h ad enabled th em to h o ld th e ir own force n tu r i es i n fac e of opp r es s i o n , and pov e r ty ,

a nd m is r u le . Th e g ov

er nme n t decided upo n a co ld-blo oded p lan of a dou ble ch arac ter .

I t was fi rs t to be a p lan of qu i te de li bera te mas sacr e on a larg e

sca l e , and i t was n ex t to be a p la n of s o-called depo r ta tio n from

th e o ccup i ed r eg ions wh i ch , in v ery many cas es , m er e ly m ean t

mas sacr e in a deferr ed deg ree .

D i ffer e n t r eg io ns wer e take n i n o rder . T h e re co rd s wh i chare h e re b rou gh t to l igh t show tha t th e re w e re te l egram s a t th e

same t ime sen t to th e va r iou s par ts o f th e Emp i re so tha t th e

mas sac re , i f i t was to be a massac re , sh ou ld ta/t e p la ce a t th e s am e

tim e i n difier e n t p laces . Th e depor ta tions were car efu lly a rrang ed


by a p lan wh i ch make s i t u t te r ly imp os s i b l e to suppose tha t th eyw e re th e a c ts of loca l go v e rno rs , or local au tho r i tie s , or tha t theyeman ted from any o th er s ou rce th an h eadquar ters , wh e th e r o r no t

th o se h eadqu a r te rs h ad an i de n ti ty d iffe ren t f rom tha t wh ichbe longed to th e Tu rk i sh go v e rnm en t .

“Wha t took p lace i s de s c r ib ed i n th i s book by ey e-wi tnes ses .

Narra ti v e af te r na rra t i v e gi v e s i t i n de ta i l . The se are no t for

th e mos t par t th e accou n ts of v ictims wh o h ad survived ; they are

narratives by calm, comp e ten t, h igh ly -ski lled obs ervers , famil iar wi thth e country , fami liar wi th th e p eop le , and incapable of mi s rep re sen ti ng wha t they saw . Ame r i can s , Ge rman s—I w i l l no te Ge rman s v e ryma rked ly—and Engl i sh ob se rv e rs a s we l l . The se all suppor t , wi th

p rac tical u nan im i ty , th e s tor i es g iven by th os e v ictims wh o h ad s ur

v ived, wh os e r ecords , h ad th ey no t been th us suppor ted, migh t very

u nfa i rly h ave be en judg ed as no t li ke ly to be corr ec tly or tem

p era tely g iven .

“

Th e las t th i ng I wan t to do i s to go over i n de ta i l horro rsof th i s k i nd . I wou l d qu o te ju s t two i n s tan ce s i n o rde r to gi v eexampl e s of th e k i nd of th i ngs to wh i ch I re fe r . Th ere was , fi rs t,th e policy of depor ta ti on th a t we sp eah of . I hav e chose n ou t of

an a lmo s t u n l im i ted numb e r o f case s wh i ch one migh t choose , a

s ta teme n t by th e p r in c ipa l o f th e Ame r i can co l lege wh o h as go nei n to th e who l e ma t te r w i th th e mos t accu ra te ob serva t ion and w i ths ta ti s tica l care , i n regard to one par ti cu la r depor ta tion , and th i si n h i s summa ry o f i t

“ From th e v i l lage o f ET h e ob s e rv e r h as no t men tioned wha t v i l lage i t was212 i nd i v idu al s se t ou t

S e t ou t”

m eans, of cou rs e , th at th ey wer e dr iven from th e i r

h omes wi th th e express in ten tion of th e ir being taken s omewh ere

to be s e ttled,we re d r i v e n for th e mos t par t i n to w i l d region s, ov e r

road s of su ch l ength and u nder such condi tions of h ardsh ip tha t th esu rv i val only of th e s trong es t of th em was poss i ble . Al l th e you ngm en be fo re tha t time h ad i n e v e ry s i ngl e case b ee n take n away, and

th e old m en , th e women , th e ch i l d ren we re th e peop l e wh o su rv i v edto be th e v i c tim s o f th e d epo r ta tion

“

F rom th e vi llag e of E 212 individuals s e t ou t, of wh om 128

( 60 p er cen t) reached Al eppo al i v e ; 56 men and 11 women were

ki lled on th e road, 3 g ir ls and 9 boy s wer e s old or hidnap ed,

and 5 p e op le wer e m is s ing . F rom th e same p lace ano th e r par tyo f 696 p e op l e we re d ep o r ted ; 32 1 (46 p e r cen t) reach Al eppo ;206 men and 57 women were ki lled e n rou te ; 70 gi rl s and you ngwom e n and 19 boys we re so l d ; 23 we re mis s i ng . F rom th e v i l lage


mad and th rew the i r ch i l d re n away ; som e hne lt down and pray ed

amid th e flame s i n wh i ch the i r bod ie s we re bu rn ing ; o th er sh r i eked

and cr i ed for h elp wh ich came from nowh er e . Th e execu tioners ,

wh o s e em to h av e been u nmoved by th i s u napparalle led s avag ery ,

g rasp ed infan ts by one leg and h ur led th em i n to th e fire , callingou t to th e bu r ning mo th ers

“

h er e are y ou r lions .

Tha t 'i s th e k i nd o f d e s c r ip tion wh i ch o ccu rs , no t on ce o r

tw ice i n th i s book . I t i s no t some o v e r-wrou gh t accou n t by an

exc i ted obs erver , bu t i t i s th e re co rd of rea l ly comp e te n t peop l ete l l i ng wha t th ey saw tak e p lace , no t a t one spo t bu t a t many ,

o v e r a reg io n o f tha t f e r t i l e cou n try wh i ch i s capabl e o f be t te rth i ngs .

TH E LORD ARCH B ISHOP or CANTERBURY .

Th e re a re no t a f ew m en and wome n i n th i s cou n t ry wh o are

abl e to sp eak as ey e-w i tne s se s o f many o f the se th i ngs . Some of

Y ou r Lo rd sh ip s know , and hav e h ad th e p r i v i lege of mak i ng th e

acqu a i n tan ce o f , a lady i n a h igh p o s i t io n among th e N e s to r ian s .

Su rma , th e s i s te r o f Mar Sh ima n , th e la te Pa tr ia rch , wh o i s now

i n th i s cou n t ry as a s o r t o f d e l ega te f rom h e r p eop l e . Sh e i s abl eto sp eak w i th th e fu l l e s t p e r sona l know l edge o f d e ta i l s o f happ en ingswh i ch sh e h e rs e l f h as w i tn e s sed . H er b ro the r , th e Pa t r ia rch , wa s

massac red . Sh e h e rs e l f su rv i v ed and th e accou n ts sh e g i v e s , w i thg rea t ca lmn e s s and p e rfe c t s e l f-con tro l , of th i ngs sh e h as s e e nand wha t sh e know s to hav e happ e ned to h e r s i s te rs , cou s i n s and

o th e r re la t i v e s and f r i e nd s , women and g i rl s pa r ticu la r ly , are su chas suppo r t to th e fu l l , on e i s on ly too so r ry to say , th e v e ry wo rs ta ccou n ts wh ich app ea r i n th e p r i n ted re co rd .

Wha t was th e re su l t, tak ing i t i n a la rge way nume r i ca l ly ?I p re fe r h e re to take th e s ta temen t o f on e o f th e se ca re fu l s ta ti s ti ca lob s e rv e r s w h o h as summa r i z ed fo r th e Blu e -book wha t we re th e

re su l ts . I may be asked “

Are y ou sp eak i ng of a f ew thou sands ,or h ow many thou sand ?” I w i l l read th e paragraph i n wh i ch i ti s summa r i z ed

“

Th er e i s no dispu te as to wha t h app en ed i n 1915. Th e

A rm en ian i nhab i tan ts o f th e O t toman Emp i re we re e v e rywh e re up

roo ted f rom th e i r h ome s and d epo r ted to th e mo s t remo te and

u nh ea l thy d i s t r ic ts tha t th e go v e rnmen t cou l d s e l e c t for th em . Somewe re mu rd e red a t th e ou ts e t , some p e r i sh ed on th e way , and somed ied af te r reach ing th e i r d e s ti na tion . T h e d ea th-ro l l amou n ts to

u pwa rd s o f s ix hu nd red th ou sand ; p e rhap s s ix hu nd red mo re are

s ti l l a l i v e i n th e i r p lace s o f ex i l e ; and th e rema i n i ng s ix hu nd red

IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS

thou sand o r so hav e e i th e r be en co nv e r ted forci bly to I s lam , g o ne

i n to h iding in th e mou n tains , or e scap ed b eyond th e O t tomanf ron tie r . Th e Ottoman g over nm en t canno t deny th e s e facts , and

th ey canno t j u s ti fy th em .

“ I b e l ie v e tha t th e s to ry o f th e s e yea rs i s rea l ly an ou trageon c i v i l i z a t ion w i th ou t h i s to r i ca l pa ra l l e l i n th e wo r l d . I do no t

b e l i ev e tha t i n th e w i l d e s t ba rba r i t ie s re co rd ed i n h i s to ry , i n c lu d i ngtho se of th e days of Tame r lan e , y ou wou l d be abl e to exce ed , i fy ou cou l d pa ra l l e l , th e a ccou n ts tha t are h e re g i v e n . And th e s ecan be , as I hav e sa id , u ndou b tedly t ra ced , no t to th e ou t rage ou scondu c t of u nd i sc ip l i ned ho rd e s , bu t to th e de li be ra te p la n a nd

s ch eme of a g over nmen t wi th wh ich y ou ar e s upp os ed to h ave be e n

o n fr i endly terms and in a lliance for many p u rp os es . A f te r all th e

d i s t rac tion s wh i ch th e wa r h as b rou gh t i n to th e mind o f m en all

o v e r th e wo r l d i n con templa ti ng con temp o ra ry h i s to ry , i s i t con

ce ivable tha t w e are go i ng to a l l ow th e se fac ts to be fo rgo t te n ;or , i f we do no t a l l ow th em to be f o rgo t ten ; tha t w e are go i ngto a l low co nd i tion s to a r i se aga i n du r i n g wh i ch th e i r rep e ti t io n can

be po s s i b l e ? 1 Tha t s e em s to m e to be a qu e s tio n wh i ch ou gh t to be ,and mu s t be , ask ed a t o n ce .

“Any p e rson to wh om one m en ti on s th e su bj e c t na tu ral ly a sk s ,h ow do th ey exp la i n , h ow do th ey ac cou n t f o r th i s th em s e l v e s ?Wha t an swe r do th e Tu rk s th em se l v e s g i v e to a s ta tem e n t o f tha tk i nd as to th e wh o l e sa l e cha rac te r o f th e s e h o r r i b l e th i ngs ? T o

my mind ha rdly any th i ng i s m o re damning i n i t s co nd emna t io nthan th e na tu re of th e d e f en ce wh i ch i s o ff e re d . Th e re a re th re ed iff e re n t b ran ch e s o f excu se s g i v e n , wh i ch a re s umma r i z ed fo r u s

i n th i s book . T h e fi rs t i s th a t th es e we r e r ebe lliou s p eop le , tha tth ey w e re no t real ly l oya l to Tu rk ey ’

s ru l e . We kn ow tha t th e

Tu rk i sh ru l e o v e r th em h ad b een fo r a grea t many y ea rs—and tha ti t was n e ce s sa ry to exe rc i se d i s c ip l i na ry ac t io n i n o rd e r to red u ceth i ngs to o rd e r . Th i s i s th e way th ey p u t i t

“

I t was th e Ot toman g overnmen t’

s du ty to uph o ld pu bli c law

and order . I n war time m easu r es of th i s hind as s um e an esp ecially

we igh ty and p r es s ing ch a rac ter .

”

I t i s n o t tha t th e th i ng i s n o t t ru e . A s to th e n ex t explana tio n ,th e qu o ta tion s I am go i n g to gi v e y ou wou l d , i f one cou l d g e t

away f rom th e h o r r i b l e n e s s of th e wh o l e th i ng, real ly hav e an

a lmos t humo rou s charac te r . Th e Tu rk i sh go v e rn o r sa id“

Th e sad e v en ts tha t hav e occu r red i n A rm en ia hav e p re v e n tedmy s l eep ing w e l l a t n igh t . We hav e b ee n rep roach ed fo r mak i ng no

l—Th e B r i t i s h gove rnm en t h a s a l low e d wo rs e th ings t o h a ppen in I ra q .


d i s ti nc tion be tween th e i n noce n t Armen ian s and th e gu i l ty ; bu t thatwas u t te r ly imposs ib le , i n v iew of th e fa c t th a t th os e wh o were

i nnocent today m igh t be gu i lty tomorrow.

” Tha t i s th e s econdexp lana t ion . I s i t p os s i b le to conce i v e , wh en of icials i n h igh

p laces g ive th a t as an explana tion of wha t h as taken p lace , tha twe can regard th e do i ngs i n any way excep t w i th ho rror ?

“

Th e th i rd exp lana tion i s a d e l ibe ra te s ta teme n t tha t i t wasre v e nge execu ted u pon A rm en ian s and o th e r Ch r i s tian s re s i d en ts i nTu rkey for th e fac t tha t A rmen ian s and o th er Ch r i s tian s werefigh ti ng aga i n s t th em i n Ru ss ia a t tha t t ime . H e re i s ano therqu o ta tion

“Was i t no t human na tu re tha t we sh ou ld r eveng e ours elves

on th e Armenians a t h ome for th e inju ry we h ad r ece ived fromth eir compatr io ts figh ting agains t us a t th e fron t i n th e Ru ss ianrank s—m en wh o h ad ac tu al ly vo lu n te e red to figh t aga i n s t u s i n th e

e n emy ’

s cau se ‘

Z”

“ The re fo re , those in th e i r own cou n try w e re su bj e c ts of th e

Tu rki sh Emp i re and we re a l l ied to those wh o i n ano the r cou n trywe re figh ti ng aga i n s t Tu rkey, we re to be t rea ted i n th e way h e red e sc r i bed . You w i l l no ti ce tha t e v e ry one of the se excu se s admi tsth e fac ts . T h e fac ts , a s far as I k now, hav e n e v e r b ee n chal l e ngedexcep t i n vagu e g enerali ti es a s s e r ti ng tha t th ey we re gros s exag

g era tion s . Th e fac ts are pa ten t ; th e au tho rs of th e se mi sd e ed ss tand se l f-condemned as we l l a s condemn ed by th e op i n ion of e v e ryreasonab l e man .

“ I t i s , o f cou rse , d iffi cu l t to know h ow to d eal w i th th e qu e st ion , and tha t i s a ma t te r wh i ch i s no t w i th i n my p rovi n ce o r w i th i n myp owe r to hand le i n any way a t all . N o one con tend s tha t i t i s a

v e ry easy ma t te r to know wha t ou gh t to happe n n ex t, and hardlyany one con tend s tha t we shou l d su pp re s s th e Tu rk i n A s ia M i no rp rope r ; tha t i s i n th e p e n i n su la w e s t o f a l i n e ru nn i ng f romSam soon i n th e no r th to Al exand re t ta i n th e sou th . We s t of thatl i ne we admi t tha t A s ia M i nor i s a region u nd e r Tu rk i sh ru l e ,and p re sumab ly i t i s to co n ti nu e to p reva i l w i th wha te v e r che ckso r su p e rv i s ion are p rac t i cab l e . N o one su gge s ts tha t th ey shou l d besu pp re s sed i n th i s region . B u t eas t of tha t l i ne th e whol e con

di t ions are e n ti re ly d iffe re n t . Tha t region h as n ev e r h i s to r ica l lyb e l onged p rop e r ly to Tu rkey : i s no t i nhab i ted by th e Tu rki shrace s , nor ar e th e Tu rhs as numerous th er e as are o th er races .

“Wh e n th e Tu rk i sh a r rangemen t of th e p rov i n ce s th e re was

made , I u nde rs tand tha t th e Wilay e t s w e re so co n s tru c ted and

d efined as pu rpose ly to make th e e lemen ts con ta i ned i n th em as

h e terog eneous as poss ible s o as to preven t a grea t Ch ri s tian papu la


‘Wha t w i l l happ e n to M e sop o tamia mu s t be l e f t to th e P eaceCongre s s whe n i t m e e ts ; bu t the re i s one th i ng tha t w i l l ne v e rhapp e n ; i t wi ll neve r be r es tor ed to th e blas ting ty ranny o f th e

Tu rk . A t b e s t h e was a tru s tee o f th i s far famed land on b ehalfo f c i v i l i z a tion . Ah"wha t a tru s te e . H e h as be e n fals e to h i s t ru s t ,and h i s tru s t, and h i s tru s tee sh ip mu s t be gi v en ov e r to mo re com

p e ten t and more equ i table h ands cho se n by th e Congre s s wh i chw i l l s e t tle th e affa i r s of th e wo r l d . Tha t same ob se rva tion ap p liie s

to A rme n ia , th e land soaked w i th bl ood o f i n no cen ts mas sac red byth e p e op l e wh o we re bou nd to p ro te c t th em .

’

Sp eaki ng a l i t tl e la te r th e P r ime M i n i s te r sa i d‘

Ou ts i d e Eu rop e we be l ie v e th e same p r i n c ip l e s shou l d be

app l i ed . Wh i l e we do no t cha l l enge th e ma i n tenan ce of th e Tu rki shEmpi re i n th e home land s o f th e Tu rk i sh race w i th i ts cap i ta l a t

Con s tan ti nop l e—th e pas sage be twee n th e M ed i te r ranean and th e

Black Sea i s b e i ng i n te rna tiona l i z ed and n eu tra l i z ed—A rab ia ,

A rm en ia , M e sop o tamia . Sy r ia , and Pa l e s ti n e are , i n ou r j u dgm en t,e n ti tl ed to a re cogn i tio n of th e i r separa te na tiona l condidion s . Wha tth e exac t fo rm o f tha t re cogn i tio n i n each pa r ti cu la r cas e shou l d ben e ed n o t be he re d i s cu s sed , b eyond s ta t i ng tha t i t wou l d be im

p o s s ib l e to re s to re to th e i r f o rm e r s o v e re ign ty th e te r r i to r i e s to

wh i ch I hav e j u s t re f e r red .

’

I a sk now , wha t are we to u nde rs tand as to th e i r fu lfi l lm en t ?I do n o t b e l i e v e I app ea l t o an u n sympa th e ti c t r ib unal . I ap olog i z efo r hav i ng d e ta i ned Y ou r Lo rd sh ip s so long bu t th e p o i n t ra i sedi n th e qu es t ion h ad to be mad e c l ear ; i t i s one wh i ch d e se rv e sa t ten tio n and mu s t n o t pa s s f rom th e m emo ry o f c i v i l i z ed p eopl e .

I t i s a ma t te r of v i ta l (imp o r tan ce to th e honou r o f human i ty and

th e go od-fa i th and w e l l -b e i ng o f th e wo r ld .

”

Th e S ecr e tary of S ta te for F oreign Afia irs (Ea r l Cu rz on of

Kedl e s ton )My Lo rd s , I do no t wan t to s tand b e tween th e Hou se and

my n obl e f r iend Lo rd B ryce , bu t I hav e an e ngageme n t wh ichcomp e l s m e to g o away p re s e n tly . N o one wi ll dispu te th e ex tr eme

g rav i ty and th e p o ignan t tragedy of many o f th e i n c i d en ts wh i chth e mo s t Rev . P r ima te h a s p laced b efo re u s . He h as re cap i tu la tedf rom th e Blu e -book many o f th e mo s t te r r i b l e i n c id en ts i n th e longca re e r o f b lo od sh ed , a t roc i ty , and c r ime wh i ch hav e d i sfigu red wha tI h op e wi ll be th e dy i ng day s of th e Tu rhi sh Emp ir e in th os e par ts

of As ia to wh ich h e h ad alluded . I n e ed n o t dwe l l o r e v e n com

me n t u pon tha t na r ra ti v e , wh'i ch can l eav e bu t one imp res s i on on

th e m inds of th os e wh o ar e brough t i n to con tac t wi th i t . Wha t th eH ou se w i l l be con ce rn ed to h ea r f rom me i s wha t th e gov e rnmen t

I N THE HOUSE OF LORDS

i s do i ng i n th e ma t te r , and to know wh a t i s th e prosp ec t th a t li es

befor e th e u nh appy p eop les of wh os e suffer ing s w e hav e h ea rd so

mu ch f rom th e Rev . P r ima te .

I ob se rv e tha t i n h i s sp e e ch th e A rchb i sh op mo v ed ra th e rrap id ly f rom A s sy r ian s to Arm enlian s and th e n f rom A rm en ian s to

o the r Ch r i s t ian popu la t ion s , t rea t i ng th em , as i t i s no t u n fa i r to do ,

as a g rea t agg rega te o f su ffe r i ng human i ty p laced u nd e r th e c ru e lh ee l of th e O t toman Tu rk . I n my rep ly I a sk l eav e to d i s ti ngu i shra th e r sha rp ly b e tw ee n th em , b e cau s e I th i nk tha t Y ou r Lo rd sh ip sw i l l w i sh to know wha t i s b e i ng d o n e fo r ea ch commu n i ty i n th e

ge ograph i ca l a rea i n wh ich i t i s a t th e p r e s en t m om en t . T h e mo s tRev . P r ima te sp oke a g rea t d ea l ab ou t th e A s sy r ian s , v a r iou s l ykn own as N e s to r ian s and Cha l d ean s . He sp ok e abou t th e remarkabl e lady wh o h as com e f rom tha t race and f rom tha t co u n t ry to

England , and w i th wh om 1 , among o th e r s , hav e h ad t h e p r i v i l egeof co nv e r s i ng ; and I may say , i n pas s i ng , tha t a m o re r ema rkab leSp e c im e n o f womanh ood , and a lady m o r e comp e te n t to sp eak fo rth e ‘i n te re s ti ng commu n i ty to wh ich sh e b e l ongs , i t i s qu i te imp o s

s ib l e to imag i n e .

T h e mo s t Rev . P r ima te to l d u s o f th e ex i s te n c e o f th i s campa t Baku ba , i n th e v i c i n i ty o f Baghdad , and Sp ok e o f th e o r

mo re re fu ge e s wh o hav e b e e n th e re co l l e c ted . P robably t h e numb e ri s i n exc e s s of wha t h e say s , and i s n ea re r thanTh ey hav e b e e n th e re f rom th e mon th o f S ep t emb e r o r O c tob e r ,19 18 , and th ey con s i s t pa r tly o f A s sy r ian Ch r i s t ian s f rom th e n e i ghbou rh ood o f Lake U rum ia :in Pe r s ia ; pa r tl y—and th i s i s th e l a rge rnumb e r—of A s sy r ian s f rom th e regi o n s o f Ku rd i s tan : and par tl ya l so o f A rm en ian s , i n numb e r , w h o a r e i n c l u d e d i n tha t to tal .

Th e re , as th e A rchb i shop co r re c tly p o i n ted o u t , w e h av e be e n

ma i n ta i n i ng th em ou r s e l v e s for o v e r a y e a r and a qu a r te r . T h e

co s t, I th i nk , h as b e e n e v en g rea te r than th e m o s t Re v . P rima tean ti c ipa ted . I t h a s am ou n ted to 4 p ou nd s p e r h e ad p e r m o n th , o r

an aggrega te o f o v e r pou nd s a m o n th , w h ic l w o rk s o u t

I m en tio ned to Y ou r Lo rd shi p s tha t th e to ta l p e r iod al readyexce ed ed a yea r and a qu a r te r—a t p ou nd s i n th e y ea r .Th e s e u nh appy p e op le i n th i s co u n t ry hav e b e e n o ccu p i ed i n va r i o u sfo rm s o f wo rk—nam e l y , mil i ta ry wo rk , ge nda rm e r i e , ro ad -mak i ng .

camp du ti e s , cu l t i va tion , and so on , bu t of cou rs e th e imp o r tan tth i ng i s to g e t th em back . T h e d iffi cu l ty abou t tha t i s mani f e s t .I n th e fi r s t p la ce th o se wh o a re Pe r s ian s i n o r ig i n and com e f romth e n e ighbou rh o od of th e Pe rs ian Lak e cann o t go back to a cou n t ryacc e s s to wh ich i s a t p re s e n t c l o s ed , and wh e re n o so r t o f s e cu r i tyex i s ts , and for th e t im e b e i ng th e Lady to wh om th e m o s t Rev .


P r ima te and my s e l f hav e re fe r red h e rs e l f fu l ly real i z e s tha trepa t r iation to th e Pe rs ian home s o f th e se Ch r i s t ian s i s no t to be

con templa ted .

“Th e n th e re i s a fu r ther diffi cu l ty . We hav e no r igh t u nde rth e te rm s of th e A rmi s t ice to repa tr ia te th e se p eop l e to any p laceou ts i de th e A rmi s ti ce a rea ; i n o the r wo rd s , we hav e no r igh t, eveni f we h ad th e fo rce ( and we hav e no t th e fo rce ) , to take them backi n to th e mou n ta i nou s reg ion of Ku rd i s tan , and ob v iou s ly i t wou l dbe su icli dal fo l ly to send th em ou t to be wayla i d and mu rde red on

th e way . Th e se p eop l e th em se l v e s are , o f cou rse , re lu c tan t to

mo v e u n l e s s u nde r cond i tion s wh i ch gi v e th em reasonabl e se cu r i ty,and as Win te r i s now app roach i ng I am af ra i d we canno t exp e c tto do any th ing su b s tan tia l u n ti l th e Sp r i ng . M eanwh i l e th e admini s t ra t ion o f th i s camp h as be e n taken o v e r by th e A s sy r ian s f rom th e

mil i ta ry au th o r i t ie s , and i t i s hoped tha t th e exp en se w i l l the rebybe redu ced to p ou nd s a day .

“Wil l i ng as we hav e b ee n to p ay , we hav e ne v er qu i te be enab l e to s ee why th i s expe nd i tu re , as i ndeed mo s t of th e exp e nd i tu reo f th e wa r i n th e Eas t , h as fa l l e n u p on G rea t B r i ta i n a lone . Th e refo re we hav e i n v i ted F ran ce , wh o i s grea tly i n te re s ted i n tha t pa r to f th e Eas t, to b ear h e r share o f th e bu rd en s . Ou r po l i cy i s qu i tecl ea r . I t i s to ge t th e Pe r s ian A s sy r ian s back to the i r cou n t ry as

soon as cond i tion s admi t i t ; and as regard s th e A s sy r ian s wh o l i v edb e fo re and wh o are wlilling to l i v e aga i n i n th e a reas wh ich b e longto th e old Tu rk i sh Emp i re , e i th er to p lace th em i n an enclave ad

j acen t to th e te rr i to r ie s u nde r ou r con tro l , s o th a t th ey may be

u nder our wing and wi th in easy r each of ou r p ro tec tion , or , if we

p rov ide a home fo r them in th e i r fo rme r home land s or fu r therafie l d among th e Ku rdi sh p eop l e s , to try to make such arrang emen ts

for th em as may s ecu re th e ir safe and d e ce n t ex i s tence .

“He re le t me say tha t wha t th e mos t Rev . Pr ima te sa i d abou tth e re la tion s b e twe e n th e Ku rd s and th e A rme n ian s app ea rs a l so to

be t ru e abou t th e r e la ti ons be tween th e Ku rds and th e As sy rian

Ch r i s tians , b ecau se th e Lady wh o h as b ee n re fe r red to to l d m e tha tsh e d id no t an ti c ipa te tha t d iffi cu l tie s wou l d a r i se f rom tha t cau se ;bu t th e fac t i s tha t the se p eop le wh en no t s tir red u p by th e Tu rk s,o r by lo ca l f eu d s , are qu i te capab le of ge t t i ng on w i th each o th er ;i nd e ed , th e As sy r ians are in many way s necessary to th e Ku rds , forth e pu rp ose s of cu ltiva ti on and o th erwis e . I f y ou can arm a"

su ffi c ien t numb e r o f th em to ac t as a so r t of ge ndarmer ie to th emse l v e s , I be l ie v e th e re i s no reaso n why in th e fu tu re tho se two

commu n i ties sh ou ld no t live s ide by s ide . Tha t i s th e obj e c t tha twe are ke ep i ng b e fo re ou rse l v e s , and I h op e tha t when W i n te r i s


and th e cha rac te r o f those massac re s i n add i tion to tha t wh i ch th e

Blu e-book p re s en ts to wh i ch th e mos t Rev . P r ima te h as refe r red ,y ou w i l l fi nd i t 1n th e book o f Mr . Mo rg en th al, th e Ame r icanAmbas sado r a t Con s tan ti nop l e du r i ng th e p e r iod o f th e mas sac re s .

H e te l l s u s h im se l f tha t h e con s tan tly we n t to E nver and Talaa t ,

wh o a re th e two ch ie f s o f th e Commi tte e o f Union and P rogre s sand th e p e rson s ch iefly re spon s ib l e for p lann i ng and car ryi ng ou t

th e mas sac re s . He rep re sen ted to th em tha t th e wo r l d wou l d beou t raged i f those th i ngs con ti nu ed , and h e t r i ed for th e sam epu rp o se to e n l i s t th e sympa thy o f th e Ge rman Ambas sado r, Wan

genh e im . He d e s c r i b e s th e re h ow Ta laa t and En v e r d id no t a t temp tto con cea l th e mas sac re s , d id no t d eny wha t th ei r p o l i cy of ex te rmina tion wa s . Th ey d id i t all w i th a d e l ib e ra te pu rp o se ; th eywe re su pp o r ted by th e o th e r m embe r s Of th e Commi t tee o f Unionand P rog re s s , and n o t a wo rd was sa id amongs t th e Tu rk s aga i n s tth e s e mas sac re s .

LORD LAMINGTON : And th e Germans .

V i scou n t B ryce : Yes, th e Germans also hnew ; bu t I am sp eak

i ng n ow o f Tu rk i sh Op i n ion . N o t a word was s aid in Tu rh ey , or

by th e Comm i t te e of Un ion and P rog r es s , to dep r ecia te th e mas s

acr es ; and th e Germans , th r ough Wang enh e im , abs olu tely r efu sedto in te rfer e .

CHAPTER XI I I

ASSYRIANS IN PERS IA AND MESOPOTAMIA ,

( 1 9 1 8 4 9 1 9 )

The fo l low ing ar t ic l e i s w r i t t en by l Co lone l j . McCar thy wh o headed the B r i t i sh Mi l i tary Mi s s ion to th eAssyr i ans du r i ng the Great War . Read ing between thel ines

,the B r i t i sh bet rayal o f the Assyr i ans i s s e l f- ev i dent .

Coming from a di s in terested Engl i shman as i t doe s,the

statement canno t be chal l enged . Th i s statement o f fac t sw i l l d i spe l the B r i t i sh Gove rnment ’ s statement s , now so

common , that i t was not they wh o asked the Assyr i ansto fight the Tu rks . Whateve r may be sa i d

,th e Tu rks

do know that the B r i t i sh offic i a l st atement i s devo i d o f

foundat ion . (The foo tno te s are mine . )

I t was e i th e r b efo re o r sho r tly af te r l eav i ng Baghdad e n rou tefor Pe r s ia G en e ral Du n s te rv ille go t i n commu n i ca t io n w i th th e

A s sy r ian s a t Lak e U rmia w i th th e i d ea Of ge t ti ng th em to j o i nfo rce w i th u s aga i n s t th e Tu rk . Th i s th ey w i l l i ngly ag re ed to do

p ro v id ed w e s e n t B r i t i sh Off i ce r s to l ead th em , a s th ey d id no t a t tha ts tage tru s t th e Ru s s ian s th ey h ad w i th th em .

1

“ I t wa s d e c i d ed to s end a fo rce Of 75 B r i ti sh o ffi ce r s and

to Lake U rmia and I was appo i n ted to command th i ssp e c ia l m i s s ion .

“Abou t th i s tim e F ly i ng Offi ce r Cap ta i n P enn i ng to n fl ew to

Lake U rmlia w i th d e spa tch e s f rom ou r H eadqu a r te rs a t Hamadan .

I d id no t se e th e se d e spa tch e s bu t I was w e l l awa re tha t th eycon ta i ned confi rma t ion of wha t h ad a l ready b e en wr i t te n and to

adv i se th e A s sy r ian s o f ou r coming to j o i n th em . S e e i n g th e ae rop lan e a r r i v e and re ce i v i ng th e n ew s tha t a B r i ti sh f o rce was i nPe r s ia and on th e way to j o i n th em , n o d ou b t gav e th e A s sy r ian san exagge ra ted id ea o f ou r s t reng th i n Pe rs ia , and a fal se i d ea o f

the i r own se cu r i ty . Had th ey no t d ep ended so e n ti re l y on th e

a s s i s tan ce tha t th ey w e re to re ce i v e f rom u s and h ad Agha Pe t ro s 2

l—S ee h i s l e tt e r i n t h e A s s y r ian Tra gedy . An nem a s s e . D. 1 4 .

2—D i ed i n F ra nc e i n 1 9 33 .


no t taken p rac t i cal ly th e who l e of h i s a rmed force to take ove r

a rm s and ammu n i tion se n t on i n advan ce by u s , th e A ssy r ian s wou l dhav e looked mo re to th e ir own re sou rce s , and wou l d no t hav edep ended so mu ch on ou r he lp .

Th ey more than h e l d the i r own i n many e ngagemen ts aga i n s tth e Tu rk s ; they h ad food and by nu rs i ng th e i r ammu n i tio n theycou l d hav e he l d ou t aga i n s t any l ike ly a t tack f rom th e Tu rk , wh owas no t exac tly fu l l of figh t a t tha t s tage and v e ry soon af terwe n t ou t of th e War a l toge ther . Ev en if th e wo rs t happ ened and

they h ad bee n d r i v e n ou t of th e re by an o v e rwh e lmin g fo rce , wh i chwas no t a t all l ike ly a t th e t ime , th ey cou l d hav e fa l le n back on

th e i r mou n ta i n s trongho l d and p robab ly go t i n tou ch w i th B r i t i shtroop s on th e Mo su l s i de ; th ey we re ce r ta i n l y no t d r i v e n ou t by a

su p e r io r fo rce , bu t s tamp eded by fa l se rep o r ts c i rcu la ted by th e

e n emy , and th i nk ing tha t Agha Pe tro s h ad de se r ted th em a t U rmiaI am su re th e s tamp ed e wou l d n e v e r hav e take n p lace , bu t i t mu s tbe remembe red tha t we w e re a smal l fo rce , l i v i ng on th e cou n tryand Ge ne ral Duns te rv ille h ad h is hand s fu l l a t th e t ime p repar i ngh i s landi ng a t Baku . H i s Offi ce rs we re emp l oyed on var iou s j ob sand cou l d no t be re cal l ed a t th e momen t ’s n o ti ce . The re we re two

g rou p s of Pe rs ian l e v ie s wh i ch u sed u p a con s i d e rab l e numbe r of

offi ce rs and and ou r l i ne s o f commu n i ca tion ex te ndi ngf rom Baghdad to th e Casp ian Sea accou n ted for a grea t many mo re .

We h ad to re ly mo s tly on loca l con trac to r s ( tho rou ghly di shone s t and u n re l iabl e ) for ou r tran sp or t, so tha t th e offi ce r s forth e Sp e c ia l Mi s s io n I wa s to command w e re no t ava i lab l e a t a

mome n t ’s no t ice , mo re e sp e c ial ly as th ey h ad to be v o lu n te e rs and

sp e c ia l ly s e le c ted .

Wh e n i t was known tha t th e who l e na tion was i n r e trea t, Iw en t a t on ce w i th a po r tion o f my fo rce w i th th e i d ea o f tu rn i ngback th e figh ti ng m en and a l low i ng th e famil ie s to con ti nu e to

Hamadan , and m e t th em re t rea t i ng on a w i de f ro n t , th e famil ie son th e ma i n road , th e m en ex te nd ed for mil e s on e i the r s ide o f th e

road cov e r i ng th e re trea t . I t was th ere fo re qu i te imp o s s ib l e to ge t

i n tou ch a t all w i th th e bu l k of th e figh ti ng men , b e i ng confinedas I wa s to th e ma i n road .

Apa r t f rom b e i ng ha ras s ed by th e e n emy e v e ry known d i seases e emed to a t tack the s e u n fo r tu na te p eop l e , and hu nd red s d ied f romtyphu s , dys en te ry and sma l l-p ox , and o th e rs f rom exhau s tion . I twas a common thi ng to see ch i l d re n , s ti l l al i v e , abandon ed on th e

road s id e , th e pare n ts p robab ly d ead . Wh e rev e r th ey camp ed for

1 94 BRIT ISH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

Thi s was th e exp lana t io n gi v en m e a t G .H .Q . a t Baghdad . Th i s th eyu nd e rs tood and ne v e r hav e any t roop s b e en mo re ame ndab l e to

d i s c i p l i n e than the se H igh land e rs f rom Tiy ar i and Tkhuma . The

B r i t i sh o ff i ce rs wh o we re s e conded f rom va r iou s regimen ts fo r

se rv i ce w i th th e con ti ngen t cou l d no t sp eak too h igh ly o f th em .

“

Th e p re se n ce o f th e A ssy r ian s a t Lake U rmia r igh t u p u n ti lth ey s tamp ed ed ce r ta i n ly he lp ed to p re v e n t e nemy agen ts fromgo i ng backwa rd s and fo rward s ac ro ss Pe rs ia to th e Eas t, and du r i ngth e la t te r par t o f 19 18 th ey we re a grea t p ro te c tion to Gen e ralDu n s te rv ille

’

s l i ne s Of commu n ica tion be twee n Ke rmensh ah and

Hamadan , and h ad w e b ee n ab le to j o i n th em a t U rmia w i th a

s ti ffe n i ng of B r i t i sh off i ce r s and mach in e gu n s th e re i s l i t tl e dou b tbu t tha t we shou l d hav e be e n abl e to h o l d Baku aga i n s t th e Tu rk .

I n v iew o f th e fac t tha t re cen t ame ndmen ts to th e B r i t i sh A rm sRegu la t ion s legalli z ed th e re te n tion by th e A s sy r ian s of the i r B r i t i shA rmy Pa t te rn R if l e s , and al so , as i t was added tha t n e i th e r H i sMaj e s ty ’

s Go ve rnme n t , nor tha t of I raq wou l d obj ec t to th e i r go i ngto Sy r ia , o r e l sewh e re i f th e i r hos ts acceded to th e i r d e s i re s and

d e f rayed exp e n se s , and th e fac t tha t th e F ren ch Gov e rnmn t d ida l low th em to rema i n and fed and lodged th em i t i s d iff i cu l t to see

wha t offen se they commi t ted tha t they shou l d be de c la red Rebels

and d ep r i v ed o f th e r ifl es to wh i ch th ey we re l egal ly e n ti tl ed .

“

As Doc to r Wig ram po i n ts ou t i n h is book “ C radl e of Manki ndl ife i s ha rd i n th e Hakkiari Mou n ta i n s ; all cu l t i va t ion is on

te r race s wh ich are su bj ec t to con s tan t dange r of d e s tru c t ion byflood s and avalan che s . I t the refo re doe s s eem tha t th e only Obj e c tth e Tu rk h ad for acqu i r i ng th is cou n try was to d eny i t to th e

r igh tfu l owne rs . Th ey canno t po ss ib ly hav e any o th e r u se fo r i t .I t h as bee n sugge s ted tha t an a r rangeme n t shou l d be mad e to

se t tl e th e A s sy r ian s as a who l e i n Sy r ia, bu t I u nde r s tand tha twh i l e th e Fre n ch gov e rnmen t i s p repared to rece i v e a ce r ta i n num

be r o f th em th ey canno t accommoda te th e who l e na tion , or wha ti s le f t of i t"To d i v id e th e p e op l e i n th i s way

1 wou l d be mo s tu n sa ti sfac to ry and li t is ex treme ly u n l ike ly tha t Mar Sh ima n and

h is p e op l e wou l d agre e to i t . N or wou l d i t add to B r i t i sh p re s t igei n th e Eas t i f we a l low th e Fre n ch Go v e rnme n t to re l iev e u s of ou r

re spon s i b i l i ty and se t tl e th i s qu e s tion for u s . Wha te v e r happ e n sth ey shou l d be se t tl ed as a homogeneou s u n i t, and no t , as su gge s tedby th e I raq Go v e rnme n t , i n te rsp e rsed among th e i r enemie s , or in

Syr ia . If i t shou l d p ro v e impo s s i b l e to e ffe c t a homogeneou s se t tl emen t th e Manda te s Commi s s ion hoped tha t Tu rkey migh t be i ndu ced

l—T h e a u th o r en t i re ly agree s w i th th is V i ew .

IN PERS IA AND MESOPOTAMIA

to gi v e th em back th e i r home i n Sou th e rn Hakkiari d i s t r ic t o f wh i chth ey h ad be e n dep r i v ed by an

“

e r ro r” i n th e Leagu e Cou n c i l ’ sde c i s ion of 1925, and th i s wou l d app ear to be th e r i gh t so lu t io nto th e p rob l em . England sh ou l d face th e p o s i t ion and b r i ngp re s su re to b ea r on th e Tu rk s , or e v e n compe n sa te th em to gi v eback Hakkia ri to th e r igh tfu l own e rs , o r a l te rna t i v e ly to se t tl e th e

A s sy r ian s as a homogen e ou s u n i t, u nd e r th e i r Pa tr iarch , i n Ku rd i s tan ,i f i t was th ou gh t tha t th ey wou l d bu ry th e ha tch e t and l i v e p eacefu l ly w i th th e Ku rd s .

Loya l ty to th e B r i t i sh Go v e rnm e n t cau sed th e se peop l e to be

d r i v e n ou t o f th e i r hou se and an e r ro r i n th e Leagu e Cou n c i l ’sdeci s io n of 1925 d ep r i v ed th em o f th e r igh t to e v e r re tu rn . T h e

Manda te s Commi s s ion o f 1931 1932 hav i ng admi t ted tha t th e sepeop l e hav e a sp e c ia l c la im u po n th e Leagu e . I t seem s impo s s i b l etha t th e B r i t i sh Go v e rnme n t w i l l a l l ow th e ma t te r to s tand wh e rei t i s a t p re s e n t, bu t w i l l d ou b tl e s s mak e e v e ry e nd eav ou r to hav eth e ir cou n try re s to red to th em a s p romi s ed i n 19 18 .

( S igned ) J . J . Mcca r thy Lt . Col .

La te Commandan t A ssy r ian Con ti ngen t

D evon sh ‘i re C lu b , S t . Jame s S tre e t,17 th N ovmbe r , 1933.

CHAPTER XIV

THE ASSYRIANS BEFORE THE LEAGUE OF

NATIONS I N 1 932‘

Al l w r i t t en rep resentat ions o f the Assy r i ans in I raq tothe League o f Nat ions having fa i l ed to produce a reasonabl e so l ut ion o f the Assyr i an p robl em ,

due to the pers i s tentobst ruct i ve att i tude o f Hi s B r i tann ic Maj esty ’ s Government at Geneva

,and in v i ew o f the ve rbal and wr i t t en

encouragement o f S i r Franc i s ‘ Humphrys to the MarS h iw un that :

You know tha t I shal l do e v e ryth ing i n my p owe r to h e lpy ou and you r p e op l e a t Ge n e va . Al l I a sk Y ou r Bea t i tu d e and th e

A s sy r ian l ead e rs i s tha t th ey shou l d a s s i s t me by ma i n ta i n ing th e

l e v i e s i n l oya l s e rv i ce and th e p e op l e i n a ca lm sp i r i t u n ti l th e

d e c i s ion o f th e Leagu e Of Na ti on s h as b ee n rece ivd . ( Si r Fran c i s’

l e t te r of Ju ne 18 ,

The Af ar S h im un,at the Sp ec i f ic request o f al l

the Assy r i an leade r s , dec i ded to t ravel to Geneva at thepeople ’s expense to place the Assyr i an case—ser iously n zis

rep resented in the past —be fo re the League in pe r son andmo reover to ascer ta in whether or not the l ast promise o f

S ir Franc i s would not be broken as on former occas ions .The re was no necess i ty fo r such a tes t ; the immediatepast spoke fo r i t se l f .

Dur i ng h i s v i s i t to Mo su l i n 1 93 1 , S ir Franc i s promi sed the Assy r i an s al l conce ivabl e suppo r t at Geneva i f theyl e ft mat te rs i n h i s hands . The Assyr ians—though by now

t i red o f these empty p romi ses placed the i r confi

dence in the wo rd o f Great B r i ta in ’ s representat iveand awa i ted pat i en tly for h i s retu rn from Geneva or for


I do no t share the v i ew o f tho se wh o say that theLeague o f Nat ions i s par t ly respons ibl e fo r the ho r ro rsthat have taken place . The member s o f the Counc i l o fthe League and par t icular ly the Permanent MandatesCommiss ion admi tted that they had no d i rec t means toi nsu re the sa fety o f the I raq mino r i t i es unle ss someonew i th plenary power was on the spo t . They knew that theywe re deal ing w i th a very backward and fanat ical S tat e , andthat acco rd ing to i t s teachings al l means are l awful toreduce the non -Mo s l em to the status o f bondage . Theywere aware that i t was the duty o f Great B r i ta in

,rathe r

than the i rs , to pro tec t the mino r i t i e s —o r at l east tho seo f I raq—and i t was i t s repeated assurance s to do so

that influenced the i r ac t ion in abandon ing the m ino r i t i e s .

The League i s a v i s ionary body wh ich canno t be reasonably expec ted to shoulder respons ib i l i t i es wh ich o ther s werew i l l i ng to take . I n the case under rev i ew , B r i t a i nshouldered the re spons ib i l i ty and the League—thoughadm ittedly re luc tant— was w i ll i ng to throw the respons ib i l i tyon B r i ta i n . The League could not have ins i sted morethan i t d i d on the necess i ty o f prac t ical pro t ect ion o f themino r i t i e s no r could i t have re fused the admi ss ion o f I raqto the “ Ho ly Place” . The admi ss ion o f I raq in 1 932 was

cu t and dr i ed s ince 1 9 2 9 ,as B r i ta in had unde r taken s i nce

that date to admi t I raq uncond i t ional ly , prov i ded I raq wasprepared to s ign a Treaty o f Al l iance be fo re admi ss ion ,wh ich woul d sa feguard the B r i t i sh interest s i n I raq . I raqs igned the Treaty unde r cond i t ions to be expla ined herea ft e r . B r i ta in inundated the League o f Nat ions w i thflowe ry r epo r t s on the fi tness o f I raq . The H igh Commiss ioner

,i n a sec ret c i rcular to al l the B r i t i sh provinc i al

offic i al s , conveyed to them the pr i nc ip l e s by wh ich theyshould be gu ided i n o rde r to fac i l i tate the acqu i s i t ion o r

th i s coveted Treaty .

BEFORE THE LEAGUE

A B r i t i sh o ffi ce r wh o had been in the count ry fo r manyyears was bound by h i s duty to come in dai ly contac t w i thal l c l as ses o f peopl e , (who se expe r i ence was nece ssar i lymuch w i der than the H igh Commi ss ione r i s su ing the c i r

cu lar ) , d id no t hes i tate to o ffe r the fo l low i ng rema rks :Have neve r seen such bal l s i n my l i fe .

The re was th e fear that the I raq i ext rem i st s andintr igue r s ( the maj o r i ty o f w hom a re such ) would p reventthe pass ing o f the Treaty by the cab ine t and thepar l i ament . I t was

,the re fo re

,a r range d w i th the King

o f I raq that he should be p ro c l a imed a d ictato r w i th acabinet appo i n t ed by h im in consul tat ion w i th th e Mandato ry Pow e r . Reso l u t ions o f the cabinet we re to beexecuted a fte r agreement w i th the B r i t i sh offic i al s . TheAdvi so r o f the Mi n i s t ry o f I nte r io r acco rd ingly i ssuedo rde rs to the Admini s trat ive Inspec to r s to be p re

pared to take ove r d i rec t charge o f the i r respec t ive d iv is ions in accordance w i th h i s i nstruct ions wh i ch had theapp roval o f the King . The reason was that the B r i t i shpo l icy was bei ng oppo sed by even the mo st mode rate peopl el ike S ir

’Abdul Muhs i n beg al Sa ’dun . I t was mo stun fo r tunate that ’Abdul Muhs in beg should have com

m itted su ic i de cast ing the shadow o f t ragedy ove r theSa ’dun fami ly . Parenthet i cal ly , may we say that th i s ,a sp i r i t ed al te rcat ion between Maj o r Hube r t Youngr and’Abdul Muhs in Beg at Qasr Kadh im Pasha

,and ’

A bdul ’sse l f-de struc t ion on th e same day , are no me re incons e

quen t ial s equence o f events .

There was a comple te s i l ence as to what the te rmso f the new Treaty woul d be . The Kurds became rest i veand the o ther mino r i t i e s began to fee l apprehens ive . S ir

Fran c i s became terr ib ly occup i ed i n answer ing le tte rs o f

the l eaders o f the Chr i st i an mino r i t i e s , o ther than th e

Assyr i ans whos e case was “ Spec i al”,assur i ng them that

the i r i n terests would be sa feguarded—though omitted i n


and B r i t ish au tho r i t ie s in I raq . (D i d th e la t ter au thor i tie s tru lyrep re sen t th e A s sy r ian case On ly af te r th e fu l l e s t enqu i r ie s and

on th e s trength of sp e c ifi c assu rance s ( I su ppose assu rance s of th e

I raq Go v e rnmen t w i th whom I wou l d no t v en tu re to e n tru s t a

cow ) h ad th e B r i t i sh come to th e con c lu s ion tha t th e en try of I raqi n to th e Leagu e as a sov e re ign S ta te wou l d be to th e advan tageno t on ly of I raq bu t a l so of th e A s sy r ian s . (T oo h igh a logic fo rme to comp rehe nd ) . He cou l d fu r the r assu re M . Do l lfu s tha t th ev ery be s t land avai lab le h ad be en gi v en to th e A ssy r ian s . (Whyth en i n fan t mo r ta l i ty a t t im e s , 100 p e r ce n t T h e p robl em of landh ad no t bee n an easy one to so l v e (Che rch ez th e Arab offi c ial s) .

“

Ob v iou s ly th e Leagu e , af ter th e admi ss ion of I raq, cou l d no t

con ti nu e to sup e rv i se th e s i tu a t ion of min o r i tie s i n a d i re c t mann er .

(Tha t i s exac tly why we ma i n ta i n tha t th e Leagu e h as no t , and

canno t, hav e th e l eas t re spo n s ib i l i ty for wha t h as taken p lace ) . He

p e rsonal ly was con v i n ced tha t I raq wou l d deal fa irly, no t on ly w i thh e r A s sy r ian mino r i ty, bu t w i th all h er mino r i tie s . ( Pas t h i s to ry of

I raq wou l d chal le nge th i s s ta temen t) . I t shou l d be no ted tha t th emino r i t ie s ’ d e c la ra t io n a ccep ted by I raq was th e mo s t s tr i ngen t tha th ad e v e r b ee n d raf ted . ( Ve ry t ru e , bu t on pap e r on ly ) . If any

th i ng we n t rad i ca l ly wrong th e Leagu e cou l d take ac tion bu t p e rsonally h e was su re tha t no th i ng o f tha t k i nd wou l d occu r . ( B u tw e to l d y ou th i s wou l d o ccu r ) . I raq was anx iou s to show tha t sh e

was wor thy o f th e confiden ce p laced i n h e r and h er re cord h ad

r ea l ly be e n a good one . ( Shou l d hav e sa i d a rea l ly bad one . )

Ge ne va, Nov emb e r 14th , 1932 .

Communicat ions from the Assyr i ans popul at ion for

warded in connec t ion w i th the terminat ion o f the mandatoryreg im e i n I raq and re fer red to i n the Counc i l ’s dec i s ion o f

September 2 4th ,1 932 .

Op inion of th e Permanent Mandates Commi ssion .

Th e Pe rman en t Manda te s Commi ss ion ,Hav i ng examined th e p e ti tion s f rom th e A s sy r ian commu n i ty

i n I raq wh i ch hav e be en fo rwarded to th e Leagu e of N a tion s s i nceth e Commis si o n ’s twe n ty-firs t se s s ion .

“Hav i ng no ted th e ob se rva t ion s o f th e Uni ted Kingdom Gov

BEFORE THE LEAGUE

ernmen t on those p e t i t ion s and h eard th e add i tional i n fo rma t iongiven o ral l y by th e rep re se n ta t i v e o f tha t Gov e rnmen t .

“

E ndo rs i ng th e a t tach ed con c lu s ion s of i ts Rappo r teu r ,D raw s th e Cou n c i l ’s sp ec ial a t ten tion to th e g rea t impo r tance

bo th for th e A ssy r ian s th em se l v e s and fo r I raq o f p rovi d ing th e

A s syr ian s w i th oppo r tu n i tie s fo r se t tl em en t i n a homogen e ou s g rou pwh ich wou l d sa ti sfy the i r economi c n eed s ,

For th e re s t, i t con s i de r s , for th e rea son s s ta ted i n i ts Rapp o r teu r ’

s conclu s ion s , tha t th e re i s n o n eed fo r i t to su bmi t to th e

Cou n c i l any o th e r sp ec ial r ecomm enda t ion '

ia r ega rd to those p e t ition s .

”

Conc lu si on s of th e Rapp orteur to th e PermanentManda t e sCommi s sion .

“ F rom a compar i son o f th e do cum en ts ana l y z e d abo v e and o f

th e num e rou s p e t i t ion s p re v iou sly add re s sed to th e Leagu e byA ssy r ian g rou p s o r on b eha l f o f th e A s sy r ian s o f I raq th e re ar i s e sa defin i te imp re s s ion tha t th i s commu n i ty i s di s sa s t ifi ed w i th i t s

p re s e n t lo t and p ro fou nd ly u n ea sy as to'

i t s fu tu re . A f ew dis

co rdan t vo i ce s i n th i s con ce r t of compla i n ts and app eal s to th e Leagu eon ly empha s i z e i t s p rac ti cal u nan imi ty .

I t sh ou l d no t , h owe v e r , be i n f e r red—as th e Commi ss io n h as

a l ready p o i n ted ou t on o th e r o c ca s ion s , wh i l e exp re s s i ng th e con ce rnw i th wh i ch i t v iew s th e p o s i t ion o f th e mino r i t i e s—tha t e i th e rManda to ry Pow e r or th e I raq i au th o r i t i e s a re op e n t o g rav e rep roachf o r th e mann e r in wh i ch th e A s sy r ian s se t tl ed i n I raq hav e b e e nt rea ted u nd e r th e manda to ry sy s tem .

“Among th e A s sy r ian s o f I raq th e g rea te r numb e r , wh o hav eedme f rom Tu rkey i n to A s ia , hav e f o u nd sh e l te r i n th i s co u n t ryi n th e cou r s e o f th e la s t f ew y ear s . Th ey are e n camp ed th e re i ncond i tio n s wh i ch , i n mo s t case s , are p re ca r iou s and mi s e rabl e : th eyare re fugee s .

“ Th ey hav e h ad to be se t tl ed on land . I n fac t , th e se mou ntainee rs hav e b ee n se t tl ed i n d i s t r i c ts con s i s ti n g o f mar shy and

u nh ea l thy p la i n s , o r d i sp e rsed i n sma l l group s o r famil i e s i n th e

mid s t o f th e Ku rd ish o r A rab popu la tion .

I n th e p e ti tion s wh i ch th e Comm is s si on h as had to d ea l w i tha t i t s p re v iou s se ss ion s , we fi nd an exp re s s ion o f th e f ee l i ng o f

i n secu r i ty i n sp i red i n th e A ssy r ian s , no t on ly by th e c l ima te , w i thth e casu a l tie s wh i ch i t cau se s i n th ei r rank s , by th e s te r i l i ty o f th e

land wh i ch h as b ee n as s i gn ed to th em and by th e p re car iou sn e s s of


the ir r igh ts to cu l t i va te th e so i l , bu t esp ecially by th e scattering ofth e i r commun i ty among popu la tions of o t/z er races .

I t i s th i s la t te r c i rcum s tan ce s wh ich exp la i n s the se i nd i v idu ala c ts of v io l en ce , th e se a t tacks aga i n s t p e r so n s and p rope r ty wh ichth e A s sy r ian s hav e con s tan tly comp la i ned of , and wh i ch they f ears i n ce th e ce s sa t ion of B r i t i sh con tro l h as app eared imminen t—w i l lbe mu l t ip l ied to th e po i n t o f mak i ng th e cond i tion s of ex i s ten ce of

th e i r commu n i ty defin i te ly i n to l e rab l e .

Th e roo t cau se of th e s ta te o f u n re s t re v ea led by th e p e ti tion swe are dea l i ng w i th re s id e s i n th e fac t tha t i t h as no t y e t b ee np os s i b l e to co l le c t th e A s sy r ian s of I raq i n to a homogene ou s g rou pi n a reg io n su i tabl e to th e i r n eed s .

Y ou r Rappo r teu r i s i n c l i ned to th i nk tha t as long as th i s h asno t be e n do n e th e d i s co n ten t and mo ra l d i s s idence o f th i s s e c t iono f i t s popu la tion w i l l rema i n l ike a tho rn i n th e fl e sh o f I raq . Thi sop i n ion se em s to fa l l i n w i th tha t of th e gov e rnmen t of th e Uni tedKingdom whe n i t s ta te s tha t ‘

th e re tu rn o f th e A ssy r ian s to th e i rold hom e s i n th e Hakkiar i mou n ta i n s wou l d s t i l l u ndou b ted ly beth e t bc s t so lu t ion ’

.

“ I t h a s no t bee n p ro v ed to th e sa ti sfac tio n o f an impar tial ob

se rv e r tha t land s combi n i ng th e requ i s i te cond i tion s fo r th e s e t tl em en t o f th e A s sy r ian s i n a homogen eou s group do no t ex i s t i n I raq ,o r tha t th e po s s i b i l i ty o f re-se t tl i ng them in the i r cou n try o f o ri gi nmu s t be d efin i te ly ru l ed ou t . I t wou l d be de s i rab le for th e Cou n c i lo f th e Leagu e to u se i ts i nflu en ce i n favou r of one or o th e r of th e seso lu tion s be i ng s i n ce re ly sough t .We sha re th e co nfide n ce o f th e gov ernme n t of th e Un i ted

Kingdom in th e par t wh ich th e A ssy r ian e l emen t i s de s t i n ed to p layi n I raq, bu t we are i n c l i ned to be l iev e tha t th e As sy r ian s wou l dbe s t ill mo re u n l ike ly to rema i n loyal su bj e c ts if th ey we re p lacedi n co nd i tion s mo re c lo se ly app roach ing to those wh ich th ey had be enled to exp e c t i n v iew of th e c i rcum s tance s to wh i ch th ey d rawa t ten tion .

A mod ifi ca tion o f th e no r th e rn f ron tie rs of I raqas d e fined i n th e Cou n c i l ’s de c i s ion o f 1925 and i n th e p rov i s ion so f th e Ango ra T rea ty o f 1926 sugge s ted i n th e se cond p e ti tion cou l do nly take p lace a s a re su l t o f an agreemen t be tween th e S ta te scon ce rn ed . Su ch an ag re emen t migh t con s ti tu te a sa t i sfactory so lu t ionand be s ou gh t by I raq shou l d i t be fou nd tha t th e re wa s no

te r r i to ry i n I raq i ts e l f wh ich was su i tabl e for th e se t tl em en t of

th e A ssyrians as a homogeneou s group .

“

As regard s th e fu tu re s ta tu s of mino r i t ie s in I raq, wh i ch is

a l so d eal t w i th i n th i s p e t i tio n , i t h as al ready b ee n d efined and


app rehen s ion s f e l t by th e Pe rmanen t Manda tes Commi ss ion for th e

fu tu re of th e A s sy r ian refugees i n I raq .

“

On th e ou tb reak of th e war, th e de scendan ts of tha t an c ien trace h ad be e n l i v i ng i n th e mou n ta i n s of Ku rd i s tan . Abou th ad p e r i sh ed i n th e de fe nce of th e i r home s or su ccumbed on th e

road to ex i l e . Th e d i sas te r h ad broke n u p famil i es , se v e r i ng w i v e sf rom the ir hu sband s and ch i l d ren f rom the ir pa re n ts . T h e su rv i vorswe re now d i sp e rsed i n Ru s s ia, Pe rs ia and some 35 and 40 thou sandof them , i n I raq .

F or many years th e fa te of those i n I raq h ad con s tan tlyp reoccu p ied th e Pe rmanen t Manda te s Commi s s ion i n con sequ e nce o f

th e app eal s and comp la i n ts wh ich i n th e fo rm of p e t i tion s th e

Manda to ry Rég ime h ad e nab l ed them to b r i ng to th e no t ice of th e

Leagu e .

“

T h e Mosu l Commi s s ion ’

s Repo r t te s t ifi ed to th e fa i th reposedby th e se u nhappy p eop l e i n th e Leagu e . Th e i r e n ti re a t ti tu de h admo reov er shown th e i r u nbou nded confiden ce i n th e Uni ted Kingdomas manda to ry for Iraq .

“

As th e Mo su l Commi s s ion h ad ob se rv ed a t th e tim e o f th e

1925 e nqu i ry , all Ch r i s t ian s h ad p ronou n ced i n favou r o f th e

a l lo ca tion o f th e Mo su l Wi lay e t to I raq , s i n ce tha t, i n th e i r v i ew ,

m ean t th ey we re p lac i ng th em se l v e s u nde r B r i ti sh p ro te c t ion .

T h e A s sy r ian s i ndeed d id no t fa i l to recal l th e be l ie f i n wh i ch th eyh ad b een u ph e l d tha t th e B r i t i sh Manda te o v e r I raq wou l d las tfor no t l es s than twe n ty-five yea rs .

Th ey h ad h ad fu l l confid en ce i n th e Manda to ry Powe r and h adu n re s e rv edly p laced th e i r fa te i n i t s hand s . Th rou ghou t th e

du ra tion o f th e Manda te th e s e refu ge e s h ad fu rn i sh ed th e re c ru i tsfo r th e A s syr ian Lev ie s , wh ich h ad b ee n th e mos t tru s two r thyau x i l ia ry fo rce a t th e Manda to ry Pow e r ’s d i sp o sal i n th e cou n try ,and h ad fo r twe l v e yea rs ma i n ta i ned o rder on th e I raq i f ron ti e r sand p re se rv ed th e i r i n tegr i ty wh e re v e r they we re menaced .

“ Tha t h ad bee n th e p os i tion r igh t down to th e annou n cem en to f th e fo r th coming ce s sa t ion of B r i ti sh con tro l , wh i ch h ad cau s edd e ep p e r tu rba tion among th e A s sy r ian commu n i ty i n I raq . F romtha t time p e ti tion s h ad flowed i n to th e Leagu e .

“

Th e p e t i t ion s wh i ch , by i t s d e c i si on of Sep tembe r 24th las t , on

th e eve o f I raq ’s e n try i n to th e Leagu e , th e Cou n c i l h ad i n s tru c tedth e Pe rmanen t Manda te s Commi ss ion to examine , rep re se n ted a las tapp ea l to th e so l i c i tu d e of th e Leagu e and l ikew i se of th e fo rme rManda to ry Powe r . Had n o t i nd eed , th e la t te r s ta ted , th rou gh i t saccred i ted rep re sen ta ti v e to th e Pe rmanen t Manda te s Commi s s ion ,

BEFORE THE LEAGUE

THAT IN RECOMMEND ING IRAQ ’S ADMISS ION TO THELEAGUE I T REGARDED ITSELF AS ‘MORALLY RESPON

S IBLE ?’

Th e Pe rman en t Manda te s Commi s s ion ’s rep o r t was b efo re th e

cou nci l and showed tha t i n th e Commi s s ion ’

s op in ion th e re was somej u s t ifica t ion f or th e app reh en s ion s f e l t by th e A s sy r ian s i n I raq fo rth e fu tu re of th e i r race .

Expe r ien ce mo re o v e r h ad sh own tha t i n I raq ra c ia l and

re l igiou s p rej u d ice s s ti l l h e l d sway . H e wou l d m e re l y m e n tion th e

case of th e Baha i s e c t i n Baghdad , WH ICH SOME YEARSPREV IOUSLY HAD BEEN THE V ICTIM OF A DEN IAL OFJUSTICE WH ICH HAD NOT YET BEEN REPAIRED ,

n o t

w i th s tand i ng THE RECOMMENDATION S RENEWED BYTHE COUNC I L ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCAS ION S

The re was i n th e con c lu s ion to th e Commi s s ion ’

s rep o r t one

p ropo sal , v i z .

‘D raw s . sp e c ial a t ten tion to th e grea t imp o r tan cebo th for th e A s sy r ian s th em se l v e s and fo r I raq o f p ro v id i ng th e

A s sy r ian s w i th opp o r tu n i tie s fo r s e t tl em e n t i n a HOMOGENEOUSGROUP whi ch wou l d be i n k e ep i ng w i th th e i r t rad i tion and wou l dsa ti sfy th e i r economi c n eed s .

’

“ I n th e Commi s s ion ’

s v i ew—and h e wou l d u rge th i s po i n tpar ti cu larl y—THERE WAS NO OTHER SOLUTION FOR THEPOLIT ICAL SOC IAL AND ECONOM IC PROBLEM WH ICHWAS THE CENTRAL POINT IN ALL THE ASSYR IANPET IT ION S '

“ I t was by reason of th e g rav e charac te r o f th e ma t te r b e fo ret h e Cou n c i l tha t th e Cha i rman o f th e Pe rman en t l\l anda te s

Commi s s ion h ad d e c id ed to d raw th e Cou n c i l ’s pa r ti cu la r a t te n t io nto th i s qu e s t ion . ON THE SOLUTION FOUND TO I T M IGHTDEPEND THE FUTURE OF THE REMNANT OF ACHRI ST IAN COMMUN ITY IN THE EAST .

M. Ma s s ig li ( F ran ce ) , sp eak i ng as F rench Rep re sen ta t i v e ,w i l l i ngly a ssen ted to M . Ben e ’

s p roposal ; ( Fo rma tio n o f a sub

commi t tee ) .

“

T h e pas t gl o r i e s and p re sen t mi sfo r tu n e s o f th e

A ssy r ian p eop l e gav e i t so s trong a t i tl e to th e so l i c i tu d e o f th e

Cou nc i l tha t th e la t te r cou l d no t bu t associ a te i tself w i th th e

anx i e tie s wh i ch h ad gi v e n r i se to th e d i scu s s ion and wh i ch h ad fou ndexp res s ion bo th i n th e Manda te s Commi s s ion ’

s rep o r t and i n th e

s ta tem e n t ju s t mad e by i t s Cha i rman . Fu r th er, th e v e ry sp e c ia lcha rac te r o f th e case b e fo re th e Cou n c i l mu s t be p la i n ly re cogn i z ed ,and th e Rappor teu r h ad no t fai l ed to d raw a t ten t io n to i t . M ean s


mu s t be fou nd for pu t ti ng an end to a p rob l em w i th wh ich th e

Cou nci l h ad been p re v iou s ly con cerned fo l low i ng on repo r ts f romth e Manda te s Commi ss ion a t th e t ime when I raq was s ti l l i n a s ta teof tu te lage . M . Ma s s igli exp re s sed h i s sa ti sfac tion tha t th e Cou n c i lwou l d con ti nu e to be ab le to ava i l i tse l f of th e Manda tes Commi s s ion ’

s ad v ice i n so l v ing th i s p robl em .

“Tha t be i ng th e case , h e wou l d me re ly p u t forward th e hopetha t th e Cou nc i l Commi t tee wh ich i t was p ropo sed to se t up wou l dspeed i ly b r i ng th i s wo rk to a su cce ssfu l conclu s ion . He de s ired al soto emphas i z e th e impo r tan ce of th e A s sy r ian p eop l e ’

s re co v e r i ng, as

soon a s poss i b le , th e fee l i ng of secu r i ty wh ich was one of th e

condi tion s fo r i ts de v e lopme n t .”

S ir Jo h n S im o n was v e ry glad , on behalf of h is Go v e rnm en t,to give h is w i l l i ng adh es ion to th e Rappor teu r ’

s p ropo sal , wh ichseemed to h im , u nd e r th e c i rcum s tance s , to be th e be s t way of d eali ng w i th th i s ma t te r . Al l memb e rs of th e Cou nc i l fe l t th e g rea te s tanx ie ty to secu re th e be s t mode of t rea tmen t for th i s v e ry d iff i cu l tcase . Th i s anc ie n t p eop l e , w i th i ts g rea t t rad i tion s , and now v e ryredu ced i n numbe rs , l e f t the i r home s i n Tu rk i sh Ku rd i s ta n and theywe re th e su rv i vors of th e A ssy r ian na t ion wh o fou nd the ir way as

refugee s i n to Ru s s ian te rri to ry . Th e Uni ted Kingdom , i n v iew o f

i t s re spon s i b i l i t ie s i n tha t a rea, was v e ry we l l awa re o f the i r diff icu lt ie s , and h ad shown i n a v e ry p rac tical way i ts i n te re s t i n th e i rfa te . (F or th e Uni ted Kingdom h ad i n te re s t i n th e A s sy r ian s ) . Th i sp eop l e we re hou sed , f ed, and c lo th ed for years , ( one yea r ) a t th e

exp en se o f th e Un i ted Kingdom Gov e rnmen t, and al though th e la t

t er we re n o t re spon s ib le for th e ir e n try i n to th e War on th e s ideo f th e Al l ie s , th ey h ad con ti nu ally g i v en th e be s t as s i s tan ce th e ycou l d , wh i ch u ndou b tedly wa s n e ed ed . (We re no t th e A s sy r ian s i nn e ed of th i s ass i s tan ce wh e n th ey we re b e i ng massac red i n Au gu s t ,1933, i n I raq I t so happ e n ed tha t th e Mo su l bou nda ry, a s d e c i dedby th e Cou n c i l , d id no t i n c lu d e , as th e Uni ted Kingdom h ad su g

ge s ted , th e d i s t r i c t on th e Tu rk i sh s ide f rom wh i ch many of th e sere fu gee s came . ( S i r Joh n S imon re fe rs to Hakkiari . T h e B r i ti shGo v e rnm e n t ’s a im , by a sk ing th e i n c lu s ion of tha t region i n I raq ,was no t i n my op i n io n p r ima r i l y for th e exp l i c i t good o f th e A s

sy r ian s . T h e Tu rk MUST n o t be i n th e v i c i n i ty of th e M o su l o il . )Whil s t no t i n any way chal l e ng i ng tha t d e c i s ion , th e Uni ted Kingdom Go v e rnmen t cou l d no t bu t v iew w i th g rav i ty th e p re s e n t p o s it ion of the se p eop l e .

M. B ia n c h e r i gladly su pp o r ted , on beha l f of th e I tal ian Gov e rnmen t, M . Ben e s ’ p rop o sa l to se t u p a Commi ttee of th e Cou n c i l tocon s ide r th e qu e s tio n of th e A s sy r ian commu n i ti e s i n I raq . At th e


red to i n the fo rmer d i scuss ions . I t shoul d be remarkedthat al l the member s had stated that a h omogeneous s e ttle

m en t was the only means by wh ich to make the Assyr i an sfee l secu re . Th rough p ressu re b rought to bear on theCommittee o f Th ree , the quest ion o f homogeneous sett l ement w as changed into that o f homogeneous un i ts . anexp ress ion that al lowed to I raq Gove rnment to d i spe rsethe Assy r i ans wh ich resul ted in an exodus to Syr i a . Ther e lat i ve par t o f the reso l ut ion was th i s :

“ N o te s w i th sa t i s fac t i on th e d e c la ra t ion by th e r ep re se n ta ti v e so f I raq o f th e i n te n ti on o f th e I raq Gov e rnm e n t to s e l ec t f rom ou t

s id e I raq a fo re ign exp e r t to as s i s t th em for a l imi ted p e r iod i nth e s e t tl em e n t o f all landl e s s i nh ab i tan ts o f I raq i n c lu d ing A s sy r i

ans and i n th e ca r ry i ng ou t of th e i r sch em e fo r th e se t tl eme n t o f

th e A s sy r ian s o f I raq u nd e r su i tab l e cond i tio n s and. so far as may

be p o s s ib l e , i n h omoge n eou s u n i t s , i t b e i ng u nd e r s tood tha t t h e ex

i s t ing r igh ts o f th e p re sen t p opu la ti on shal l n o t be p re j u d iced .

The All ar S h iw un,wh o was then i n Geneva natu ral ly

fe l t ve ry pe r tu rbed at the sudden change because h i s manyy ea rs

'

expe r i ence o f s e ttlem e n t s ch em es l e ft n o doubt inh i s m i nd that the reso lu t ion , unl ess s o al te red as to be h armon iou s w i th i ts o r ig i nal t enor that was i ntended , andca r r i ed ou t unde r the ausp ices o f the League

,would be

d i sast rous to h i s peopl e . To di scharge the duty he owedh i s p eopl e . he add res sed the fo l low i ng not e to the Leagueo f Nat ions , wh i ch I repeat ve rbat im fo r i t s h i sto r ical charac te r and fo r po i nt ing ou t to tho se wh o so l d the honor o f

the i r w i ves and daughte rs fo r mundane in te rests .

Geneva, D e cembe r 1 6 . 1932 .

H is E xce llency ,

P r e s za’e n t

,P e rmanen t ilf anda tes Commis s ion ,

L eag u e of N a tzons , Geneva .

S zr ,

I beg to br z ng t/z e fo llo zv zng p e t i ti on befo re You r E xcellency .

As th e A s sy r za n p e t i t zo n da ted th e 1 7 tll of Ju ne , 1 932 and s ub

s equ e n t p e tz tion da ted 22nd of S ep tembe r , 1 932 . we re bo th ad

BEFORE THE LEAGUE

dr ess ed to y ou and th e p rocedur e followed wi th r egard to th em

cons is ted of a consu lta tion of th e Manda tes Comm iss ion as if I raqwas s ti ll cons idered to be u nder Manda tory Reg ime in so far as

th e qu es tion of As sy r ian refug e es was concern ed, I mo s t resp ectfu llybeg to submi t th e following for y ou r h ind cons idera tion and favou rable di sposal.

Th e resolu tion pass ed by th e Cou nci l of th e L eag ue of N a tions

on th e 15 D ecember , 1932 , i s no t in co nform i ty wi th th e sp ir i t ofth e r ecomm enda tions s e t fo rwa rd by Your Commis s ion from t ime to

tim e and does no t in any way g uaran tee th e leas t h op e , no t only

for th e fu tu re welfar e and s afeg u ard of th e As sy r ian as a wh ole ,

i . e . in th e way of a h omog eneous s e ttlem en t in I raq , bu t no t ev en

for a q u ick way for u rg en t r e li ef work fo r th e As sy r ianswh o are now liv ing wi th ou t h omes and u t te rly des ti tu te in I raq .

Th e condi tions u nde r wh ich th i s pa r t of th e As sy r ians a r e a t p res

en t living ar e fu lly exp la ined in th e app e ndix to my le t te r da ted3rd N ovember 1 932 , wh ich r ep li es to obs e rva tio ns made by I raqi

Gov er nme n t to As sy r ian p e ti tion da ted 17 th Ju ne , 1932 . ( S e e no te

B . on numbe rs u ns e t tled) .

Th u s after h av ing p e rs onally r ep re s e n ted th e cas e of my p eo

p le befor e y ou and th e m embers of th e Cou nc i l for a p e r iod ofth re e mon th s in every way th a t h as g iven y ou th e mos t au th e n tic i n

fo rma tion of th e i r pas t and p res e n t pa th e tic s ta te , I am r e tu rn ing ,

and I h ave to g iv e th em th e m es sag e th a t th ey are s ti ll to con tinue

u nder th e s ame s ta te of s uffe ring .

Excellency , I aga i n beg leave to rep ea t th a t th e r eso lu tion ofth e Counci l adop ted on th e 15th D ecember , 1932, wi ll no t i n any

way be tter th e p r e s en t m is erable condi ti ons of th e As sy r ians i n g en

eral and esp eci ally th os e in I raq . I t i s an adm i tted fac t th a t th e

As sy r ians are s ti ll r efug ees in I raq wh os e p roblem th e la te man

da tory p owe r h as fai led to s o lve and,th e r efo r e , th a t p roblem was

left to th e L eag u e of N a tions . A t th e same time i t i s i nconce ivable

h ow th is p roblem i s p rac ticable to be s olv ed by a fore ig n exp er t”

wh o is no t au th or i z ed by th e L eagu e of N a ti ons i ts elf di rec tly , and

wh o wi ll s imp ly dep end on th e faci li ti es g iven to h im by th e local

au th or i ti es on th e spo t and any local funds th a t may be for thcoming .

I n my op in ion a s olu tion of th e p roblem canno t be formed ifth e carry ing ou t of any p lan i s enti rely left to discre tion of I raq iGovernmen t and th e

“

for e ig n exp er t”

appoi n ted by i t .

I th er efore imp lore Your Excellency to be so h ind as to ap

proach th e Council of th e L eagu e and obtain th e ir cons en t to th e

following points .


( I ) Tha t th e ir decis ion of th e 15th D ecember , 1932 may be

r econs idered in th e ligh t of fu ll r ecommenda tions of y ou r Comm i s

s ion and th e need s of th e As sy r ians as alr eady laid down befo e i t,

i . e . g ran ting a fu ll h omog eneou s s e t tlemen t u nder th e au sp ices of a

Comm i s s ion of th e L eagu e of N a ti ons , after comp le tion .

( 2) If h owev er , a fu ll altera ti on of th e Counci l’

s r esolu tion i s

impos s ible , I s ti ll r equ es t th a t i ts deci s ion may be modifi ed as follows :

Th a t ins tead of a for e ign exp er t appoin ted by th e Gov e r n

m e nt of I raq , a member of th e L eagu e of N a tions from a dis in t er

es ted par ty be appo in ted for th e worh fu lly au th or i z ed by th e

L eagu e Council to mahe th e p rojec t of a h omog en eou s s e ttlem en t

op era tive in s o far as i t wi ll no t be pr ejudic i al to th e pr es en t legal

p oss ess ors of th e land. Mor eov er , in th is connection I beg to po i n t

ou t tha t , if th e s ch em e i s en ti rely left to th e I raq Governmen t even

i n i ts financial asp ec t, i t wi ll never be op erative , s ince th a t g overn

m en t h as already admi tted th a t“

no fu nds are avai lable for fu r th ers e ttleme n t op era tions

”

( v ide r ep ly from H . E . N ur i P ash a to th e

As sy r ian p e ti tion addr es s ed to H . E . th e B r i tish H igh Commis s ioner

in I raq—le t ter N o . 3083 da ted 2nd Augus t, 1932 , prin ted as app en

dix VI .)

I n conclu s ion , I beg to add th a t I h ave di s ch arg ed my du ty i n

th is r esp ec t befor e th e la te manda tory p ower and th e L eagu e ofN a tions to my u tmos t, and if th e Cou nci l wi ll, s t i ll in spi te of th is

my h umble and las t r equ es t in th e name of my p eople , r efuse to

cons ider th e ir las t decis ion , th e cons equ ences wi ll be inevi table dis

as te r , u nparalle led in th e h is tory of th is r emnan t of th e As sy ri anna tion and th e Oldes t Ch r is tian Ch u rch .

If You r E xcellency is not th e comp e ten t au th o ri ty to deal wi th

th is p e ti tion , I wou ld be mos t g ratefu l if y ou wou ld kindly pass i t

to th e au th or i ty concerned.

I h ave th e h onou r to be , Sir , Your Obedient Se rvan t .

Sd. E sh ai Sh imu n

B y th e Grace of God, Ca th oli cos P a tr ia rch ,

of th e As sy rians .

F ear no t each s udden s ound and s h ock,’

T is of th e wave and not th e rock;’

T is bu t th e flapp ing of th e sail,

And not a r en t made by th e gale"

In s p i te of rock and tempes t’

s roar,

I n s p i te of fals e ligh ts on th e s h ore ,

S ail on,nor fear to breas t th e s ea"”

From Longfe l low ’

s

Th e B u i lding of th e Sh ip .

CHAPTER XV

THE FINAL BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIAN S

PART I

The s igns o f a long-awa i ted w i cked plan o f the I raqGove rnment became se l f- ev i dent when Nu r i Sa ’ i d i n al et ter to th eMar S h ima n

,Patr i arch

,at Geneva

,i nv i ted h im

to go to Baghdad v i a Rutbah to i nt e rv i ew Naj i Shawkat,

then Pr ime Mi n i s t er . At the same t ime o rde r s we rei ssued to the two front i e r po l ice po st s at S i nj ar and Rutbahto d i spo s sess th e llI ar S h im un o f h i s passpo r t on ar r i va l ate i the r o f these two place s and p revent h im from ente r ingI raq terr i to ry .

The usual a rb i t rary o rde r s,wh ich we re com

m un icated to the front i e r po st s twenty days be fo re th e

Mar S h imnn’

s depar tu re from Geneva,we re w i th d rawn at

the e l eventh hour th rough B r i t i sh in te rventi on .

On the l gth o f Decembe r , 1 932 ,th e Mar S h imu n l e ft

Geneva,ar r i v i ng at B eyrouth on the 3 I s t , and Damascus

on the a fte rnoon o f the same day . On the I s t o f January ,

1 933, I j o i ned H i s Beat i tude at Damascus and inqu i redfrom him the resul t o f h i s v i s i t to Geneva . He was k indenough to pe rmi t me to read the reso l u t ion o f th e Counc i lo f the League , dated December 1 s th , 1 932 at the same t imeexpla in ing i t to the Assyr i an c l e rgy and to a lady wh o hadcome to Damascus to o ffer the i r respect s and obed i ence tothe Patr i arch .

A ft er a so j ourn o f two days i n Damascus,th e Mar

Sh iman returned to Baghdad by th e Na i rn Transport Co .


on the morn ing o f the th i rd o f January,accompani ed by

h i s secretary , the Rev . Deacon Emmanuel Sh imun .

About one hundred Assyr i an c l ergymen , Assyr i an o f

f ice rs and l eade r s o f al l A s syr i an t r i bes had, on the four th

o f January , hastened in twenty car s to a d i stance one

hou r above Ramad i to greet the ar r i val o f the Patr i arch .

On ar r ival at Ramad i,the po l ice asked th e Mar S h ima n

to s ign a document to the effec t that he would, on ar r i val

i n Baghdad,repo r t to the Commandant o f Po l ice . On the

Kh i r br idge n ear Baghdad,the re was an unu su a l ac t ivi ty

o f pla inc lo thesmen . Th e Mar S h imun proceeded to H ina id i whe re he was the guest o f the Assyr i an l ev i es .

On the f i f th o f January,he was i nv i ted to dinner by

S ir Franc i s Humphrys . The Air Vice-Mar shal l and B r igad i e r B rowne were al so p resent . S ir Franc i s asked th e

Mar S h ima n to use h i s good o ffices w i th the l ev i e s tom ai nta in t ranqu i l l i ty . He no doubt knew that h i s bet rayalwould badly a f fec t the loyal sp i r i t o f the l ev i es .

On January e ighth , th e Mar S h ima n was rece ived bythe Pr ime Mi n i s te r

,wh o assu red h im o f a sat i s fac to ry set

tlemen t o f the Assyr i ans,no doubt “

i f he remained i npower

,w i th whom

,he sa i d

,he sympath i zed .

”Th e Mar

S h ima n was al so rece ived by the King wh o reminded th e

Mar S h imun o f the d i scuss ions they had at Sar Amadiyah .

At that con fe rence , th e King p romised th e [War S h iw u n av i l l a ; a fat sal ary , and an open door i n the gove rnmentse rv ices fo r h i s immed iate re l at i ve s and al l tho se he recommended p rovided he cance l l ed h i s pro j ected v i s i t to Gen

eva . On be ing asked as to what the fate o f the Assyr i ansas a who l e would be

,the King evaded the quest ion .

A po i n t wh ich i s c lose ly connec ted w i th the sett l emento f the Assyr i ans must be c l eared be fore I go any fu r ther .

Maj o r D . B . Thomson , the Eng l i sh fo re ign expe rt ’

appo i nted by the I raq Government fo r the set t l ement o‘

i


they were , o r even could have been abl e to form a prel iminarv i dea o f the who l e Assyr i an quest ion . He , however ,accuses the [li ar S h imun o f having fai l ed to expla i n to theAssyr i ans h i s fai lu re at Geneva . Had Maj o r Thomsontaken the troubl e to make “ some inqu i r i e s , he would havefound that between the per iod o f the l oth to 2 9 th o f Decembe r

,1 932 ,

th i r teen ar t ic l e s were wr i t t en by the I raqpres s at the inst igat ion o f the cab ine t to publ i sh the newso f th eMar S h imun

’

s fa i lure,Maj o r Thomson had apparently

re l i ed on what vague in fo rmat ion the I raq source s we rei nc l i ned to place be fo re h im ,

and w i thout ver i fy ing theauthent ic i ty o f such b i ased in fo rmat ion , he commit ted h i sfi r s t blunder . He p robably lacked the courage to ver i fy ,fo r he was th e servant o f , and pai d by , the I raqGove rnment .

I sa i d that the news o f th e Mar S h imun’

s fai lurewas publ i shed in the I raq press at the inst igat ion o f theI raq cab inet . The fo l low i ng example i s a po s i t i ve proo f .

A fte r the d i sturbances at Sula iman iy ah on the oth o f

Septembe r,1 930 , when the I raq army Opened f i re on the

Kurd i sh c i v i l populat ion,the Kurds as i n the past

,

compla ined to the League o f Nat ions . The League renderedi t s dec i s ion and S ir Keneh an Co rnwal l i s addressed a no teto the Mi n i s ter o f Inte r io r , Jami l alMadfa ’

i on the grd o f

February,1 93 1 ,

wh ich I summar i z e below :

“

You know that the Ku rd i sh demands fo r an au tono

mous Ku rdi stan were rej ected by the League o f Nat ions inv i ew o f the att i tude taken at Geneva by H i s B r i tann icMaj esty ’s Gove rnment .

“ The League ’ s dec i s ion , I under stand , w i l l sho r t ly becommunicated to the pet i t ione r s and to the I raq Gove rnment . I s trong ly recommend that the I raq press be p re

vented from comment ing on the dec i s ion o f the Leagueles t the Ku rdi sh fee l ings be aroused . I must al so pu t on

paper my view s necessary fo r the pac i f icat ion o f the

THE FINAL BETRAYAL—1

Kurds wh ich , i f they had been fo l lowed at the t ime , thepresent uneas ines s woul d not have r i sen . I warned y ou o f

the inadvi sab i l i ty o f the prematu re w i thdrawal o f Co lone lTaw f iq Wahby Beg , the Mu tasarr i f o f Sula iman iy ah . Hewas

,howeve r

,w i thdrawn . The local l anguage law fo r the

Kurd i sh d i str ic t s was no t al lowed to pass by the I nte rpar l i amentary Committee w i thout int roduc i ng i nto i tamendments that are obj ec t ionabl e to the Ku rds . TheKurds are un fo r tunate ly aware o f th i s . An a rea educat iono ff icer should be appo i n ted . The numbe r o f Ku rd i sh po ~

l ice inspecto rs shoul d be increased and non -commi ss ionedo ff ic i al s gaze tted . A Ku rdi sh bureau i n the Mi n i st ry o f

Inter io r should be inst i tuted .

The Mi n i s te r o f I nte r io r wh o had o f f ic i al ly in fo rmedS ir Keneban in an o f f ice no t e o f September , 1 930 ,

thatone reg iment and two guns we re su f f i c i en t to deal w i ththe Ku rds as in the t imes o f the Tu rks

,agreed to warn

the p ress to absta i n from comment ing on th e dec i s ion o f

the League . The o ther measu res taken— the Ku rds p re fe rto be w i thout—we re o f no value

,fo r the Ku rd i sh Ass i stant

D i rec to r o f Admin i st rat ion,i n the Mi n i st ry was g i ven to

s ign t ravel l ing b i l l s, o rders o f t rans fe rs o f j un io r o f f ic i al s

,

e tc .,that were sent to h im by h i s A rab supe r io r to s ign on

h i s behal f . O f the D i rector o f Educat ion,I have spoken

under the head ing “ The Ku rds,and I shoul d l i ke to

e luc i date the o the r cr i ppl ed measu res taken,but I p re fe r to

l eave that to the Ku rd i sh soc i e ty now OCCUp led i n w r i t inga book on Southern Ku rd i stan .

When Sal im B az z un’

s paper A I’Alam U l

’A rab i at

t empted to produce the translat ion o f that mo st abl e art ic l eby Fus i l i e r

,the p re s s bu reau warned the ed i to r on the

1 8 th o f Septembe r , 1 932 , that he woul d be l i ab l e to pun i shment i f he d id s o .

Two Chr i s t i ans app l i ed fo r permiss ion to open newspaper s and were i l l egal ly re fused . The Ku rds have a new s


paper at Su laiman iy ah but the edi to r’s ar t ic l e s must fi rst

be censo red . The Arab newspapers on the o ther hand,

wer e at l iber ty to publ i sh as much mate r i al,provi ded that

the mate r i a l was calculated to demo ral i z e the non—Arabs .

Yet , Yas in al Hash imi i n h i s observat ions on thepet i t ions o f th eMar S h iman o f August 1 6 th and 30 th ,

andSeptembe r 1 2 th

,1 933 ( page 4 ) re fe r r i ng to the I raq par

liam en t and the p ress,s tates Bo th these inst i tut ions are

free and the Government i s in no way responsibl e for

speeches i n the Chambe r, o r fo r ar t ic l e s i n the p ress .

Wi l l Yas in Pasha permit me to draw h i s attent ion to

the v igo rous pro tes t he lodged w i th King Fai sal aga instNur i Pasha ’ s Government du r i ng the f i r s t quar ter o f 1 932 ?

( See pages 38 -

39 o f the book “ l e s Consequences t rag iquesdu mandat en D i d he no t there say that the I raqGove rnment was “ approp r i at ing the freedom o f the p ressand ove r twenty newspapers were supp ressed” ? How do esth i s co i nc i de w i th h i s statement to the League ? Has the rebeen any change s ince then e i ther i n gove rnment pe r sonne lo r the i r admini strat ive po l ic i es ? O r was that pro tes tme re ly a man iacal maneuvre to secure a job ?

As regards Yas in ’

s statement concern ing the freedomo f speech in Par l i ament , I only w i sh i t we re true . But apeople who se rep resentat ives canno t d i fferent i at e betweenZAMIL I and “

ZMAL I ”,are not fit to enj oy con s t itu

t ional freedom th rust on them by B r i ta in .

ZAMIL I i n Arabic means “My co l l eague

ZMAL I i n Arab ic means My donkeySomet ime back , a b i l l was to be passed by the I raq

par l i ament and when the t ime fo r vo t ing came , a deputyro se and sai d : “ I agree w i th my Zmali

”.

On the 1 1 th o f January , th e Mar S h ima n travel l ed toMo sul

,h i s Patr i archal Se e . On h i s ar r i val , he dec i ded to

i nv i te the Assy r i an l eade r s to a meet ing he w i shed to con


The mal ic ious perve rs ion o f the truth in i t s B lueBook was but a par t o f we l l conce ived but sordi d schemeto spread d i ssens ion among the Assyr i ans wh i l e th e MarS h iman was at Geneva . Ant i-Assyr i an madh abatas ,

wh ich l ate r were d i scovered to car ry 65% forged s ignatur es , were sent to S ir Franc i s to p re sent to theLeague . The remain ing s ignatures were co l l ec ted by co r

rupt ion . These madh abatas contained s ignatures o f thoseAssyr i ans wh o two months prev iously had begged theMarS h ima n to t ravel to Geneva and de fend the i r case . ( Seeappend ix “A”

. A case in po i n t would give the reader ageneral i dea as to the methods employed to obtain such

p e rfidiou s documents w i th wh ich to pul l the woo l over theeyes o f the member s o f the League .

Adduny a El i as , an Assyr i an , appl i ed to Nur i al Sa’ i d

fo r a job when the lat ter was Pr ime Mi n i ster . Nur i gaveh im a l et ter to Nicho l a Abdul Nu r wh o ,

be fore be ingcharged w i th embe z z lem ent l

,was the D i rector fo r patro l

a f fa i rs . N icho l a was to l d to give Adduny a a job on condit ion he wr i te a p ro - I raq ar t ic l e . Adduny a was al so to l dthat that was neces sary i n v i ew o f the news o f Assyr i anem igrat ion from I raq . N icho l a ( o r better known as Thab i t ) wh o had qu ickly r i sen to the t i t l e o f

“ Exce l lency” ,

but once again an e ffend i , dra fted an ant i-Assyr i an ar t ic l eand sent i t to the p ress , represent ing to Adduny a thatthe ar t ic l e conta ined a r equest fo r I raqi nat ional i ty paperw i thout wh ich he coul d no t employ h im . The ar t ic l e wasimmed iate ly publ i shed . Adduny a went to present h i s caseto the p res s but no attent ion was g i ven to h im .

N ich ola i s now charged w i th embezz l ement ( probablynot the f i rst o f i t s k ind ) o f some two thousand poundsfrom the industr i al exh ib i t ion he ld at Baghdad .

l—A l Akha a l Wa ta n i o f

A l I s t iq la l o f a nd o f

A l Ta rlq o f

THE FINAL BETRAYAL—1

On the o ther hand , the I raq i Gove rnment dece ivedMar Sargi s and “Kho shabah , the s ignato r i e s to the pet it ion shown in append ix “A”

,but not w i thout the B r i ti sh

o f f ic i a l ’ s he lp .

“Kho shabah was p romi sed to be made She i k u l

Mashay ikh” o f the Assyr i ans,i f he we re to consent to the

Dash taz i sett l ement scheme ; h i s son,Yusu f

,a student in

the mi l i tary schoo l , was to be p romo ted to the rank o f anofficer ; h i s second s on Daud was to be made a po l ice o i

hee r ; o the r re lat i ve s we re to have acces s to gove rnmentpos ts in p re fe rence to the o the r “

obst inate” Assy r i ans ; andh i s son—in -law

,Lazard

,was to be made Mud i r Nah iyah o f

Dohuk .

Mar Sargi s was p romised two houses ; one at Dohukand the o the r at Kh i rsh a in iy ah . H i s bro the r O rah am wa s

to be made a po l i ce o f f ice r . He h imse l f woul d be given afavou rabl e po s i t ion . A sum o f 80 0 Rupee s was rem i t tedh im ; and a l and case , outstand ing fo r the l ast fou r year s ,was to be sett l ed to h i s sat i s fac t ion .

F o r these p r i v i l eges,th ey we re asked by the gov

e rnm ent to :

( a ) Renounce the Mar Sh im un,

( b ) Deny the i r complaint s made to the League o f

Nat ions against the I raq Gove rnment ,

( c ) Agree to the Dash taz i set t l ement a one - eyed p ro

( d) S ign document s propo sed from t ime to t imeby gove rnment offic i a l s stat ing that the gove rnment wasbenevo l en t and was affo rd ing th e Assy r i ans the bes ttreatment .Whi l e I p i ty Kho shabah for hav ing obl i te rated h i s

past reco rd , I can f i nd some j ust i f icat ion for h i s subs e

quent act ions . Kho shabah wh o, some year s ago ,

hadassass i nated h i s w i fe and two ch i l dren

,had fled to Tu rkey

and i t was due to th e i nte rvent ion o f the tl/I ar S h imun


when Wi l son re fe rred the case to h im—that he was al

lowed to r etu rn to I raq . Thi s case o f homic i de was l e ftopen by the I raq author i t i e s to use i t as a weapon againsth im should he at any future date denounce the ac t ions o f

the gove rnment .

F o r the act ions o f Mar Sargi s , there i s no j ust i f icat ion . He shoul d no t have remained a “ dead instrument”

when Assyr i ans o f h i s own blood were be ing murderedby a bunch o f rogues .

I t was under these c i rcumstances,th at the I raq Gov

e rnmen t attempted to separate the body from the head .

The I raq i offic i al s o f al l depar tments igno red the Assyr i anrecogn i z ed ch i e fs

,and t r i ed to break up in a few days

only the Assyr i an system o f long- ages—m an i nher i tedsystem wh ich made the Assyr i an l i fe an o rdered who l e .

The House o f the [War S h ima n s i tuated in Mahal l atShuku r was su r rounded day and n ight by a co rdon o f s e c

r e t po l ice in p l a in c lo thes . The names o f h i s v i s i to r s we rerepo r ted to the po l ice and the Mu tasar r i f wh o w e re i nleague w i th the central author i t i e s i n Baghdad

,the l att e r

place be i ng a nest fo r ant i -Assy r i an int r igues

When o ff ic i al ly” tho se in powe r were sympathet icw i th the Assyr i ans

,the press on the 2 I s t o f January , de

m anded the d i sm i ssal from the rai lways and the o il com

p an ie s o f al l “ these Assyr i an r e fugees” as “ they are a dange ron s ge rm in the body o f I raq

The sp ec i al repo r t submi tted bv the Co lon ial O f f ice tothe Counc i l o f the League o f Nat i ons on the p rogress o f

I raq dur i ng the pe r iod 1 9 2 0- 1 93 1 r eco rded the fo l low i ng

s tatement on p age 2 77 :

Th e re i s l i t tl e dou b t tha t i r re spon s ib l e i nflu en ce s we re a t wo rk ,ch i e f ly i n Baghd ad , to mak e trou bl e b e twee n th e A s sy r ian s and th e

Ku rd s . T h e obj e c t s e em s to hav e b e e n to d i v e r t aga i n s t th e

A s sy r ian s a su pp o s ed an tipa thy o f th e Ku rd s to th e A rab s and a l soto weak en b o th Ku rd s and A s sy r ian s by app l y i ng th e max im d iv id e


The Admin i s trat ive I nspec tor,and the Spec i al Se rv ice

O ff ice r,Mo sul

,repo r ted to the Advi sor

,Mi n i s try o f In

te r io r and the A ir S ta ff I nte l l igence,Baghdad

,re spect ive

ly ,that Tahs in ’Al i the Mu tasarr i f o f Mo su l—a dis repu t

abl e man,no to r iously ant i -Chr i s t i an—was tou r i ng th e

d i st r ic t o f Z ibar i n the Barzan area per sonal ly preach ing aHo ly War against the Assyr i ans . Thi s Mu tasarr i f was

ac t i ng unde r the d i rec t orders o f the then Chamber l a in toKing Fai sal

,now I raq i Pr imeMi n i s ter . Tahs in ’Al i

,Muta

sar r i f and the black-hand o f Fai sal and h i s gang, on the

o ther hand,repo rted to theMi n i ste r o f I nter ior that i t was

Capt . Paule t King , the spec i a l service o f f icer,wh o was

send ing arms and ammun i t ion to She ik Mahmud to p e r

s i s t i n h i s armed res i stance against the government . A few

months l ater th i s same Mu tasarr i f was trans fe r red to an

o ther l iwa on the Euphrates w i th an increase in pay as areward for h i s good servi ce s in the Mo su l l iwa .

Rustam Haidar,an emigrant from Ra

’

albak,at t imes

secretary to King Fai sal and a Mi n i s ter dur i ng the Assyri an massacre , i n fo rmed a co rrespondent o f a we l l knownnewspaper du r i ng the latter par t o f 1 932 i n Baghdad that“

now that I raq w i l l secure a seat i n the League o f Nat ions

,the exterminat ion o f the Chr i s t i an as we l l as the

Ku rd i sh m ino r i t i e s in the Mo su lWilay et i s i nev i tab le andi s looked upon as a sacr ed duty o f I raq , as the mino r i t i e smust be sacr ificed on the Altar o f Pan-Arab i sm . I f thatoppor tun i ty does not p resent i t se l f , we must find meansto br i ng i t about . ”

Du r ing th i s per iod o f tens ion , when the mandate wass t i l l be ing obtained

, S i r Franc i s took no steps to remedythe gene ral po s i t ion . Th i s ind i f ference l ed the I raq o ff i '

c ials to become mo re tenac ious in the i r at t i tude . The ind iv i dual murde r s to wh ich the B r i t i sh repo r t re fe r s i s only asmal l propo r t ion o f what was tak ing place . Under l e t terNo . 350 o f the 2 7 th o f Apr i l

,1 930 ,

a l i s t show i ng names

THE FINAL BETRAYAL— I

o f 76 per sons k i l l ed was submi t ted to h im and no t onlywas no ac t ion taken but he d i d no t even acknow l edge thel etter . The statement o f peopl e k i l l ed w i l l be seen i nappend ix “ B”

. The offic i al s tatement that mo st o f these mu r

der s were commit ted by band i t s from acro s s th e Tu rk i shfront i er has been to tal ly d i spel l ed unde r the head ing “ TheChaldeans” . S ir Franc i s ’ statement i s based on that o f theAdmini strat ive In spec to r , Mosul , wh o i n h i s tu rn rece ive sh i s in fo rmat ion from I raq i p rovinc i a l offic i a l s , the i nst igato r s o f these c r imes

,and these are no t expec t ed to e i the r

s end authent ic r epo r t s o r attempt to app rehend the mu r

de re rs . The Admin i st rat i ve I nspecto r has no means whatsoever to check the authent ic i ty o f such mal ic ious repo r t sfo r he i s the only one man charged w i th the adm in i s t rat iono f an area o f some square m i le s conta i ning some

soul s .

Wh i l e these scandal s we re tak i ng pl ace, S ir Franc i s

was submi tt ing h i s repo r t s to the League i n p ra i se o f the“

fai r—I raq i - admin i st rat ion” . I have no t heard o f such ascandal i n my l i fe . I p resume he had no t ime to bo the rh imsel f w i th the se Assyr i an s fo r h i s t ime wa s ful ly o cen

p i ed by the e labo rate d inne r s g i ven h im by Fai sal and h i sm in i ste r s . B r i t i sh officer s d i d warn S ir Franc i s that thepo s i t ion o f the Assy r i an would be calami tous i f no th ingwe re done fo r them be fo re the l i ft ing o f the mandate .

Ahigh B r i t i sh o f f ice r i n a sec re t l e tte r No . S7/34 dated the2 nd o f August , 1 932 ,

exac t ly two months be fo re the ad

miss ion o f I raq to the League , repo rted as fo l lows :

I reg re t to i n fo rm y ou th a t on th e af te rnoon o f th e 28 th la s tJu ly, fou r A s sy r ian c i v i l ian s b e l ong i ng to th e v i l lage o f Kou ban ea r B ab Ch ikch ik w e re a t tacked by abou t 30 m en led by a m an

named Ham z a and ano th e r nam ed Jawe r I sma i l w i th th e re su l ttha t two w e re k i l l ed ou tr i gh t , one d i ed of wou nd s and a fou r thwou nded . Th e nam e s of th e k i l l ed are B aymal Ya cu b and

Giwarg i s Yacu b , d i ed of wou nd s , Shabu , wou nd ed , Lashkiri .


Th e A s sy r ian s we re a t tacked when they were u np repared forany fo rm of hos ti l i ty on th e par t o f the i r n e ighbou rs and h ad no

t ime to a rm them se l v e s or cal l for po l i ce a ss i s tance .

Th is f re sh mu rde r h as cau sed g rea t u n re s t among th e

A s sy r ian s i n th e n e ighbou rhood and i n c rease s th e i r w i sh and

d e te rmina t ion to conce n tra te wha t rema i n s of th e i r na t io n i n one

d i s t r i c t .“ Th ey ma i n ta i n tha t i f memb e rs of the ir na tion can be mu rde red

openly i n th i s mann e r , wh i le th e B r i t i sh manda te i s s ti l l inop e ra tion , th e i r fu tu re ex te rmina t ion whe n I raq e n te rs th e Leagu eo f Na t ion s i s only a ma t te r o f t ime .

”

S i nce 1 930 ,there have been no l e s s than fo r ty o ther

Assyr i ans k i l l ed who se names are d i ff icul t to obtain at thepresent moment . I must , however , admi t that only i n one

case was a murderer brought to j ust ice and that was forpo l i t ical reasons . An Assyr i an Ash i ta pr i e st from the v i"l age o f Sar sang and two Jews were treacherously k i l l ed .

The Mo su l front i er quest ion having no t been dec i ded , i twas necessary to pur sue the murderer wh o was executedi n Amadiyah .

The spec i al repor t speaks o f rem i ss ion o f t axat ion fo rnew Assyr i an set t l ers but i t omits de l iberate ly the name o fthe Min i ster o f Financ e , Yasin al Hash im i

,wh o obj ec ted

to the rem is s s ions i n contravent ion o f the agreementreached w i th S ir Henry Dobbs , an ex-High Commiss ioneri n I raq . S ir Henry had recommended a remi ss ion o f f i veyears taxat ion fo r new sett l e r s fo r two reasons ; ( I ) to

develop deser ted lands ; ( 2 ) to enabl e new se tt ler s to bese l f- suppo r t i ng . Th i s agreement was reduced to threeyear s , but as soon as Yas in al Hash im i came in power , hed i shonored the agreement by order ing co l l ec t ion o f taxesf rom al l n ew Assyr i an sett l ers w i th retro spect i ve e ffect .Thi s rem i ss ion was no t i n any way a pr i v i l ege to

the Assyr i an ; i t i s appl i ed—w i thout a h i tch—in al l o thercases o f new set t l e r s .

Whi le the Mar S h imun was s t i l l i n Geneva,al l k inds

o f co ffee-shop rumor s were repor ted to Baghdad to

2 2 8 BRIT I SH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

Ku rds . ( Rab Khailah was deput i z ed by the Air ViceMarshal to vi s i t the Assyr i an l ev i e s i n tho se regions wh ichi t was not d ifficul t to ver i fy at the t ime i f they knewthe i r work better . )On November 2 2 nd

,Wi l son under No . S/89 2 repo r t sthat Kh osh aba has p ro ceeded to Dohuk and di scussedDash taz i scheme w i th the Qaimaqam and Dr . Baba fo r

the set t l ement o f the lower T iy ar i . (Wh y al low government offic i al s to dabble i n po l i t ics ? Can i t be at all doubtedthat the v i l l a inous I raq i offic i a l s were us ing every p oss ib l e el ement aga inst the Mar S h im un ? Yet , he was to l dnot to vi ew the gove rnment po l icy w i th susp ic ion")

Wilson recommends that Kh o sh aba be appo in ted incharge o f the sett l ement and be given an al lowance wh i l eio ing so .

Mo su l autho r i t i e s speak o f the set t l ement o f only asmal l pai d sec t ion o f Assyr i ans . Recogn iz ed Assyr i an leade r s are threatened w i th imp r i sonment i f they d i sapprovethe gove rnment scheme . Ant i -Mar Sh imun p ropagandaby the offic i a l s

,B r i t i sh and Arabs

,cont inues .

On January 2 I s t,Wi l son in h i s secret l et ter No . S/ 2 5

repo r t s that he doubts i f the att i tude o f the Mar S h im a n

i s ent i re ly sat i s facto ry . (No te the wo rds “ doubts and“ ent i re ly The Mar S h ima n i s accused o f no t hav ingv i s i ted Wi l son on h i s retu rn to Mo su l and o f attempt ingto create an ant i -B r i t i sh fee l i ng among h i s peopl e

,an

accusat ion obviously r i d iculous i n v i ew o f an al readyintense ant i -B r i t i sh fee l ing among the people .

Wilson state s the Mar S h iman re fused to r ece iveKh o sh aba wh o i s accused o f t reachery towards theAssyr i an nation . He admi t s Kh osh aba has been ass i st i ngI raq government and recommends theMar S h imun be summoned to Baghdad . He inst igates Mu tasar r i f to i nd i t efu r ther accusat ions aga inst the Mar S h iman and S a r inaKh anim .

THE FINAL BETRAYAL— 1

Unde r l e t ter S/ 2 8 o f the 2 grd o f January, Wi l son

accuses the Mar S h ima n o f havi ng announced the imminent arr i val o f a sett l ement expe r t . What nonsense .

Wilson on i n fo rmat ion suppl i ed by Kh osh aba ( l et terS/39 o f the goth o f January ) repor t s theMar S h ima n hasin fo rmed ce r ta in Ash i ta sec t ions no t to accept set t l ementi n the Dash taz i as th i s i s only ano the r t r i ck on th e par to f the I raq government to keep them i so l ated amongs tKurds in the front i e r area . (Qui te r ight too . Even aman w i th no eyes can see th i s and the ev i l mo t i ve s beh indi t . ) The Mar S h imun accused the B r i t i sh , espec i al ly S i rJohn S imon and S ir Franc i s Humph rys . (What a j oke . ) Ithought that to abuse the B r i t i sh i n I raq was no t con

s ide red even a m i sdemeano r o r i s that me rcy a p r i v i l egeto the Arabs ? Doe s no t Wil son read the dai ly I raq inewspape r s or l i s ten to the ta lks i n the A rab Maj al i s ?Do no t the I raq i m in i ste r s boas t o f having k i l l ed B r i t i shoffice r s i n Talla

’

far and o the r place s ? )Rumo r s o f em igrat ion o f Assy r i an s to Pe rs i a , Syr i a

and Turkey cont inue .

Wilson in h i s l et te r S/42 o f Feb ruary I s t,b r i ngs new

accusat ions against the Mar S h imu n r egarding the A sh itas

based on i n fo rmat ion from Ko shaba . To weaken th e Mar

S h imun’

s al l eged p ropaganda, Wi l son suggested th e Mu t

asar r i f be in structed to assembl e the Mal i ks and i n fo rmthem o f the I raq gove rnment ’ s good i ntent ions . I f th eMar S h ima n pe rs i s t s i n h i s att i tude

,he and Su rma

Khan im shoul d be summoned to Baghdad and deta i nedthere .

Lette r No . S/48 o f the 7 th o f February from Wil sonstates : Mr . Sh laimun D

’Malik I smai l repo rt ed ar r i ved atDohuk on February 2 nd and was the guest o f Mons igno r’Abdul Ahad . He was accused o f hav ing expressed hopesof giving eff ec t to Assyr i an autonomy . (The repo rt , basedon hear say

,i s devo i d o f truth . )


The I raq gove rnment suppress ed Mu tasarr i fstup i d l ette r c/ 2 8 o f the 1 8 th o f January , 1 933,

not produce i t i n i t s great B lue-book .

”

Ant i-Mar S h iman p ropaganda by the I raq iment in Go r igawan ,

Ki flas in and Mach lamakh t

finds no favor .

Mu tasarr i f recommends act ion agains t the MarS h imun and the Assyr i an no tabl es .

I n l et ter No . 5750 o f the r i th o f February , Wi l sonstates that the lVI ar S h iman v i s i tedMu tasar r i f and h imse l fon the 9 th o f February as a resul t o f Squadron Leader 1

Re id ’ s v i s i t to h im . TheMar S h imun repor ted toWi l son unconst i tut ional ac t ions by I raqi offic i al s and quo ted instancesi n wh ich prominent Assyr i ans had been abused byQaimaqams o f Dohuk and Amadiyah and Wi l son be fo reinqu i r i ng in to these accusat ions scr ibbed down a no t e tothe Mi n i s te r o f I nter io r to say that these were gro ss lyexaggerated . The Mar S h iman suggested set t l ement o f

Assyr i ans by tr ibes and no t as the government des i red todi sper se them more than they al ready had been scattered .

On February 1 4th , the I raq i T imes produced minuteso f the Permanent Mandates Commi ss ion regard ing theAssyr i an set t l ement ( and there fo re the I raq government

’saccusat ions o r tho se o f Wil son and Thomson that the ful lpo s i t ion was no t expla ined to th e Assyr i ans fe l l to theground ) .

Co rnwal l i s on February 1 6 th states that the k ing w i l lsho rt ly be summoning the Mar Sh iman to Baghdad to

d i scuss matters w i th h im . Appo i ntment o f MacDonnello f the late Egypt i an government was propo sed . TheDash ta z i scheme was to commence forthw i th .

l—Ano th e r E ng l i s h i n te l l igen c e o ff i c e r d i s g u i s ed i n m i s s ion a r i e s ’ robe .

Zd im u n Mm Nw i y y i D a ga l B id A t i B i -lw i s h -t a D'P i r i Ina Mg aw a y i B iw i

C h a lu j i na’ A . Y . D e K e la i t a .


On February 2 8 th , Wi l son repor ted to Baghdad thatthe Mar S h ima n had defin i te ly dec l ined to assoc i ate h imse l f w i th the wo rk o f the gewgaw-Set t l ement-Committee .

On March 6 th,the unsc rupulous Mu tasarr i f repor ted that

Mali h L oh o “ The Assyr i an Extremi st,was s t i l l Spread ing

h i s p ropaganda amongst the Assyr i ans ; based h i si n fo rmat ion on the repo rt s o f Qaimaqam ,

Amadiyah , wh owas al ready respons ibl e for many fiagit iou s ac t s againstthe Assyr i ans .

On March 1 8 th, Wi l son repor ted that he encouraged

the Mar S h imun to draft a “ Commun i ty law”for the

Assyr i an s “

on the l i nes o f tho se o f o ther communi t i es .

I t i s true that ow i ng to the d i ssens ions caused by the I raqgovernment among sect ions o f bo th the J ew i sh andArmenian o rthodox commun i t i es , the government enac tedtwo l aws for these two communi t i e s

,but they now curse

the day they accepted tho se l aws wh ich depr i ve them o f

al l r igh ts o f“ personal status . Tho se laws have enabled

the government to i nter fere in al l the i r personal,fami ly ,

and re l igious affa i r s . The I raq government has al so beenat tempt ing in va in to apply s im i lar l aws to the Catho l iccommuni t i e s but th i s has met w i th complete re fusal . TheChaldean Patr i arch , the Syr i an , and Armenian Catho l icB i shops , rej ec ted Drowe r

’

s prej ud ic i al propo sal s on the

7 th o f May , 1 932 , and le f t h i s room never to see h imaga in i f the gove rnment had no better propo sal s .

Du r i ng the Tu rk i sh days,the Chr i s t i an communi t i es

were al lowed ful l l iber ty to admin i ster the i r own personalaffa i rs .

Wi lson woul d have done better i f he had adv i sedthe I raq gove rnment to set h e r own house in order firstbe fo re advi s i ng th e Mar S h imun to l eave even the fami lyaffa i rs o f the Assyr i ans to the d i scret ion o f an unch ival

rous gove rnment .Mar Sarg i s and Mal ik Khamo proceeded to Shaikhan

to obtain s ignature s that these two were the i r l eaders .

THE FINAL BETRAYAL—I 2 33

They fa i l ed to co l l ec t these madhabatas (March 2 8 th . )

Wh i l e government offic i a l s encourage co l l ect ion o f ant iMar S h imun madh abatas

,they b rand the fo l lowe rs o f the

Mar S h imun, on the o ther hand , as cr im inal s fo r expre ss

i ng the i r v i ews and des i re s o f the i r own fre e w i l l .Between the i sth and 2 3rd o f Apr i l , Qaimaqam

o f Dohuk andWi l son fu rn i shed Baghdad w i th mo re fal sein format ion against the Mar S h imu n

,Mal i ks Yah n,

L oh o

and o ther Assyr i ans,but that in fo rmat ion

,based on

hearsay , conta ined no defin i t e act s o f harm fu l act iv i t i e son the par t o f those compla ined o f .

On May 1 0 th,be fo re proceed ing on l eave

, Wi l sonrepo rted that the flout i ng o f government autho r i ty byAssyr i ans may be fo l lowed by attempts by the Ku rds tobehave in a s im i l ar manne r . To al low theMar S h imun andS u rma Kh anim to go to Sar Amadiy h i n the Summe rwould be a “

fatal m i stake .

” He recommended that thesons o f Mal i k I smai l shoul d be p revented from vi s i t i ngMo su l and Arb i l l iwas and that Rab E mma Giwarg is ofTkhuma shoul d be removed from Mo su l . These gro s s lyexagge rated repor t s made in bad fai th made l i fe fo r theAssyr i an s impo ss ib l e . Had Maj o r Wilson sat i sfied h imse l f w i th send ing h i s repo rt s to h i s B r i t i sh supe r io r s only ,

th e ev i l would have been le ss . Al l th e repo r t s he sentto Baghdad we re shown to h i s Arab Mu tasar r i f wh o i ntu rn showed them o r repo r ted the i r content s to h i s subo rd inate offic i al s and to the Arab Commandant o f theMo su l area

,Bakr S idqy ,

wh o was look ing fo r an excus eto set a match to the fire . The I raq gove rnment had longbeen awa i t i ng the oppo r tun i ty to exte rminate theAssyr i an s

,unt i l a l i t t l e wh i l e be fo re , the pro teges o f the

B r i t i sh ; but i t was the i r fear o f B r i t i sh inte rvent ion thatfo rced them to re fra in from do i ng so . On di scover i ngthat i t was now the “ B r i t i sh Wi l l” that the Assy r i ansshould be deal t w i th thus , the I raq gove rnment Sparedno t ime i n finding an excuse to do so .


Ear ly in May ,Rai s Skh ary a o f

’Ain i d Nuna was

i n su l ted and abused by the Oa imaqam o f Amadiyah for

having v i s i ted the Mar S h iman i n Mo su l . Thi s was

repo rted by the Pat r i arch to the Mu tasar r i f but no ac t ionwas taken . At the same t ime

,Agha ’

A i z ary a o f Targawar ,

fo rmer ly an Assyr i an officer,now l iv ing in Di ana , was

sent fo r by the office r commanding the I raq army in Diana ,and was to l d that the “ army was there to deal w i th theAssy r i ans and not w i th the Kurds . ” “ The Army i s here ,th e Commandant added ,

“

to have th e eyes o f the Assyr i ans

p e ek ed ou t .

” The Imam attached to the army at D ianawarned the Mo s l ems no t to vi s i t the Assyr i ans o r go to

the i r cafes,fo r they wer e infidels and re l igiously unc l ean .

”

Mo su l town , the headquar ters o f the Mu tasarr i f , i sl inked by te lephone w i th al l the important admin i strat ivecente r s o f the L iwa . I t i s through these l ines that mo sto f the offic i al i nst ruct ions are passed fo r the mal- treatmento f the Assyr i ans so that no trace

,w i l l be l e ft i n the

offic i a l reco rds as to h ow th ings are p re-ar ranged .

O ffic i al wr i t ten instruct ions from the central au th o r it i e s w ere no rmal ly conveyed to the Mu tasar r i fs~

by meanso f l et ters . On rece ipt o f these

,the Mu tas arr i f r epeated

them to h i s subordinate offic i al s in the d i s tr ic ts,and in

al l cases affec t ing the Assy r i ans,verbal inst ruct ions w ere

g i ven by the Mu tasarr i f to h i s Qaimaqams and Mud i rsto d i s regard the offic i a l i nstruct ions and send i n un favou rable repor ts to the L iwa headquar te r s . These we re t ransm itted to Baghdad

,duly suppo r ted by the Mu tasar r i f

,and

ul t imate ly by the Admin i strat i ve I nspector i n v i ew o f theunan im i ty o f the repl i e s r ece ived .

On May 1 2 th,an agi tat ion was caused by an Arab

offi cer l iv ing inMahal lat Shukur , i n the same quar ter wherethe Mar S h iman res i ded . The Arab officer wh o was

spend ing the n ight w i th a loo se woman in company o f

o ther bro ther officers repor ted that stones wer e throwninto h i s house and accused the Pat r i archal-fam i ly o f


th e pretext o f regi ster ing,the Assyr i ans were cal led upon

by the Mu tasar r i f and the po l ice author i t i e s to hand inthe i r arms fo r regi strat ion purpo ses desp i te the fac t thatthey al l he ld l egal regi s trat ion pe rmits fo r every r ifle theyhad in the i r possess ion . Th plan was f i r st to d i sarm theAssyr i ans and then attack them w i thout any res i s tance on

the ir par t . As the Assyr i an l ev i es were al so accused o f thestone-case , the Air-Vice-Marshal travel l ed to Mo su l andafter ho l d ing an inqu iry , d i smi ssed the case as be ing afabr icated one . A t the same t ime that the Assyr i ansi n Mo su l were asked to hand i n the i r arms

,tho se in

Diana we re asked to do the same . Due to the presenceo f the A ir Vice-Mar shal

,the non -surrender i ng o f arms

by the Assyr i an s,and the t imely representat ions o f the

Patr i arch,Bakr S idqy d i d no t find the moment oppo rtune

to embark upon the scheme o f massacr e wh ich had theful l approval o f the h igher autho r i t i e s in Baghdad , but hewas al lowed to remain in Mo sul to conduc t the massacreope rat ions , not because there were no better officer s thanh imsel f but because he was the r ight man to do i t .

From the po l ice s i de , the s tone—case was adj ou rnedunt i l the 2 3rd o f May ,

on wh ich date i t was di smi ssed .

The po l ice,s tat ioned in Mahal lat Shukur fo r pro tec t ion o f

the Assyr i ans,but i n fac t fo r su rve i l l ing and harass ing the

Patr i archal-House , we re w i thdrawn on the 1 9 th .

I n mo st par t s o f the Assyr i an set t l ements i n the di str icts , the l eaders were repeatedly insul ted and sco rnedin many ways . Be fo re the 1 2 th o f May ,

al l the Assyr i anpo l ice i n the d i s tr ic t s o f Zakho ,

Amadiyah,Dohuk and

Sh a ikah n , we re w i thdrawn and trans fe rred to far placesin the south o f I raq . Tho se remain ing i n Mo sul , fi fteen innumbe r , were d i sarmed and g iven l ight dut i es . TheAssyr i an so l d i er s i n the I raq army were treated l ikew i se .

Whi l e these th ings we re go ing on ,the Mu tasarr i f

was d i scuss ing the Assy r i an sett l ement and speak ing o f

FINAL BETRAYAL—I

the good intent ions o f h i s gove rnment . I t was al so at th i st ime that the Mu tasar r i f sugges ted

,a fter Wi l son , to the

Mar S h imun to draft a commun i ty law . The attent ion o f

the Catho l ic reader s i s par t icular ly drawn to th i s falch ionlaw wh ich w i l l , i n a few years , compel the Chr i s t i ani nst i tu t ions to accept the laws o f I s lam .

CHAPTER XVI

THE FINAL BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

( Con tinu ed)

PART I I .

I t was on the 1 oth o f May ,1 933, that Maj orWi l son

and the Mu tasar r i f recommended the summon ing o f theMar S h iman to Baghdad to be i l l egal ly deta ined there .

The I raq government has,i n publ i sh ing i t s B lue-Book ,

suppressed par t s o f th i s and o ther l et te r s to enabl e i tto give a to tal ly wrong p ic ture o f the ugly atmo spherecreated by i t and under wh ich the Mar S h iman was

exp ec ted to co—operate . One o f Wi lson ’ s l e tte rs s o supp ressed was as fo l lows :

A sk th e Mar Sh imun to com e to Baghdad to d i scu s s ma t te rsw i th th e Go v e rnme n t . D e te n tion to fo l low fo r thw i th . Th i s shou lde l im ina te th e dange r o f se e i ngMar Sh imun i n s tal l ed i n h i s Summe rre s id en ce a t Sar Amadiyah ; th e conse qu en ce o f su ch a mov e w i l lbe aga i n s t th e i n te re s ts o f th e I raq i case .

“ I n o rd e r to b reak u p th e i nflu en ce of th e Pa tr ia rcha l family ,th e I raq Gov e rnmen t wou l d be we l l adv i sed i n i n c reas i ng im

m ed i a te ly th e numb e r ( f rom 6 to 8 ) o f th e A s sy r ian po l i ce in

sp e c to r s .

Immed ia te p romo ti on of Ch r i s tian o ff ice r s hav i ng taken par t i nth e campa ign s of th e I raq a rmy aga i n s t Sh e ik Ahmad of Bar z an .

“ Lady Su rma and Cap ta i n Yaku hav e u nd e r tak en a s t rongan t i-Go v e rnm e n t p ropaganda amon g th e Ku rdi s t tr i b e s . I t i s

u rge n tly n eed ed to i n v i te th e s e two p e r son s to com e to Baghdadwh e re th ey sh ou l d be d e ta i n ed and k ep t u nd e r con tro l .

“Make p re s su re on th e Pa tr ia rch to s ign an o ff i c ial docum en t re cogn i z i ng th e su pp re s s io n o f h i s temp o ral p owe r .

I raq Go v e rnm en t ru n s th e r i sk o f se e i ng th e A s sy r ian s p ro

p os i ng a s ch em e on land s n ea r o r bo rd e r i ng th e Sy r ian f ron ti e r .Al l n e ce s sa ry s tep s sh ou l d be take n to obl ige th e Pa tr iarchal familyto a cc ep t th e Dash ta z i reg ion .

”


Nat ions on behal f o f the Assyr i an were o f such a naturethat the government would never forgive h i s ac t ion . Ino ther wo rds , he was to render an account . I n Baghdad

,

the Mi n i ste r to l d the Mar S h iman that the governmentwas d i ssat i sfied w i th h i s att i tude and that he ought toS ign cer ta in documents wh ich the government was aboutto p repare .

OnMay 3 I s t , Thomson reached I raq and on June I s t,

the I raq Times no t ified the arr i val o f the set t l ement expe r twh o had a S ix -month contrac t w i th the I raq gove rnmentand wh o was , by the way ,

a schoo lmate o f S ir Franc i sHumphrys . The programme given to Thomson was thathe should set h imsel f to wo rk and enfo rce the Dash taz ischeme . He acco rding ly car r i ed ou t nego t i at ions w i thind iv idua l Assyr i ans i n the absence o f the Mar S h iman

w i th the resul t that he fai l ed to carry ou t the programmed ic tated to h im and th i s was a severe blow to the p res t igeo f Thomson who se fi rs t steps were marked w i th completefai lure . Thomson admi ts on page five o f h i s r epo r t to theMi n i s try that he fa i l ed in h i s effor ts w i th the Assyr i ansfo r he states ,

“ On quest ion ing the Assyr i an v i l l ager s asregards the i r set t l ement , the ch i e f answer w i th few excep

t ions was the same ,‘

we are re fugees and unless we are

to l d by theMar S h ima n to sett l e,we remain r e fugees .

Thi s att i tude o f the Assyr i ans , fo stered as i t was bythe fo l l i e s o f the I raq i offic i al s and the i r igno rant advi se rs ,was bound to l e ad to a deadlock . I f w i ser counc i l spreva i l ed

,and i f i t were real ly des i red to avo i d b loodshed ,

the exp ress w i sh o f the Assyr i ans , that the Mar S h imu n

shoul d fi rs t be set free be fo re any bus iness could be transac t ed , Should have been enter ta i ned unhes i tat ing ly . Thomsondo es not state what ac tual ly happened at the meet i ng he ld inDohuk dur i ng wh ich he was faced w i th th i s Assyr i andefin i te reply . On the advice o f the Mosu l autho r i t i es ,Thomson summoned fo rty Assyr i ans to sound the i r Op in ion

THE FINAL BETRAYAL- I I

in r egard to se tt l ement . Th i r ty-s ix ou t o f fo rty to l dThomson that they had al ready i nfo rmed theMar S h ima n

o f the i r w i shes who s e l eadersh ip they s t i l l recogn i z eddesp i t e the i l l egal act ions that we re be ing taken agains th im and warned Thomson that the means he was employ ing would undoubtedly fai l h im . The remain ing fou rsai d they would agree to whatever set t l ement the gove rnment propo sed . These were : I smai l o f the Baz employed bythe Rev . Cumber l and o f who se att i tude I have al readySpoken ; Go r iy y i and h i s b ro ther Yonan al so o f the Baz .

They are the unc l e s o f Ez ra eff end i the Ass i stan tCommandant o f Po l i ce and Gor iy y i , though loyal to thegovernment , was as sass i nated i n August o f 1 933 . Thefourth was Kh idu o f the Baz who se s on was a teache r i nthe gove rnment schoo l .

The statement o f these fou r i nd iv i dual s wh o coul d not

have dec l ared o therw i s e fo r fear o f rep r i sal s Shoul d no t

have encouraged Thomson to p roceed any fu r the r w i thh i s unsound p ro j ec t . He shoul d have endeavou red to

c reate a heal th i e r atmo sphe re be fo re embark ing upon h i sadventurous scheme. Th i s was not to be

,as the gove rn

ment was c l amour ing for bloodshed and i t coul d havefound no better i nstrument than Thomson to br i ng aboutsuch a scandal . Many Engl i sh gent l emen i n the se rv ice o f

the I raq government had res igned the i r po s i t ions in thepast and i ncurred the enm i ty o f the i r supe r io r s when theyd i scovered that they woul d not be a par ty to a crookedpo l icy . What then p revented Thomson from do i ng so ?

Coul d he not have found a pos i t ion that woul d havegiven h im a fat sal ary o ther than by suck ing the blood o f

Assyr i an women and ch i ldren ?

Dur i ng th e Dohuk meet ing Thomson heard w i th h i sown ear s Ra i s P i ru , Ra i s Tai l u , Rai s Zada , Rai s Sh imu , ando ther s o f the Baz say that the four persons ment ioned abovewe re no t say ing the truth . H e had al so

,on ano ther occas ion


i n Mo sul,heard the Rev . Yukh annan o f Tkhuma (Gun tikta )

say at th e meet i ng at tended by Mar Sarg i s , Kh osh aba ,

Mal i k Khamu , and Ch ikhkh u and Giwu o f uppe r Tiy arithat al l “ tho se present we re a bunch o f l i ars and to re lyupon them i n the proposed se tt l ement w i thout the MarS h imun would only lead to undes i rable resul ts . ”

Such was the fee l ing o f the Assyr i ans when Thomsondec i ded to p roceed to Baghdad to di scuss

,on h i s fai lure

,

matters w i th the Mar S h iman . On the o ther hand,th e

I raq i offiic ials were pers i s t ing in th e po l icy o f harass ingthe Assyr i an l eade r s and v i l lagers . The Qaimaqam o f

Am adiy h prevented Malik Yaku from vis i t i ng h i s own

t r i be and was asked fo r a wr i t ten guarantee no t to do so .

Be fo re the t ragic Mo su l meet i ng o f July l o th,the Qaima

qam s concerned had no t ified the Assyr i an l eade r s , inc luding Malik Yahu

,that tho se no t des i rous o f remain ing i n

I raq could leave the country,and that the gove rnm ent

would bear the i r expense s unt i l they le ft the I raq front ier .

Ill ali h Yaku i n h i s l ette r o f the 2 2 nd o fMay to Qaimaqamo f Amadiyah makes these po i nt s qu i te c l ear . Mo reove r , hein fo rmed the Qaimaqam that the Assyr i ans were loyaland had no i ntent ion o f de fy ing the autho r i ty o f thegovernment and that the Offic i al s Should no t be swayedby pervers ive propaganda that was be ing spread bymalevolents .

OnMay 2 8 th,the Mi n i st er o f I nter io r i n h i s l e tter No .

c/ 1 1 0 4 no t ified the Mar S h iman that the governmentwould no t recogni z e h i s t empo ral power . I t i s o f greatimpo r tance that the doubts cente r ing round th i s myster iouspowe r should be c l eared .

Dur i ng the Tu rk i sh days,the Adar S h iman was

recogni zed by succe ss ive Turk i sh Sul tans as the Tempo raland Sp i r i tual Head o f the who l e Assyr i an nat ion . Histemporal p r i v i l ege s we re :

( a ) The appo i ntmen t o f t r i bal ch i e fs to the twentyfive Assy r i an t r ibes ,

34 4 B RlTlS ll -\ l . O F THE ASSYRIANS

OT.

”551: l f c'

l t i d i l i d tle'd t l’

[Cl i f f i f "0

s u re e z'i s ion t i t

r e a ve r s is cd locollv.

Th e L es s “ o f as rep r es entat ive on the spot

m id st be en : us tea’

: t'it i t th e s up e rvis ion.

Eve r s i nce th e en t rv o f th e A s svr ian s i nto I raq in1 0 1 8 th e p re s en t Pat r iarch d id no t en tov those pr iv i legesno r d id h e app l y fo r t h em . Th e onlv powe r h e h ad wasth e re spex t o f th e p eop le and wheneve r th e B r i t i sh man dato ry p owe r o r th e I raq gove r nmen t we re in t rouble theyapp eal ed to h im fo r help wh ich he was r eady to g ive inth e i n te re s t s o f bo th th e rul ing powe r s and th e Assy r i ans .Thi s t em po r al p ow er h as 11 we r been a l lu ded to s ince 1 0 18

and was brough t i n wi th th e ar r iva l o f th e set t l em en texpe r t w i th th e ma i n obj ect o f cu t t i ng o ff th e Pa tr i archfrom th e A ssv rian s i n all re spect s . The I raq gove r nmenth as fa i led n o to th e m om en t o f w r i t ing to quo te one

s u 1gle in s tan ce to show that th e ll a r \‘

h imun h ad askedfo r t em po n d pow e r I h e rc a re no su ch in s tanc s to be

q uo t ed .

h o zn son reached Baghdad a nd i nte rv iewed th e MarS h im un at th e res i dence o f S ir Ren eh a n Co r nwal l i s . Hesa i d h e h ad n o ex ecu t i ve p ower bu t was m erelv emp loved

in an adv i so ry capac i ty . That i s to sav th e I raq gover nmen t w ou ld no t be b ound bv a uv o f h i s recommeridat ionsthough there was no reason to fea r au v misunde rs tan dinghe w as onlv to ap p ly t h e di c ta te s o f t h e gove r nment

from wh om h e rece i ved h i s sal ary .

On Jun e 7111 , Thomson wro te to th e JI a r S h imun to

sav tha t he was l eav i ng that even ing fo r \ Iosu l. I n th atl e t t e r he convey ed to th e ll a r \ h imu n c e r ta i n di s cuss ionsw hi ch he sa i d too k place . but th e Mn S h iwun re futedthese on th e same day i n a l e tt e r he sen t to Thomson . TheMa r S h im rm al so to l d Thomson that th e i n im ical atti tudeo f th e Mosu l au th o r i t i es shou ld be ch anged fo r th e bett eri f he w an t ed to su ceed i n h i s se t t l emen t ope rat ions . The

THE FI NAL BETRAYAL— I I

Mi n i ste r o f I nter io r d ra fted and sent to the Mar S h iw un

fo r s ignatu re th e d ra f t shown i n append i x “ E”wh ich i f

s igned would have meant the death warran t o f th e Assy r i an s as a who l e fo r eve r no t fo r the content s o f thed ra f t i t se l f but fo r the content s o f the l ette r wh ichaccompan i ed i t . The Mar S h ima n i nt roduced ce r ta inal te rat ions i n the d ra ft l e tte r i n whi ch he sa fegua rdedthe inte rests o f bo th par t i e s . Thi s the Mi n i ste r re fusedto accept . On the o the r hand

,i n reply to the Mar

S h imu n’

s l e tte r to Thomson,the Mi n i ste r o f I nte r io r i n

h i s let te r s/ 1 2 39 to the [War S h imun sa i d that the att i tudeo f the Mo sul author i t i e s was pe r fec t and that h e shoul dhave no th ing to do w i th the sett l ement op e rat ions . Onthe one hand the Mar S h ima n i s asked to coop e rate ; on

the o ther,he i s no t i fi ed offi c i al ly no t to in te r fe re . I am

at a lo ss to reconc i l e these two po l ic i e s .

Here a deadlock was reached and al l communicat ionsw i th the Mar S h ima n stopped . No B r i t i sh o ffic i a l wentto see h im as that woul d have b rough t the w rath o f the i rArab maste r s and caused the lo s s o f the i r j obs wh i ch theycould no t get e l sewhere .

The Counc i l o f S tat e drew up a secre t pl an fo r thed i sarmament o f the Assy r i an s to be attacked when th i swas done . At the same t ime o rde r s we re i ssued to the p re sssecret ly to re -commence a mo r e vigo rous p ress campaignthan eve r be fo re to p repare the Arab popul at ion andthe a rmy to move against the Assyr i ans when thesignal was g i ven . I t must be c l ear ly unde r stood that the reoccu rs no movement i n I raq o f whateve r natu re i t may bew i thout the B r i t i sh author i t i e s ’ know l edge .

On June 1 6 th , the pre ss demanded the annulment o fthe Anglo -I raq Treaty wh ich was only e ight months old .

I t s tated that no threat s would be o f any avai l to see thatth i s treaty i s al tered and that I raq must have a free handin i t s admin i strat ion , po l icy , finance , mi l i tary , and j ust ice .


On June 2 0 th ,the fi rs t debate on the Assyr i an problem

took place ; the Prem ier was asked the sourc e from wh ichthe Assyr i ans had obta ined the ir arms and asked whythe re would be a B r i t i sh Consulate at D iana . The Premie rwas al so asked to s top the encroachments by the Assyr i anson the c iv i l populat ion . Al l these ques t ions were p re

arranged w i th the Mi n i ster s and they had to be asked inpar l i ament to be given an offic i al co lour

On June 2 5th ,under the head ing B r i ta i n and the

Assyr i ans” the press s tated B r i ta i n d i shonoured al l i tsp l edges to the Arabs and only respec ted tho se made to theJ ews in Palest ine and to the Assyr i ans . I t i s B r i ta in wh ohas encouraged the Assyr i ans to be d i s loyal and armedthem strongly fo r th i s purpo se . Sh e has formed anAssyr i an army and she i s increas ing the i r arms . Thecab inet has res igned on account o f the cr i s i s caused by theAssyr i an case . I t must not res ign but must handl e thes i tuat ion w i th an i ron hand .

On the same day as th i s ar t ic l e appeared,ano ther

deputy asked the Prem i er i f the government i ntended to

d i sper se the Assyr i ans as o therw i s e they would be a dangerto I raq .

On the 2 6 th the pre ss demanded the set t l ement o f thenomad Arabs i n pr io r i ty to the Assyr i ans wh o werere fugees i n I raq . I n the S enate

,four senato rs asked th e

Pr ime Mi n i ste r fo r prec i se deta i l s r egarding the Assyr i ans ett lement as the p recedents o f th i s p roblem w er e o f avery grave nature .

Between the 2 7 th and 3o th o f June,fi fteen venomous

ar t ic l e s were al lowed to be publ i shed against the Assyr i ansand mo re fi ery speeches we re made in par l i ament on thesame subj ec t . A l i st o f these w i l l be found below :

I t i s B r i ta in wh o i s caus ing d i ssens ions in I raq .

Unde r the p retext o f pro tec t ing the Assyr i an mino r i ty , shei s caus ing great compl icat ions fo r I raq for h e r own ends


th ings happened in the past,they should have come to an

end w i th the old regime,and they must come to an end now .

I n th i s matte r the respons ib i l i ty does no t depend on thegovernment a lone . The who l e nat ion shoul d know i tsnat ional duty in such matte rs

,and should car ry i t ou t .

”

On June 2 8 th , the re were o the r debates i n par l i ament .These Assyr i an s were brought into I raq by the B r i t i shfo r pu rpo ses o f the i r own . We awai t eager ly the drast icac t ion the gove rnment proposes to take against the MarS h iw un and h i s fo l lower s . The mandato ry reg ime i s now

ove r . We are i ndependent . The arms o f the Assyr i ansmust be co l l ec ted . The gove rnment has al lo tedd inar s 1 fo r the sett l ement o f these cr im inal s . They mustbe d i sper sed throughout I raq . The B r i t i sh are beh indthem . By suppo r t ing the Assyr i ans , B r i ta in w i shes to

c reate ano ther Zion i sm quest ion in I raq as i n Palest ine .

The government and the Nat ion must take j o in t act ion .

We are p repared to de fend the count ry,and I hope that

the rumo r that i t i s i ntended to sett l e one thousandAssyr i an fami l i e s i n the No r th i s no t co rrec t . Governmentmust take pun i t ive ac t ion against the Assyr i ans . Thei rarms must be co l l ec ted at once

,and drast ic act ion taken

aga ins t them ; to the i r set t l ement in a compac t communi ty ,we shal l never consent . ”

Thi s was the po l i t ical s i tuat ion in Ir aq at the c lo se o f

June,1 933 . The goal o f the Government was to di sarm the

Assyr i ans and then attack them and cance l even theDash taz i scheme . Dur ing the Arab i nsu r rect ion o f 1 9 2 0 ,

r ifle s and S .A .A . rounds were co l l ec tedfrom the Arab t r i bes wh o had taken p ar t i n the i h

su rrec t ion up to July 2 6 th,1 9 2 1 , and the number o f fi rearms

in the i r p o ssess ion in June , 1 933, was est imated at someThese fac t s w e re wel l -known to the Assyr i ans

and that i s wh y Malik Yaku and h i s suppo r ter s r e fused

l—E qu iva l en t to a pou nd .

THE FINAL BETRAYAL—I I

to su rrender the i r arms wh ich they had acqu i red legal ly .

H ad the Government d i sarmed the Kurds and the Arabs,

the Assyr i ans woul d have been the fi rs t to do so . I t wasth i s re fusal to su r render h i s arms that the Government andthe B r i t i sh offic i al s cons i de red Malik Yaku as “

flout ingo f Gove rnment autho r i ty” .

On June 2 9 th ,the Af ar S h imun p ro te st ed to var ious

d ip lomat ic rep resentat i ves i n Baghdad against the ant iAssyr i an p ress campaign and the revo l u t ionary speechesi n Par l i ament send ing a copy o f h i s p ro t e st to the B r i t i shAmbassador i n Baghdad . See append ix “ F”

. I t i s myfi rm be l i e f that i f the B r i t i sh Ambassador who s e Gove rnment was moral ly re spons ib l e for the pro tec t ion o f theAssyr i ans w i shed to s top tho se scandal s and avo i d amassacre

,he was i n a po s i t ion to do so o r e l se wh y

shoulder moral r espons ib i l i ty ?”

There was no s i nce re des i re on the par t o f the I raqGovernment to re spec t th e i nte rnat ional obl igat ions . TheI raq Gove rnment on d i scove r ing that the B r i t i sh Embassywas i nd i ff erent as to the fat e o f the Assy r i ans , encou ragedcer ta in agents to assass i nate the Mar S h imu n . O f th i s theA1 0 7 S h iwun was warned by a B r i t i sh sou rce , by aD iplomat ic representat ive and by the Chaldean Pat r i archate .

One o f the many arrangements made was a p re -ar rangedco l l i s ion o f h i s car w i th ano the r , wh ich , fo r tunately fo r theAssyr i an s , d i d not succeed . Res i d ing as he was i nBaghdad

,south

,between H ina idi ( the Assyr i an l evy head

quarte rs ) and the Gailan i camp , ( occup i ed by Assy r i ans )h i s as sas s inat ion at h i s res i dence was not feas ibl e .

CHAPTER XVI I

THE FINAL BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

( Continu ed)

Par t I I I .

I n Ju ly the Arab po l i t ical par t i es j o i ned hands andtook an ac t ive par t i n the ant i -Assyr i an campaign . Publ icannouncements by var ious par t i es wer e made and broadcast throughout the country . B r i ta i n was once mo rev igorously attacked and the demonstrat ion o f h e r RoyalA ir Fo rce was treated w i th contempt . “ The only so l ut ionfo r the Assyr i an p roblem i s an extremely drast ic ac t ionand no attent ion shoul d be pai d to the B r i t i sh stand ingbeh ind them . The Government must not take i nto con

s i derat ion B r i ta in o r any oth er power . Ou r pat i ence i sexhausted and ac t ion must be taken .

”

Betw een July 1,and 1 4th , over e ighty lead i ng ar t ic les

we re wr i t t en in the I raq i p ress by al l c l asses o f the populat ion

,al l demand ing the final exterminat ion o f the Assyr i ans .

The I raq army in Mo su l rece ived pr i vate in struct ions fromthe Mi n i s te r s to be ready at a moment ’ s no t ice

,the secret

soc i e t i es,e spec i al ly fo rmed fo r the purpose , got i n touch

w i th th e Ku rdi sh Aghas and Arab t r ibal ch i e fs to j o i n thearmy . Makk i Sharbat i , the Qaimaqam o f Dohuk , i n fo rmedthe Mo s l em ch i e fs at a p r i vate meet ing that the I raqGove rnment would take no ac t ion fo r any act o f vio l encecommitted against the Ch r i s t i ans

,the Assyr i ans in

par t icular . The Cr im inal Invest igat ion Depar tment , who sesupe r io r was an Eng l i shman , had ful l know l edge o f whatwas happen ing beh ind the scenes , and knew the u l t imatea im o f the I raq Gove rnment . The B r i t i sh Embassy ando the r B r i t i sh office r s , wh o r ece ived cop i e s o f h i s spec i al


such o rders and regul at ions are not against the i nterestso f my Nat ion and that the offic i al s are not cruel ,

( 3 ) As soon as a dec i s ion i s reached between H i sB eat i tude

,th eMar S h imun and the Government regarding

the demands o f the Assyr i ans wh o are press ing th e MarS h imun fo r them

,I then am ready to i n terv i ew Govern

ment offic i al s no t only in Mo sul , but al so i n Baghdad ,(4 ) I w i l l order my men to go as soon as the

Gove rnment fo rces are w i thdrawn,

( 5 ) The Rev . Panfil i s guarantee ing al l that I havesai d i n th i s document . ”

The Government never took the trouble to i nqui rei nto the complaints substant i ated w i th ev i dence by MalikYa i m and the o ther l eade rs against the tyrann ical offic i al s .On July l oth and again on Ju ly 1 1 th

,1 933, meet ings ,

wh ich were attended by the Assyr i an l eaders,were held at

the office o f the Mutasar iff,Mo sul . The meet ings were

arranged by the Government w i th the u l ter ior pu rpo se o f

caus ing fr ict ion among the Assyr i ans by employ ing paidservants to cause quarre l s at the meet ings and to c reated i srespec t for the l eader s . Thi s group was given thepr iv ilege o f arming w i th daggers and revo l vers , andwas spurred on by the offic i al s to use abus ive l anguageto antagon i ze the l eader s ; but the l atter , be ing appr i sed byexper i ence , deal t w i th the s i tuat ion calmly and w i sely .

Thus,the t roubl e at wh ich the Government aimed was

ave r ted .

At these meet ings,the act ingMu tas arr i f Khal i l ’Azmi ,

Thomson and S taffo rd expla ined to the Assyr i ans , theGove rnment sett l ement-po l icy . They were to l d to acceptthe Dash ta z i reg ion

, wh ich woul d no t have accommodatedmo re than two hundred fami l i es

,wh i l e the unsett led

Assyr i ans were over fi f teen thousand . The three spokesmento l d the Assy r i an s that those unw i l l ing to consent to theland po l icy as out l i ned above could leave the country im

THE FINAL BETRAYAL— I I I

medi ate ly . They wer e warned that ( a ) Pe r s i a wouldd i spers e them

, ( b ) Tu rkey woul d not accept them ,and

( c ) i n Syr i a the French autho r i t i e s al ready had theproblem o f the Armeni an r e fugee s and had no l ands too ff er the Assyr i an s .

“ I t i s t rue that young Assy r i ansmight be al lowed to obtain employment i n the Frenchco lon i al armies , but l e t me te l l y ou that such se rv ice i shard in the extreme .

Know i ng the i l l - i n tent ions o f the Gove rnment,and

be ing at last convinced o f the B r i t i sh bet rayal,Malik Yaku

and h i s b ro the r, Sh laimun

,Malik L oco

,and o the r l eade r s ,

dec i ded to l eave I raq,as the re was no mo re futu re fo r

them i n that country . The Mar S h imu n,be ing deta ined

and unde r su rve i l l an ce,h i s mai l confi scated ,

and h i sv i s i to rs—“ i f any care ful ly scrut in i z ed , and the Pat r i a rchalHouse i n Mo su l c los ely watched , Mal ik s , Yaku and L oco ,

and o the r l eade rs,agreed to p roceed to Baghdad ( at the

request o f the Gove rnment ) and consul t w i th the Ma rS h imun . Upon fu r the r cons i de rat ion o f th i s plan , theybecame r ightly susp ic ious , and there fo re conc l uded thatthe Government ’ s inv i tat ion was ano ther t r ick such as was

used to trap the Mar S h imu n,and dec i ded to l eave I raq

fo r Sy r i a unde r the French Mandate . On the n ight o f

Ju ly 14th and 1 5th , an armed group o f Assy r i an s car ry ingthe i r B r i t i sh r i fles ( 1 9 1 4 patte rn ) , wh ich they had legal lyacqu i red , l e ft for the F a ish kh abou r , th e Rive r , (wh ich i sthe front i er l in e between I raq and Syr i a ) v ia Dohuk andZakho

,conv inced that s ince the Gove rnment wanted to

get r id o f them ,i t woul d be exped ient fo r the i r fami l i e s

and o ther re l at i ve s to fo l low . The Mu tasar iff and theCommandant o f Po l ice became aware o f the Assyr i anexodus three days l ater but was unabl e to di scove r the i rwhereabout s unt i l th e Assyr i an s sent a l et t er to theMi n i st er o f I nte r ior as fo l lows :


Ju ly 2 3, 1 933N ear Khaniq .

Minis ter of I n ter ior , B aghdad.

E xcellency ,

A s a result of Mosu l m ee ting, th e I raqi Governm en t

policy was explained to us bo th r egarding s e ttlemen t and

P a tr iarch .

Mu tas arrif op enly said th os e uns atisfied wi th th is

policy are fr ee to em igrate from I raq”

. A ccordingly , we

h ave com e to th e fron ti er and we r equ es t th e I raqi Govern

m en t not to block th e road to th os e wh o wan t to join us .

We h ave no inten tion to figh t unles s forced.

( Sd . ) Y aku D’Malik I sma i l (Upp e r Tiy ar i)

Ma l i k Ba i to (Tkhuma )bi al ik Loko Sh la imu n (Tkhuma)Ma l ik Warda (Di z )Ra i s E sh a (N och iy y a)Ra i s I s-h aq (N och iy y a )Mal i k Marogu il ( Sa r ra )Tooma D

’Makhmu ra ( B a z )Yu sh ia E shu (D r inay i )Mal ik Sal im ( Ba rwa r )Sh amash a I sma i l ( Liwan )Ra i s M ikha i l ( Sa r ra )E shu D

’

Kelai ta (T imar D’wan)

Other Assyr i ans fo l lowed the fi r s t group to be hereina fte r known as group “A”

, and al l the peoples o f thelowe r T iy ar i , the Tkhuma , the lowe r Barwar , the Ash i taextend ing up to Gal i Salabakin (Amadiyah ) ; al l theAssy r i ans i n Rowanduz ; Barwar Qudch an is i n Dohuk ;the Bohtan Assyr i ans

,Je lu

,and Gawar i n Shaikhan , were

to migrate l ed by : Odish u Rai s Osh ana,Rai s Yosep

Mirwatt i,Rab Emma Kh o sh aba ,

Rai s Kh o sh aba , ( o f

Galiy y id B arkho,represent i ng Mal i k Sh amds in ,

i nval i d ) .

Rai se s Sa i fu and Maq sul L ag ippa and to j o in group

THE FINAL BETRAYAL—I I I

“A” but the I raq army mo l e st ed them , the re fo r e ,they were prevented from leaving I raq peace ful lyas they had intended to do . I t i s est imated that th eent i re movement woul d invo lve some per sons ,wh ich represented 9 5% o f the to tal Assyr i an populat ion .

The remainder ( far i n the south ) woul d fo l low i n duecourse .

The Po l ice Headquar te rs , normal ly in Baghdad , we retrans fe rred to Mo su l ; two- th i rds o f the I raq army fo rceswe re concent rated i n Mo su l l iwa : over 1 50 0 i r regularArab and Kurd i sh po l ice and t r i be s we re engaged andarmed by the Gove rnment , p ress ing the Assyr i ans at th esame t ime to su r rende r the i r arms .

Immed iate ly a fte r the m igrat ion o f group “A”

,H i s

B r i tann ic Maj esty ’s Government rep resentat i ve in London ,

travel l ed to Par i s to d i scuss the s i tuat ion w i th the FrenchGove rnment . The French autho r i t i e s i n Sy r i a we re now

faced w i th an awkward s i tuat ion . The I raq Gove rnmentdemanded that the Assyr i ans be d i sarmed and be d r i ve nback to I raq , an ac t ion wh ich was cont rary to ar t i c l e V Io f the P rov is ional A ccord o f 1 9 2 7 , an agreement d raw n

between I raq and Sy r i a fo r the regulat ion o f t r iba l movements on the front i e r . Thi s ar t ic l e was i napp l icabl e inthe case o f group “A”

,wh ich had l e ft I raq w i th the

Spec ific approval o f the I raq Gove rnment ; and wh i ch ,ac

co rd ing to the s tatement s o f the I raq i representat i ve s tothe French , was not i n a state o f rebel l ion . Mo reove r

,

ar t ic l e V,paragraph I I o f the P rov is ional A ccord i s c l ea r

on th i s po i n t . The i ntent ion o f the I raq Gove rnment was

to have the Assyr i ans d i sarmed and d r i ven back by Frencht roops into I raq to be to tal ly massacred w i thout po ss ibleres i s tance . The po s i t ion o f the French was ext remelyd ifficul t

,fo r they could not pos s ib ly d r i ve i nto I raq

,a

who l ly peace ful popul at ion only to be butchered by theI raq army wh ich was at faul t and the in st igato r o f al l the


t roubles ; and thus , fo rce France to besm i rch h e r glor iouspast , rui n h e r pre st ige i n the East

,and br ing an i nev i table

shame to h e r name . B r i ta in alone has been capabl e o f

do i ng th i s .

From the B r i t i sh,French

,Assyr i an

,and I raq i re

po r t s be fo re me , the correc t vers ion o f what ac tual lyhappened i s as fo l lows

The French had no adequate knowl edge o f the acutepe rsecut ion o f the Assyr i ans by the I raq Government thatfo rced them to take re fuge under qu i t e normal cond i t ions ,i n Syr i a . The I raq Government had been conceal i ng i t sac t s o f oppres s ion and was censor ing even the fore ignmai l s to prevent any l eakage o f news .

As a resul t o f the Anglo-French d i scuss ions i n Par i s ,and o f the gro s s m i srepresentat ions o f fact s made to theFrench autho r i t i e s on the front i er by I raq i representat ive s

( one o f whom was the c r im inal Qaimaqam o f Dohuk )that there we re no di fferences between the Assyr i an andthe I raq Government

” the French apparent ly no t ified theAssyr i ans to return to I raq ,

as the I raq i representat iveshad assured them that they would be al lowed entry w i thoutbe ing fu r ther persecuted o r massacred . They were advi sedto l eave the terr i to ry as o therw i se the quest ion might assume ser ious propo r t ions . Malik Yaku ,

h i s bro ther Mr .

Sh laim un,Malik L oko and Mr . Eshu D ’

Kelat ia requestedthe French no t to fo rce them to return to I raq becausethe past fal se accusat ions o f the I raq Government againstthem would

,w i thout doubt , l ead to the i r pe r secut ion . They

sai d that they had no i ntent ion o f fight i ng,and were they

to al low the i r compatr io t s to do so,they would be the

fi rst to take the fi e ld,but the fac t i s that the i r ve ry

p resence in Sy r i a was to aver t th i s s i tuat ion .

The news o f the ac t s o f cal lous oppress ion by the I raq

YAKU D’MA L I K I SMA IL o r U P P ER T IYARI

Th ey sp l i t th e i r fo rce s i n two grou p s . Yakusu rp r i sed th e e n emy f rom th e rea r

—Th e As sy r ian Trag edy , p . 49

MAL I K Loco SH LEMON or TKH UMA

Mal ik Lo co lau n ched a fro n tal a t tack d i s lo ca t i ng th e

2I raq army from Ba i kh i r h il l

—Th e As sy rian Trag edy , p . 49

YA KU J’

Yh i a u k l e‘

z H , m , I's ' i

'i-

‘

u: T i Y \ E'

‘

T n e y splat th e i r f o rt we g ram -s .

s u rp r i sed t h e e nemy f rom th e t e a r

Th e As s vrw -z Tw e a dt . t

THE FINAL BETRAYAL—I I I

Government aga inst the fam i l i es o f group “A”

,and o the rs ,

we re now r i fe . I nd iv i dual s w i sh ing to j o i n group “A”

were be ing sho t down and tor tured . Under these c i r

cum s tances , Mal i ks , Yaku ,L oko

,and the other l eade r s .

had no cho ice but to return to I raq and save th e s i tuat ionby surrender i ng the i r arms and re tu rning to the i r v i l lages .

To te st the I raq i as su rance s to the French that theAssyr i ans would not be k i l l ed , a smal l group , w i th mules ,p roceeded to c ro ss the r i ver and wa i ted on the bank fo rano ther group to fo l low . As one o f the groups was

cro ss ing the r i ver,an I raq i aeroplane gave a s ignal to the

I raq i fo rce s that w ere ent renched al l around the sp o t .Suddenly

,the men in the r i ver and tho se on the sho re

were attacked by a ter r ific fi re from the h i dden I raq i . TheAssyr i ans

,hast i ly ho i s t i ng wh i t e flags

,shouted to each

o ther,

“

D o not r e talia te for th e s ake of ou r wom enfolkand ch ildr en left beh ind in I raq

”. The Assyr i ans w i thhe ld

the i r f i r e and sho t not a s ing l e gun unt i l the c r i e s o f the i rdy ing conv inced them that unl ess a de fence was made , theent i r e band would be massacred . Among the i nnumerableac t s o f hero i sm ,

the hero ic sacr ifice o f the Rev . Marogu ilo f Barwar , (Qudch an is ) , shoul d go down in h i sto ry in ablaz e o f glo ry , for mak ing h i s body a b r i dge upon wh ichth e betrayed Assyr i ans c ro ssed and retal i ated by open ing

fi re . IVI ali le Yaku i n h i s repo r t to the author bo rne ou t byeye—w i tnesse s , states ,

“As soon as we opened fire, though

under no cover , the I raq army di spl ayed i t s gal lantry byrunn ing d i so rder ly be fo re us to fo rt i fy themselve s inthe i r camp near by . The I raq army took the offens iveat s ix o

’

c lock i n the even ing on the 4th o f August and

cont inued al l the n ight o f the fi fth , when the Assyr i ans ,w i th r ifie s only , counte rattacked ( unt i l now on th ede fens i ve ) and infl ic t ed very heavy casual t i e s on the

retreat ing enemy .The casual t i e s o f the Assyr i ans were I O


k i l l ed 1 and 1 3 woundedz . The dead bodi es o f the I raqarmy counted by the Assyr i ans numbe red 80 and late rrepo r t s i nd icated the i r casual t i e s were heav i er . The mounto f Chai B ekh ai r

,where the army was s trongly entrenched

,

was captu red by the Assyr i ans on the fi fth by a dec i s iveattack launched by Malik L oko o f Tkhuma

,suppo r ted by

a strong par ty from beh ind . Those in the r ive r and on

the sho re were rescued . I raq i aeroplanes took par t i n al lthese ope rat ions

,k i l l i ng th ree o f the i r own officer s whom

the Assyr i ans had captured and deta i ned in a tent .Like Aylme r at Wadi

,

“ through lack o f water andwant o f food , Mal i ks , Yaku and L o leo, al so S h laimun andEshu

,found that they could not ho l d the i r po s i t ions much

longer,fo r the I raq army was rece iv ing cons i derable

re in fo rcements wh i l e the Assy r i ans wer e gett ing weaker .

There fo re,they dec i ded to w i thdraw ,

a fter having rescuedthe i r compatr io t s from exterminat ion .

Dur i ng the fight i ng,however

,about 2 50 Assyr i ans cu t

the i r way through the mi l i t ary co rdon and r eturned to

the i r v i l lages i n I raq , to pro tect the i r fami l i e s . 3 I raq iae roplanes dropped leaf l e t s to say that al l those surrender ingthe i r arms woul d be pardoned and in no way i nj u red . A

l arge number o f Assyr i ans d i d surrender the i r arms to

the c i v i l author i t i e s , but were immed iate ly sho t deadw i thout tr i al . I n a garden at Dohuk alone , on the 1 7 th o f

August,fi fteen Assyr i ans were t i ed up and sho t down in

the pre sence , and under the o rders , o f the Qaimaqam .

l—Ma l ik B a i toR a i s Z om a va D a n i e"Ja g i s Mi s h oY ok h a n a n K h an oR eha n a S o r i s h o

—Ma l i k LokoA n te r J in doMo s h i D a n i e lR a t s J i le o Na d i rR a t s G ew a rg i s G ievo

H o rm i s K . Gew a rg i s

N e s s a n Yon a n3 —S e e s ta t em en t o f S i r A rno l d W i l s on a t t h e e nd o f th i s c ha pte r .

Zom a y a S lew o

K i s h t o B e nyam inR ev . Ma r og u i lB a da l D av i dMa r og u i l K o ry ak o s

S h im u n Wa r daJos e ph E s h oo

N w e y a Yon anY o s e p K a n n on

K h eyn Cha doMa l i k S h i kho

A GROUP OF TKHUMA

A GROUP OF UP P ER T IYARIi n clu d i ng Odi s z h o Ra i s Osh ana o f A sh i ta

,Lowe r T iy a r i

THE FI NAL BETRAYAL— I I I

The news o f the batt l e was b roadcas t th roughout thecountry by d ifferent governmental agenc i e s , but , as usual ,gro s s and shame ful m i srep re sentat ions we re made to

fur ther po i son the minds o f the Arab popul at ion . TheI raq Government stated that i t was the Assy r i an s wh ofi rst opened fire at F a ishkh abou r , and that the th ree Arabofficer s captu red had the i r bod ie s mut i l ated . Leaving theAssyr i an and I raq i account s o f th i s inc i dent as i de

,we

have the d i s inte rested repor t o f Maj o r A ldwards . Hi sstatement i s

,that group “A” had captu red A rab office r s in

act ion and a cons i derab l e quant i ty o f war mater i a l i nc l ud ingexplo s ive s . As the fight was go ing on

,th e Assy r i an s we re

unable to take th e pr i sone r s w i th them so they t i ed themup and l e ft them beh ind in a t ent by wh ich lay "thecaptured ammuni t ion . The I raq i ae roplanes , want ing to

blow up the ammun i t ion,d ropped bombs wh i ch re sul ted

i n the death o f the i r own office rs . Thi s s tatement i s bo rneou t by the fac t that these I raq i baubl e flye rs d ropped thebombs on Syr i an so i l

,k i l l ing ce rta i n peopl e the re .

On 2 4th o f Septembe r,1 933 , tlI ali l

e Yaku w r i t ing to

me states :

lWy d ear Yu su f lWalek,

You hav e no dou b t h eard h ow th e I raq G o v e rnm en th as fu l fi l l ed h e r p romi se s to th e Leagu e o f Na tion s i n rega rd to

th e p ro te c tion of M i n o r i t ie s . S i n ce l ong i t was my d e s i re to ge t

i n tou ch w i th y ou bu t u n fo r tu na te l y I wa s u nabl e t o o b ta i n you radd re s s u n ti l re cen tly wh en Jaladat B edr Khan gav e i t to m e .

I wou l d be glad i f y ou cou l d hav e a t tach ed a r ti c l e pu b l i sh edi n reply to Nu r i Pasha ’

s s ta tem en ts .

I hav e no t h ea rd f rom th e Af ar Sh ima n d i rec tly o r i nd i re c tlyfo r some mon th s now and we wou l d be a ll glad h e re if y o u wou l dk eep u s i nfo rm ed of all e v en ts as we r e c e i v e no n ew s o r pap e r s .

You r s s i n c e re l y ,

Yaku Ma l ik I sma i l .

The art ic l e o f Mal i k Yaku , conc l u s ive as i t i s,wa

ut i l i zed in the proper quar t e rs , but I must reproducecer tain part s o f i t fo r i t s h i stor ical value .


Nu r i Pa sh a

Th e Mar Sh iman was de ta i n ed af ter troubl e brokeOll t .

Ma l ik Yaku

Th e Mar Sh imun was off ic ial ly d e ta i ned i n Baghdadlong before th e troubl e broke ou t for hav i ng refu sedto s ign docume n ts d i c ta ted to h im by th e Min i s te r .

If h is Bea t i tu d e wou ld hav e s igned th e s e , h e wou l dhav e be e n con s i de red a tra i to r and d i sl oya l to h is

Na tion . Th e A s syrian s app l ied for h i s re l ease bu t

th e i r reque s ts we re u na t tended to .

Nu r i P a sh a

Ma l ik Yaku e n tered Dohu k w i th an armed force to

defy Gov e rnmen t .

Ma lik Ya ku

I was i n v i ted to Dohuk by th e Qa imaqam and Id id no t hav e w i th m e mo re than twe l v e i nd i v idua l ss ome of whom h ad bu s i ne s s of th e i r own i n Dohu k .

Thou gh so i n v i ted , th e Qa imaqam in fo rmed me

th rough th e age n cy of E z ra e ff end i , th e po l iceo ff i ce r, tha t h e was u nab l e to see m e . T o th e

Mo su l au tho r i t ie s , on th e o the r hand , h e wro temi s rep re se n ti ng th e who l e affa i r . E v en i f I h ad

a rmed m en w i th me , tha t cu s tom was no t u nu sua lfor tr i bal ch ief s i n Ku rd i s tan . F or i n s tance, Sa

’ i dAgha Garmawi , Ahmad Agha Barash i made v i s i tsto th e I raqi off i c ial s w i th a rmed fo l low ers .

N u r i P a s h a

Qa imaqam Amadiyah i n v i ted Mal ik Yaku to a t tendh is offi ce s and fa i l ed to do so .

Ma l ik Ya ku

T h e Qa imaqam asked m e whe re we sh ou l d mee t . Isu gge s ted Suwa ra Tu ka, bu t on find ing tha t th e

Go v e rnm en t h ad a l ready d ispa tched a fo rce of fif typ o l icem en and a rmo red ca r s to e ffe c t my a r re s t, Ire f ra i ned f rom go i ng . I wen t to th e h i l l s .

Nu r i P a s h a

Yaku su bmi t ted to th e mil i tary force and h e was

pa rdon ed . We regre t su ch a pardon was gi v en h im .


I canno t c lo se th i s chapter w i thout quo t ing a smal'

paragraph from “ The Cr i s i s in I raq”

.

1 I know,and th e

surv ivo r s o f the massacre and the coming generat ionsshould know that i t was through B r i t i sh treachery thatthe massacre was made po ss ib l e .

Very few Engl i shmen would have made th i s veryimportant statement o f “ fou r s quadrons of th e B r i tish A irF orce , wh os e in tervention has be en confined, of recen t

m onth s , to dropp ing leafle ts on A s sy r ians telling th em to

s u rr ender . Th ey did s o and wer e mas sacr ed a day or two

later in cold blood. ( See page

I do not th ink the r e i s any Assyr i an in the fou r corner so f the wor l d wh o could doubt S ir Arno l d ’s statement ; andi f we are not to forget ou r mar tyr s o f S im e il and o therv i l l ages

, we shoul d frame i t ( as I have done ) , and placei t i n a consp icuous place i n eve ry Assyr i an house and

have i t s tragic consequences taught to ou r ch i ldren as toh ow the Assyr i ans have been rewarded by the B r i t i shw i th whom the i r re l at ions date a centu ry back .

l—B y Li eu t . -Co lon e l S i r A r n o l d W i l s on Th e Oc tobe ri s su e ( 1 9 30 ) o f t h e N ine te enth Cen tu ry and A f te r . ( Lon don ) . S ee Ch a pte rX IX .

CHAPTER XVI I I

THE ARAB BARBARI SMIN IRAQ

In 1 9 2 9 , c i rcul ars,drafted by I raq i Mi n i ste rs ho ld ing

Mi n i st er i a l post s in 1 933, we re c i rculated th roughout Ku r

d i s tan for a general massacre o f the Assyr i an s . Thesec i rculars , accord ing to th e Spec i al S e rvi ce Officer

,Mo su l

,

were caught in Rowanduz and the s i tuat ion saved , not bythe act ion o f the local Arab offic i a l s wh o were i n l eaguew i th tho s e i n Baghdad

,but pu re ly and so l e ly by Ku rd i sh

inte l l ect s, wh o ,

on rece iv ing the news , took p rompt act ionat the r igh t t ime .

I n 1 930 , on h i s v i s i t to Mo su l , S ir Franc i s Humph rysmet d i fferent groups o f rep resentat i ve l eade r s . One o f

tho s e groups was compo s ed o f th e Ma r S h imu n,B i shop

Yusu f Ghan imah,and Qas Sula iman Say igh

,P r i e s t Grego r

o f the Armen ians, Maj i d Agha , a Ku rd i sh ch i e f o fMi zu r i

i n Dohuk, ( a ve ry p rogre ss ive Ku rd wh o always d id h i s

bes t to cul t ivate fr i endly re lat ions w i th the Assy r i an s ) ,and ano ther Ku rd i sh ch i e f o f the He rk i t r i be . I n con

ver sat ion,amongs t o ther th ings

,Maj i d Agha sai d

“

ll/I a inu rai A raban F as ad Kan B a ima wa A s u r i .

The Arab offic i a l s are caus ing d i s sens ion between us and the Assy r i ans .

”

Capta in Ho l t,the i nterprete r to th e H igh Commi s

s ioner,omitted to translate th i s ph rase to S ir Franc i s but

when he was rem inded by tho se p re sent , he regret ted thee rro r .

I n Apr i l,

1 93 1 , arrangement s we re complete to

massacre a l l th e Chr i s t i ans i n Mo su l , but th i s was avo i deddue to the number l e s s complaint s and repo r t s sen t to al ld i rec t ions by th e Ch r i st i an l eader s . The B r i t i sh armo red


car carr i ed ou t a demonstrat ion in the streets o f Mo su l ;s o the massacre d i d no t occur .

I n S eptember 1 93 1 , the League o f Nat ions was

offic i a l ly warned that a massacre woul d take place oncethe Assyr i ans are l e ft to the mercy o f the I raq government .I n 1 932 S ir Franc i s was rem inded o f the above

at tempts to massacre the Assyr i ans . H e had to admi t thefac t but sa i d :

You need no t f ear . Th e B r i t i sh i nflu ence i n I raq wou l d bemu ch g rea te r af te r th e l if ti ng of th e manda te than wha t i t h asb e e n and I , i n my capac i ty as th e B r i t i sh Ambassador, w i l l hav emo re t im e to d e vo te to th e i n te re s ts of th e A s syr ian s and s ee tha twha t y ou fear o f w i l l no t take p lace .

The member s o f the League o f Nat ions were not convinced o f the t ruth o f the repor t s submi tted to themand were extremely r eluc tant to re l ease B r i ta i n from h e r

obl igat ions and respons ib i l i t i e s be fo re mak ing sure thatthey would not be accessor i e s i n what they knew wouldhappen .

To break up al l res i stance i n the way o f I raq , S ir

Franc i s Humphrys made the fo l low i ng eminent dec l arat ionat Geneva :

“

S h ou ld I raq prove h ers elf unwor thy of th e confidencewh ich h ad be en placed in h er

,th e moral r espons ibi i ty

mu s t r es t wi th H is Majes ty ’

s Government, wh ich wou ld

not a ttemp t to transfer i t to th e P ermanen t Manda tes

Comm is s ion .

A fter al l due warnings to Great B r i ta i n , the dooro f the League o f Nat ions was opened in the face o f I raqand was admi t ted as an independent member , unde r fal sep retences

,w i thout any sa feguards fo r the p ro tec t ion o f

the Mi no r i t i e s,the Assyr i ans i n par t icu lar .

Mr . P i e rr e Or ts, ( Belgium ) , as rappor teur to the

Mandate s Commi ss ion in June , 1 93 1 , ( see m inute s o f thetwent i e th sess ion ) stated :


H i s v i ews were al so endorsed by a d i st i ngu i shed ex-C i v i lCommi ss ioner i n I raq , S ir Arno l d Wi l son .

P rofes s or Ves ey -F i tz Gerald be fore the Gro t i us Soc i etys tated

“

T o d e nou n ce th e I raq t rea ty now migh t pe rhap s be a b reacho f fa i th w i th ou r a l l ie s , th e Sh arifian na tional i s ts ; to hav e s ignedth e t rea ty a t all or to ob se rv e i t was , and i s , a b reach o f fa i th bo thw i th th e Leagu e of N a t io n s and w i th ou r equal ly loya l al l ies , th eA ssy r ian Ch ri s tian s .

H is Grace th e L ord A rchbish op of Canterbury s tated“ I mos t earnes tly hop e tha t th e League of Na tion s w i l l i n s i s t

on ob ta i n i ng th e u tmos t poss ib l e secu r i ty for th e p ro te c t ion o f

th e se Mino r i ties b efore a manda te i s i ssu ed to th e I raq Gove rnme n t .Th i s i s th e v e ry l eas t tha t we may hav e a r igh t to i n s i s t u pon i nv i ew o f all th e su ffe r i ngs and sac r ifice s of th e se mino r i ti e s .

A lette r from Hi s Eminence Cardinal Bourne con

tained the fo l lowing :

Hi s Emin ence d e s i re s i t to be known tha t h e took g rea t i n te re sti n th e qu e s tio n o f th e Ch r i s tian M i no r i t ie s i n I raq , and tha t h eknew tha t th e Ho l y Se e wa s fu l ly awa re o f wha t was happ en i ngto tho se Minor i t ie s .

”

H i s Grace the A rchb i shop o f Dubl in and Dr . Sco t tL idge tt , the l at te r on behal f o f the Evange l ical FreeChurches o f B r i ta in , al so expressed the hope that theLeague would safeguard the nat ional integr i ty o f theChr i s t i ans and the o ther Mi nor i t i e s .

We le ft Mal i k Yaku and group “A” i n Syr i a,and I

th ink i t neces sary to say a few words as to wh o Mal i kYaku i s

,because the I raq Gove rnment has been mal ic iously

attempt ing to b rand h im as a rebe l and no more than a

“ band i t . ”

Mal i k Yaku i s a very good Chr i s t i an wh o nevermi sse s h i s mo rn ing o r even ing praye rs . He comes froma ve ry influent i al Assyr i an fami ly i n upper T iy ar i l i kethe B arkh o fami ly o f lower Tiy ar i . H e has been in the

THE ARAB BARBARI SM

Assyr i an l ev i e s and served w i th many B r i t i sh offi ce rsdur i ng the l as t s ixteen year s . He commanded the secondAssyr i an battal ion and po ssesse s an undaunted sp i r i t . H ero se to the h ighest mi l i t ary rank to wh ich an Assy r i ancould r i s e due to h i s b ravery and the innumerabl e su c

c esse s ach i eved dur i ng the m i l i tary ope rat ions in I raq .

Sens ibl e,unselfi sh

,and hones t he was ; he re fused to

permit h i s Nat ion and Patr i arch to be ensl aved by a racei nfin i te ly i n fe r ior to h i s .

Hi s only faul t has been that he and h i s b ro the rAssyr i ans

, officers and men , have saved many B r i t i shl i ves ( by sacr ific ing the i r own ) and saved mi l l ions o f

rupees to the B r i t i sh tax-paye r by se rv i ng i n dange rousfi e lds wh ich o therw i s e woul d have been done by B r i t i shtroops . I f men are ungrate ful , h i story i s NOT .

I n August,1 933 ,

a Ho lyWar was p roc l a imed aga in stthe Assy r i ans

,and the Gove rnment newspape r s and offic i a l s

were i n the foremo st o f tho se wh o advo cated the J ihad.

Glo r ious t r ibutes we re pa i d to tho se wh o w ere comingfo rward to j o i n the J ihad . T r i besmen and townsmen o f

al l c l asses were in st igated by the o ffic i al s to vo l untee r to

proceed to the nor th and fight the Assy r i an s . Arabdeput i es armed proceeded to Mo su l fo r the same pu rpo se .

Merchants w ere supply ing the vo l untee r s w i th fi rearmsto whom the Gove rnment tende red i t s thanks fo r suchact s o f patr io t i sm . Camel s were be ing p roduced i nhundreds to fac i l i tate the task o f the army for t ranspor tpurpo ses to c l ear up the Assy r i an zone . Du r i ng Augustover two hundred and th i r ty l ibe l lous ar t i c l e s we re al lowedto be publ i shed against the

“

infidels .

” Fu r the r attemptsto assass inate theMar S h imun fai l ed .

Th rough the i r ch i e fs , Arab and Ku rd i sh t r i besmenwer e given the o rder s o f th e Government : they off ered onepound for every Assyr i an head b rought i n , dead o r al i ve ;and that they woul d no t be asked by th e Government to


re sto re any o r al l o f the prope r ty they could plunder . Al lact s o f vio l ence we re l aw ful

,and anyone no t part ic ipat ing

i n th i s war would be bet raying h i s re l ig ion and countryTh i s was the O rder o f the Day .

We asked the paper—guarantees o f the League o f

Nat ions to pro tec t u s,and we wer e to l d that that was the

p rovince o f the “ B r i t i sh mo ral respons ib i l i ty . On app li

cat ion to the latte r,she was found to be

,i n derogat ion

o f h e r m oral r espons ibili ty ,haphazardly ind i fferent to the

fate o f the people wh o had been h e r loyal a l l i e s .

The re was now no th ing to p revent Bake r S idqy ,th e

Arab commander , wh o was so shame ful ly de feated bygroup “A”

on the front i e r,from embark ing up on the

gene ral massacre - scheme fo r which p reparat ions w e remade s ince the s tone -cas e i n May .

On h i s retu rn to the Assyr ian v i l lages and sett l ements,

al l Assyr i ans found on the way w e re k i l l ed . Assy r i answh o

,dur i ng al l the i r s tay in I raq

,had n o i nte res t in

gove rnmental affai r s w e re t reated s im i lar ly . To min imi z ethe number o f pe r sons s o k ill ed

,Assyr i ans

,wh o had

su rrendered the i r arms and al so tho se wh o had n o arm s ,w ere t i ed and conveyed by mi l i tary car s to the Syr i anfront i e r and k i l l ed there after be ing to r tu red on the way

The I raq Gove rnment in h e r comm un ique regarding th e

batt l e on the front i er s tated that n i nety - five Assy r ianswe re k i l l ed in ac t ion . We know that only ten Assyr i answe re k i l l ed and the remain ing e ighty - seven we re k i lledunde r c i rcumstances descr ibed above .

Unde r o rde r s o f the Qaimaqam o f Dohuk andAmadiyah

,the p o l ice began co l l ect i ng the Assy r i an a r ms

s ince July 3o th . The offic i al massac re day was ce l eb r at edon August the 7 th . The Assy r i ans l iv ing i n the v i l l age so f : Sayyad Zar i

,Manaw i

,Qas r Yazd in ,

Mansu r iyah ,

Chamma Go re,Kharab Kul i

,Dar i

, Sar sh u r i , Garp ili andB u su r iy ek,

and many o the r v i l lages we re instructed to com e


drome in the v ic i n i ty o f S ime l and conveyed to Baghdad .

They were no t permitted to see what was happen ing .

B r i t i sh aeroplane s fl ew over the massacre zones and tookpho tographs from the a ir w i thout giv ing any help o r re l i e fto tho se wh o were be ing massacred

,al though many o f

the latter were the fami l i e s o f the Assyr i ans st i l l guard ingthe B r i t i sh interest s i n I raq .

Al l fore igners were w i thdrawn from the Mo su l l iwaand confined in Mosu l town . The Mi n i s ter s o f I nter io rand De fence were i n Mo su l and rece ived hour ly repo rt so f the progress o f the massacre . B r i t i sh officers in theI raq army and tho se i n the c iv i l serv ice were we l l awareo f those ho rror s .

Assyr i an v i l l ages were sto rmed,burnt to the ground ,

and later p i l l aged by Arab i rregular s and cer ta in Kurdi shtr i besmen . Al l the money the Assyr i ans po ssessed wa s

robbed by the I raq army and the c i v i l offic i al s from therank o f Qaimaqams to that o f po l ice constables . Kurd i shaghas

, wh o were always feared to take repr i sal s i n sucha case

,i n v i ew o f the operat ions under taken against

them under the orders o f the B r i t i sh H igh Commiss ione r s

, gave shel ter to Assyr i an v i l lager s and i so l atedpersons instead o f at tacking them as was expected . Thefo l low ing Ku rdi sh aghas are among o the r s wh o p ro tectedthe Assy r i ans dur ing the i r tragedy :

She ik Nur i B r i fkan i , Ahmad Agha al A trush i andQadi r Agha o f Aqra .

And though the Ku rds in Arb i l l iwa were in a po s i t ionto s laughter al l the Assyr i ans in the Rowanduz sett l ementi n v i ew o f the i r smal l number , yet the Kurds nevermo l e sted them o r remembered the near past .

She iks Ahmad and Mahmud were intervi ewed andrequested by the Arab Min i s ters to attack the Assyr i ansand j o i n i n the J ihad

,but they re fused to do so . She ik

Mahmud was i ntervi ewed in A ’

dham iy ah .

THE ARAB BARBARI SM

King Fai sal, wh o was i n Eu rope w i th h i s Mi n i s te rs

ask ing the B r i t i sh Government to l end them a few mi l l ionrupees

,and S ir Franc i s , wh o was on a fi sh ing t r i p

,

retu rned to Baghdad by a ir . Fa i sal i s re l i ably repo r ted to

have asked the cab inet to res ign o r s top the massacre,and

he was to l d that h e was mere ly a re fugee i n I raq,and

he could l eave the throne i f the po l icy o f the nat ional i s t sd i d not su i t h im . I t must be remember ed that Fa i sal hadlo st al l h i s p rest ige i n h i s l as t days subsequent to th eadmi ss ion o f I raq to th e League

,fo r he coul d not r e ly

on B r i t i sh bayonets as he d id be fo re .

The B r i t i sh Embassy,though in po s se ss ion o f ful l

repo rt s o f the ugly event s i n Mo sul,kept the Mar S h iwun

ent i re ly in the dark . On July 3 I s t , i n a l ett e r to theLeague

,the Mar S h imun stated :

My corr esp ondence is e i th er cens or ed or confis ca ted,

th e refore,I am obliged to u s e indir ec t m e th ods of s ending

A s sy r ian news ou t of I raq .

”

I,be ing in B ey routh , the fo l low ing t el egram reached

me wh ich I rad iographed to the League o f Nat ions on

August I s t

“

A s s y rian s i tuation desp e rate s top Comp elling A s

sy rians cros s ing S y r ian front ier s top I u nde r Governm en t

de ten tion B aghdad s top A pp eal for L eagu e’

s in te rven tion .

”

I f th e League ’ s p ro tec t ion was o f any avai l , themassacr e wh i ch took pl ace s ix days a ft er th i s t e l egram ,

might have been stopped . Even at th i s t ime , th e B r i t i shauthor i t i e s , i f they wanted , coul d have stopped themassacre ; ( i f no t by send ing t roops to Mo su l ) by send ingAssyr i an l ev i e s from Baghdad to the No r th who se me represence woul d have prevented the I raq army from attacking the Assyr i an s .

On August 1 7 th , I rece i ved mo re te l egrams from theMar Sh imun to the League o f Nat ions :


Implore L eagu e’

s immediate intervention s top As

sy r ian wom en and ch ildr en included in mas sacre th rough

cer tain Ku rdis h tr ibes arm ed by th e I raq Governm en t .

The r e ference to th e Kurds wh ich was based on a firs t«

hand i n fo rmat ion repo r t ( and on a statement by the I raq ipr ime min i s ter ) wh o attempted to throw the respons ib i l i tyon the shoulder s o f the Kurds was subsequently co rrec tedi n a l etter dated September 1 2 th and sent to the Leagueo f Nat ions by the Mar S h imun .

On August 1 7 th al so ,the above te l egrams s igned by

theMar S h imun were sent to the fo l low i ng addressee5 "

H i s Maj e s ty K i ng Ge o rgeH i s Exce l l en cy th e P re s i den t of th e F ren ch Repu bl i cH i s Maj e s ty King Alb e r t of Be l giumHer Maj e s ty Qu ee n Wil he lmi na of Ho l landH i s Exce l l en cy Signo r Mu s sol i n iH i s Exce l l en cy H e r r H i tl e rH i s lVIaje s ty K i ng Haakon of N o rway

Vxl i th the except ion o f the l ast te legram wh ich di d not

find the King o f No rway at Oslo,the remainder r eached

the i r dest i nat ions .

The o rde r s to stop the offic i a l massacre were passedon the 14 th o f August

,though i t canno t be sa i d i t was

defin i te ly s topped .

On August 1 6 th , the I raq Government passed anemergency law fo r the depor tat ion o f theMar S h imun

,h i s

f ather,Mr . David D

’

B e th Mar S h imun,and h i s bro ther ,

Mr . Theodore . On the 1 7 th , he was no t ifi ed as fo l lows , andon the mo rning o f the 1 8 th he was car r i ed by B r i t i shaeroplane s to Cyp rus vi a Palest ine

,accompan i ed by two

Assyr i an office r s , Rah Emma Mal i k Ho rm i z o f Tkhuma,

and Rab Kh am sh i office r Yaku El iya .


prevented h im and h i s fr i ends from go ing any far the r ,as they had not yet suffic i ent Assyr i an blood . I n S ime la lone

, over four hundred persons were bur i ed in th reetrenches by a labou r par ty sent from Mo su l , and th i s ,acco rding to the statements o f tho se wh o surv ived and theoffic i a l r epo r t s o f the admin i strat ive offic i a l s , was due to

the complaints made by the offic i a l s wh o coul d no t bearthe smel l o f the dead bodi es wh ich were be ing eaten atn ight by the dogs and w i l d beasts .The o rder o f depo r tat ion , though appl icabl e to the

Mar S h imun,i s al so appl icable to the new k ing o f I raq ,

Ghaz i,together w i th some one hundred thousand pe r sons ,

i nc l ud ing Chaldeans,Armen ians

,and o ther membe r s o f

the I raq mino r i t i e s , wh o had ente red I raq after the war,

fo r the law i t se l f state s :

“Any pe rson wh o,he or h i s fami ly

,were not hab i tu

al ly res i dent s in I raq befor e th e war can be depor ted underth i s law .

”

Thi s law i s against the :

( 1) T rea ty o f Lau sann e( 2) I raq con s ti tu tiona l law(3) I raq na tional i ty law(4) T h e guaran te e s of th e Leagu e o f Na tion s .

On August 2 I s t,the Mar S h imun ar r ived in Cyp rus

w i th Hon . David D’

B i th Mar S h imu n and Mr . Th eodore ,

and I j o i ned H i s Beat i tude on the 2 6 th ; fo r I was

depo r ted from Syr i a two day s a fter the ar r i val i n Beyrouth o f Nu r i

,the I raq i Fo re ignMin i s ter .

A r t ic l e 7 o f the I raq i const i tu t ion states :“ Th e re sha l l be no v io la t ion of , or i n te rfe ren ce w i th , th e

p e rsona l l ibe r ty o f any o f th e i nhab i tan ts o f I raq . N on e o f th emshal l be a r re s ted , de ta i n ed , pu n i sh ed o r obl iged to change th e i rp lace of re s i d e n ce , o r be p laced i n b ond s , o r comp e l l ed to s e rv e i nth e a rm ed fo rc e s , excep t i n con fo rmi ty w i th law .

“ To r tu re and th e d ep o r ta tion o f I raqi s f rom th e Kingdom of

I raq are ab so lu te ly fo rb idd en .

THE ARAB BARBARI SM

The Nat ional i ty Law o f I raq came into fo rce on th e

oth o f October 1 9 2 4 , o r two months and th ree days a ft e rthe rat ificat ion o f the Treaty o f Lausanne . I t l a i d downthat Tu rk i sh subj ect s hab i tual ly res i dent i n te r r i to ry detach ed from Tu rkey became ips o fac to nat ional s o f th eS tat e to wh ich such te rr i to ry was t rans fe r red . Thus , theinhab i tant s o f the S tat e o f I raq

, ( i nc l ud ing the Assy r i an s )be ing forme r ly Tu rk i sh subj ect s

,now became I raq i

subj ect s .Near Dohuk

,the re st i l l s tands an h i sto r ical h i l l

upon wh ich thousands o f Assyr i an s we re pe r secuted in theo ld days . On th i s same h i l l

,many Assy r i an s we re executed

dur ing August , 1 933 . The l as t Assy r i an to be sho t was one

Howe l Odish u who s e l i fe was only saved by a m i rac l e .

An impar t i al obse rve r wh o happened to be in Ba i j iwr i t e s me as fo l lows :

On th e e v en i ng o f Au gu s t 9 th , 1933, th e A rab emp loye e s o f

th e I raq Pe t ro l eum a t tacked th e A s sy r ian s and u s i ng cha i r s ands t i ck s . Six A s sy r ian s w e re wou nd ed and t h e r ema i nd e r ran away .

T h e Pol i ce i n te rv e n ed and a r re s ted th e A rab s ; th re e A s sy r ian swe re wou nd ed . Th ey w e re tak e n to th e cou r t a t T akr i t

( i n th e Baghdad l iwa ) , wh e re th e A rab s w e re a cqu i t ted . and an

A s sy r ian was s en ten ced to t en day s imp r i sonm en t .“

Th e fo l low i ng day , i t was s tro ngly rumou red tha t a s e conda t tack by a rm ed A rab s wou l d fo l l ow , as th e i r i n s t ru c t ion s w e re tha tno A s sy r ian s sh ou l d be l e f t al i v e . T h e I raq Pe t ro l e um C o y . wa s

comp e l l ed to co l l e c t all th e A s sy r ian s i n one pla ce fo r p ro te c t io nand to b r i ng th e re th e A s sy r ian s empl oyed a t p o i n t K .2 , a

d i s tan c e of fiv e mil e s f rom Ba i j i . Th e numb e r o f A ssy r ian s thu sco l l e c ted was som e one hu nd red and fi f ty .

“ Rum ou rs o f imp end ing a t tack s by A rab s b e com e r i fe . Th e rewa s no a t tack on Au gu s t loth , bu t on th e 1 1th , n ew s re ce i v edi nd i ca ted tha t th e A rab s i n th e se rv i ce of th e coy . wou l d th ems e l v e s ca r ry ou t th e a t tack . T h e A s sy r ian s wh o w e re no t p repa redfor su ch an e v e n tu a l i ty ran to th e B r i t i sh bu ngal ow s fo r p ro

t ec t ion . I t sh ou l d be rem emb e red tha t th e re w e re a numbe r o f

po l i cem en and gua rd s of th e coy . , on th e sp o t fo r p ro tec t io npu rp o se s , bu t as soon a s th e l igh ts we re ou t , th ey d e se r ted th e i r

- C oy . i s t h e B r i t i s h a bb r ev i a t i on o f Com pa n y .


po s ts and we n t away . S imu l tane ou s ly w i th th i s , th e A s sy r ian swe re a t ta cked . Fou r te e n we re wou nd ed and on e was k i l l ed . AnA rab employe e o f th e Coy . d emanded tha t th e d ead body o f th e

A s sy r ian k i l l ed shou l d be bu rn t . T h e B r i t i sh o ff i c ial s d id no t agre e .

“

T h e rumou rs tha t th e A rab tr i b e sme n wou l d a l so a t tack d id no tdie ou t . T h e fo l low i ng day twen ty A rab ho rsem e n d emo n s t ra ted ,b e fo re th e B r i t i sh o ff i ce r s , i n f ron t o f th e camp o f th e Coy .

“ Af te r th e a t tack of Au gu s t 1 1th , a t th e requ e s t o f th e coy .

be fo re th e B r i t i sh o ff i ce rs , fo r ty po l i ceme n and two mach i n e gu n swe re s e n t for pu rpo s e s o f p ro te c tio n .

On Au gu s t 13th , th e rumou rs o f th e imp e nd ing a t tack d i edaway, bu t th e A rab employe e s w en t on s t r ike . Th ey d emand edth e d i smi s sa l o f all th e A s sy r ian s . Tho se wh o we n t on s t r i ke w e reabou t two hu nd red . Th ey w e re a l so j o i n ed by s om e two hu nd redt r ibe smen . On th e e v e n i ng o f tha t day , A rab emp loye e s ca rryi ngI raqi flags p ro ce ed ed to a t tack th e camp . Th e p o l i ce i n te rv e ned .

Th e r i ng-l eade r was summon ed , and a s th e B r i t i sh o ff i ce r wou l dno t con se n t to th e con templa ted a t tack , th e la t ter was i n su l ted byth e r i ng-l ead e r . T h e s tr ike rs th en re tu rned to th e s ta t ion and on

th e i r way back , th ey bu rn t down a car b e lo ngi n g to th e Coy .

“A t 9 p .m . i n th e e v en i ng, th e A s s i s tan t Commandan t o f po l i ce ,w i th a car load ed w i th mach ine gu n , p ro ce ed ed to th e s ta t ionand asked tho se on s tr ike to be d isp e rs ed . Th i s th ey re fu s ed to

do . An e n thu sias ti c—bu t exce s s i v e ly e n thu s ias t i c A rab ro s e and

sa i d : ‘

Th e re l igion tha t domina te s i s tha t o f Mohammad and d ea thmean s n o th i ng to u s

’

.

“

Th e s t r ike rs the reu pon a t ta ck ed th e p o l i ce offi ce r , w h o

re spo nd ed , w i th th e re su l t tha t two A rab s we re wou nd ed and one

k i l l ed .

On th e 14th , th e Coy . d i spa tch ed i t s ae rop lan e s to Baghdadand re tu rn ed to Ba ij i ca r ryi ng th e Mu tasarr if and th e Commandan to f Po l i ce , Baghdad . Th ey i n te rv i ewed th e s tr ike rs , w i th th e re su l ttha t all th e A ssy r ian empl oye e s we re d i s charged w i th th e excep tiono f a f ew A s sy r ian c l e rk s .

A Cha l d ean (Ca tho l i c ) was al so wou nd ed du r i ng th i s p e r iodo f d i s tu rban ce .

”

Th e in te rvent ion by the po l ice was due to the p ressurebrought to bear on the Government by the I raq Pet ro l eumCoy whose i nte rests w er e at s take . Thi s i s borne ou t bythe fac t that i n centres wher e there was no o il

,the I raq

author i t i e s we re al lowed to play havoc w i th the Assyr i ans .


ar r e s ted and p e r s e cu ted i n many way s . T h e ch i efs o f th e v i l lage sw e re cal l ed aga i n and aga i n u nd e r d i ff e ren t p re tex ts and to l d to

b e t ray th e Af a r Sh imu n . T h e h ou s e of th e Pa tr iarch was w a tch ed ,and h e w as warn ed no t to h o l d an y m e e t i ngs .

“

T h e A s sy r ian s cou l d no t acc ep t n ew l ead e r s , cou l d no t re s ignth em s e l v e s t o be p e r s e cu ted u nj u s tl y , cou l d no t d rop so ab ru p tlyth e i r a l l eg ian ce to th e i r Pa tr iarch . T h e Go v e rnm en t mad e i tc l ea r t o th em tha t onl y a f rac tion of th em wou l d be s e t tl ed i nDash ta z i and o th e rs w ou l d hav e to s tay wh e re th ey w e re . Maj o rTh om son . th e s e t tl em en t off i c e r . s eem ed to be b ou nd t o th e

G ov e rnm en t 's p o l i cy . Th e grea t qu e s t ion o f s e t tl em en t as ch e r i sh edi n th e minds o f th e A s sy r ian s wa s r edu ced to a m e re sh i f ti ng of

som e s ix hu nd red famil i e s f rom one p lac e t o an o th e r .Th e o ff en s i v e r ema rk s ab ou t th e A s sy r ian s i n th e Pa r l iamen t

made i t c l ea r to th em tha t th e y w e re u nwan ted i n I raq . T h e

A rab i c p re s s . by p u b li sh i ng a r t icle s aga i n s t th e A s sy r ian s , c rea ted a

h o s ti l e f e e l ing am ong th e l oca l p opu l a t ion . T h e pu bl i sh i ng i n t h e

Am e r ican p re s s o f th e ar ti c l e known to y ou by th e Re v . Cumb e rland ,and i t s t ran s la t ion i n t h e A rab ic pap e r s . fi l l ed th e h ea r ts o f th e

A s sy r ian s w i th d i scou ragem en t . T h e Bi sh op o f J e ru sa l em 1 s i d ingu n cond i ti ona l l y w i th th e Gov e rnm en t 's p o l icy mad e th em f e e l thatou r Chu rch w a s al so aga i n s t th em . Th e se and o th e r l onge r s tand ingcau s e s fo rced th e A s sy r ian s to th e d e sp e ra te m ov e o f l eav i ng I raq .

“

I f F ran ce accep ts th em , all o th e r s w i l l s l ow l y fo l l ow : th eyw e re ready las t D e c emb e r t o go to P e r s ia bu t th ev p re f e r r ed t o g i v eth em s e l v e s u p t o F ran c e , wh i ch re ta i n s s t i l l th e p r e s t ige o f p ro

tee ti ng th e opp r e s s ed i n th e Ea s t . S ti l l th i s i s a s l ip i n th e

B r i ti sh p o l i c y i n th e Eas t . w h ich w i l l be j u dged s e v e re l y i n th e

annal s o f fu tu re h i s to ry .

"

The Rev . R . C . Cumbe r l and , (Ame r ican Mi s s ionary ) .

i n a c onfident ia l l ette r dated Baghdad . August 2 6 th . to Dr .

Spee r w r i t es as fo l low s :

I do n o t h av e m y fi l e s w i th m e h e re i n Baghdad ( and may

n e v e r s e e th em aga i n ) , and so canno t say wh e n i t w as tha t you rla s t l e t te r a r r i v ed . At th e m om en t ou r s i tu a ti on i s tha t o f v e ryu nw i l l i ng i n hab i tan t s o f Baghdad . On Su nday . 6 th , Au gu s t , Ir e c e i v ed a te l eph on e ca l l f rom Col . S taff o rd , th e Adm i n i s t ra ti v eI n sp e c to r, M o su l . a sk ing m e to b ri ng my w i fe to Mo su l , wh ich Id id tha t day . I r e tu rn ed t o D ohu k th e n ex t Tu e sda y : on Thu r sday

l—B i s h op Gra h am B row n .

THE ARAB BARBARI SM

o f th e n ex t week ( th e 17 th ) a te l egram f rom M r . Bad eau sa i d fo rall o f Mosu l S ta tion to come imm ed ia te ly to Baghdad w i thou tqu e s tion i ng ; we d id so , and a r r i v ed h e re th e af te rn oon o f th e 18 th .

Tech n i ca l ly, I am th e cu lp r i t ; th e I raqi Fo re i gn M i n i s te r w ro te to

o u r M i n i s te r , Mr . Knaben sh u e , comp la i n i ng of my po l i ti ca l a c t i v i ti e sand requ e s ti ng my remova l f rom Dohu k I migh t add tha tno sp e c ifi c ch arg e s

‘

w e re mad e and no e v id e n ce b rou gh t aga i n s tseem s to me ob v iou s tha t Go v e rnm en t doe s no t wan t any

f o re ign ob se rve r i n th e Dohu k d i s tr i c t . I t i s no t su rp r i s i ng tha tGo v e rnm en t w i sh e s to hav e th e p re s en t s i tu a tio n con c ea l ed ; i t isno t a p l ea san t s igh t . I shall do my u tmo s t to a r range to r e tu rnto Dohu k a s soon as p os s ib l e .

" I n th e m ean tim e , i t m ay be w e l l fo r m e to wr i te a s fu l lyas p o ss ib l e rega rd i ng th e s i tu a tion ; fo r a p o s ta l ce n so rsh ip i s ea s i l yp o s s i b l e , and I shal l p robably hav e to re f ra i n f rom w r i t ing s om ek i nd s o f th i ngs . I t w i l l p robably be adv i sab l e fo r l e t te rs f romth e US A . to be wo rd ed d i s c re e tl y . Th e re are o th e r s wh o are

b e t te r qu al ifi ed than I to g i v e an o ffi c ia l ac cou n t ; bu t my p o s i tionh as g i v en m e an Opp o r tu n i ty fo r ob s e rva t ion o f c e r ta i n asp e c tstha t few o th e rs hav e h ad .

“A s trong case can be mad e th ou gh i t i s my op i n ion tha t .gi v e n th e bas i c fa c to rs , th e su b s tan ce o f th e p re se n t s i tu a t ion was

i n e v i tab ly coming , and migh t as w e ll be now as any o th e r t ime . Av e ry i n te re s ti ng chap te r migh t be wr i t ten , i f all th e ma te r ial sw e r e ava i lab l e , on rea l and su ppo s ed B r i t i sh p romi s e s to th e

A s sy r ian s . Mo s t gen e rou s te rm s w e re mad e to th e Mar Sh ima n .

F o r th e mom e n t th e i r p o s i tio n i s shadowed by th e n o tabl e v i c to rywon a t S im e l w i th th e a id o f M o s l em fana t i c i sm and p e r sona l

sp i te ; th e s laugh te r o f i n n o cen t A s sy r ian s . At la s t C o l . S taffo rd .

i n th e h op e o f sav i ng th e v i l l age rs , w en t to th e v i l l age wh e reYaku was and gav e h im h i s p e rsona l saf e condu c t to come to

Mo su l , wh e re a gu a ran te e o f 200 p ou nd s f o r go od condu c t was

requ i red , and was fu rn i sh ed by Mr . P anfil . Th e s e A s sy r ian s a re

d e sc r i bed by I raqi p re s s d i spa tch e s a s reb e l s and i n su rgen ts , bu t Ido no t th i nk tho se wo rd s accu ra te l y d e sc r i b e th em . Th i s Ido know ; all or n ea r ly all of th e A s sy r ian v i l lage s i n th e pla i nhav e b ee n l oo ted , som e w i th l o s s of l if e . Mo s t o f th e l o o t i ng wa s

don e by A rab s and Ku rd s ; mo s t o f th e k i l l i n g was d on e by th e

a rmy .

Th e massac re a t S ime l i s known to y ou . Th e re w e re p robablya few reb e l s i n th e v i l lage a t th e tim e , tha t i s , th ose w h o h ad

c ros sed o v e r to Sy r ia and h ad go t back . B u t n ea rl y all w e re p re s en tth e re i n ob ed i ence to Go v e rnme n t o rd e r , hav i ng b een to l d to come


i n f rom th e su rrou nd ing v i l lage s for p ro te c t io n . They we re all

w i thou t a rm s , and w e re sho t down i n co l d-b lood by th e army .

Su ch an exh ib i t ion o f s tark savage ry and f re n z ied fana tici sm h as

s e l dom b e e n seen . I n add i tion to th i s , I know n o t h ow manyi n nocen t p eop l e w e re take n f rom the i r home s i n Dohu k , wh i l e Iwas th e re , and hav e no t b ee n se e n s i nce . Th e S ime l massacre sand s im i la r ev e n ts hav e gon e far to d es troy th e con fide n ce of th e

A s sy r ian s and o f o the r mino r i ty grou p s , e sp ec ia l l y Ch r i s tian s , i nth e good-fa i th o f th e Gov e rnmen t . Th ere seem s no t to be th e

p e rsonal i n tegr i ty i n th e Gov e rnmen t s e rv i ce s to fo rm a s tabl eadmi n i s tra tion . T o be su re , we as Ame r i can s are no t i n pos i t ionto th row s tone s ; bu t th e obj e c t i v e fac t rema i n s tha t co r ru p tion i sth e ru l e ra th e r than th e excep tion i n th i s cou n t ry, and tha t i t i sn o t cond emned by anybody o f pu bl i c op i n ion tha t i s s trong e nou ghto che ck i t . Th e ou tlook is no t b r igh t .

I am so r ry tha t fo r th e p re sen t th ey hav e cho sen to d e ny th e

fac ts o f th e S ime l mas sac re ; i t do e s no good . One o f th e mo s td i s cou raging f ea tu re s of th e s i tu a tio n i s th e s trong f ee l i ng, e s

p ec ially i n Mo su l , aga i n s t all A s sy r ian s , wh e th e r loyal to Go v e rnme n t or no t . Many A s sy r ian s emp loyed i n all k i nd s of wo rk are

b e i ng d i smi s s ed th e se days for no reason o th e r than tha t th ey are

A s sy r ian s . At S ime l was p ro v ed wha t fana ti cal I slam and

i r re sp on s ib l e Go v e rnm en t are capabl e of , and i t w i l l no t soon befo rgo t ten . Bo th o f th e se are fu ndamen ta l ly B r i t i sh p rob l em s .

I hav e n o i n fo rma tion as to h ow th ey are go i ng to be so l v ed byth em , bu t y ou w i l l be abl e to a t ta i n tha t by o the r m ean s thanby my w ri ti ng . If i t w e re i n th e hand s o f th e grou p of adm in i s

t ra to rs and adv i se rs tha t I hav e known h e re , I shou l d no t dou b ttha t a w i se so lu t io n wou l d be rea ch ed . B u t th i s w i l l go to Londonand Gen e va , wh e re th e re cann o t be su ch a backgrou nd o f u nde rs tand ing, and wh e re F ran ce w i l l hav e a hand i n i t, on accou n t o f

th e conne c t ion w i th Sy r ia . I hav e a p rofou nd d i s tru s t of Fren chco l o n ia l p o l icy . I n sp i te o f I raqi d en ia l s , th e ma i n fea tu re s of th e

fac ts w i l l be known , and th ey canno t be e n ti re l y o v e rl ook ed . P ro

te s ts ough t to be made . B u t I do no t th i nk that a rm ed i n te rv e n tionwou l d hav e a reac t ion i n th i s cou n t ry oppo s i te to tha t d e s i red ,u nl e s s th e Leagu e or some cou n t ry appo i n ted by i t i s ready to s tepi n and e s tabl i sh a compl e te fo re ign admin i s tra t ion .

Mr . B adeau’

s l e t te r to D r . Chamb e rla i n w i l l gi v e y ou a

d ige s t of th e fac ts , and I u nde rs tand tha t M r . W i l loughby h as

a l so wr i t te n . I hop e y ou w i l l s ee th e repo r ts sen t i n by M r .Pan fi l to h i s boa rd ; I shou l d l ike to , bu t hav e no t h ad th e

oppo r tu n i ty .


I raq Times , w i th the request to hear the Assyr i an s ideo f the case . That gent leman repl i ed

,

“

I h ave s ti ll ten

m or e y ears to do in I raq . Do y ou wan t my bread and

bu tter cu t ?’

An Engl i shman wh o was to l d by S ir Franc i s thatKing Fai sal was prepared to earmark I so-pounds fo r h i sins t i tut ion i f he kept qu ie t

” and wh ich the Engl i shmanre fused to accept as b lood—money” wr i t ing o f the Chu rcho f England Counc i l i n Fo re ign re l at ion s states :

Hav i ng b ee n fo r cen tu r ie s d e s i rou s o f l i v i ng u nd e r a

Ch r i s t ian r eg ime , they read i ly re sp ond ed to th e i n v i ta tio n o f th e

Al l i e s du r i ng th e grea t wa r . T h e i n v i ta tion , o r igi nal ly gi v e n by th e

Ru s s ian s , was re i te ra ted by th e B r i ti sh la te r i n th e war and th e recan be no dou b t tha t we ben efi t ted grea tly by th e i r ga l lan t and

s tead fa s t re s i s tan ce o f th e Tu rk , Ku rd , and Pe rs ian , a re s i s tan cewh i ch co s t th em th e sac r ifi ce o f cou n tl e s s l i v e s . The i r a s s i s tan c eto u s was e n cou raged by u s w i th p romi se s tha t th ey wou l d no t

su ffe r on accou n t o f th e i r d e c i s io n , and tha t wha t th ey h ad lo s twou l d be mad e good . Th e re can be n o dou b t e i th e r tha t th ey we remad e by u s b e cau se we rea l ly n eed ed th e h e l p wh i ch we hop edth e p romi s e s wou l d e n cou rage . T h e impa r tial ob se rv e r read i ng th e

minu te s o f th e Pe rman e n t Manda te s Commi s s io n s e s s ion s and o th e rdo cume n ts canno t av o i d th e imp re s s ion tha t ou r e ffo r ts to findth e A s sy r ian s a n ew p e rmane n t home , thou gh nume rou s , we re no t

pu rsu ed w i th tha t v igou r wh i ch th e p aym en t o f a d eb t o f ho nou rd emand s . We shou l d hav e h ad to employ mo re B r i t i sh t roop si n th e cou n try , fo r a longe r p e r iod , h ad w e no t h ad th e a s s i s tan ce of

th e A s sy r ian s . Th ey mad e ou r wo rk i n I raq eas i e r and l e s s co s tly .

I t i s ha rd to b e l i e v e tha t anyon e a t all co nv e r san t w i thth e na tu re o f I raq p o l i ti c ian s cou l d hav e rea l ly b e l i e v ed tha t th e s egu a ran te e s mean t mu ch . I t i s d ifficu l t a l so to u nd e rs tand , on th e

mo re ge ne ra l s id e , h ow ou r rep re sen ta ti v e a t Gen eva cou l d hav eexp re s s ed su ch confid en ce i n the fi tn e s s o f I raq to gov e rn i tse l f ,le t a l o n e th e M i no r i t ie s . I t m ay be sa id i n p as sm g tha t t h e

wr i te r h as s ca rce ly e v e r h ea rd any o f th e B r i ti sh off i c ials i n I raqsp eak o f th e I raq i s and th e i r powe rs o f Go v e rnme n t w i th any th i ngbu t th e mo s t p ro fou nd d i s tru s t and e v e n co n temp t , wh en speaking

Off th ei r g uard . Mr . Panfil wh o know s th e m ou n ta i n s i n tima tely,te l l s m e tha t se t tl eme n t i n th re e la rge grou p s wou l d ce r ta in ly be

p o s s i b l e and tha t su ch a r rangem e n t wou l d hav e be en accep ted by

th e Mar Sh ima n . b e came c l ea r to th e rank and file o f th e

THE ARAB BARBARI SM

A ssy r ian s tha t th e i r ex i s ten ce as a Na tio n and a s a Chu rch wa s

b e i ng sy s tema ti ca l ly th rea ten ed by th e Gov e rnm en t . I hav en ev e r h ea rd any p roof tha t o rd e rs to go to Sy r ia w e re i s su ed by th e

Mar Sh ima n f rom h i s qu a r te r s i n Baghdad , wa tch ed a s th ey we re ,day and n igh t , by p la i n-c lo th e s d e te c t i v e s . Th e on ly re l e v e n t e v i

d en ce I hav e h ea rd , i s o f an a t temp t by a p o l i ce o ffi c ia l to i ndu cep e r so n s to g i v e e v id e n ce o f su ch a k i nd a s wou l d l ead p eop l e to

su ppose tha t th e Mar Sh ima n h ad g i v en th e i s b eyondd i spu te tha t Bak r Sidqy d id o rd e r th e sh oo t i ng o f 12 A s sy r ianp r i s on e rs . I t i s sa i d by th e Go v e rnm e n t tha t th i s mas sac re wa s th e

wo rk o f Ku rd i sh i r regu la rs . B u t i f th i s wa s so , why w e re all th e

Engl i sh and Am e r i can p e op l e w h o e i th e r l i v ed i n th e n e ighbou rh o odo r wh ose du ti e s n o rmal ly took th em th e re w i thd rawn f rom th e

n e i ghbou rhood o r p roh ib i ted f rom e n te r i n g i t ? Why was Mr .Cumbe r land , th e Am e r i can mi ss iona ry re s i d en t i n D ohu k , n o t fa r

f rom Sim e l , w i thd rawn ? Why wa s Cap ta i n Sa rgon , a B r i t i shPo l i ce ad v i se r , wh os e du t i e s took h im all ov e r th e a rea , b rou gh tba ck f rom M o su l to Baghdad ? Why a t a la te r s tage w e re th e

off i ce rs o f th e B r i t i sh A i r Fo rc e wh o w e n t u p n o r th to su p e ri n tend th e re l i e f o f th e re la t ion s o f so l d ie rs o f A s sy r ian l e v i e s ,p re v en ted f rom go i ng fa r th e r n o r th than h i o su l

‘

? I t canno t bedou b ted tha t th i ngs h ad happ en ed and p e rhap s w e re s t i l l happ en i ngi n th e mou n ta i n v i l lage s , wh i ch th e G o v e rnm en t w e re d e sp e ra te l yanx iou s to con cea l .

“

Abou t l s e v e n A ssy r ian l ead e rs , no t co nn e c ted w i th th e

Pa tr ia rcha l fami ly w e re tran sfe rred f rom th e mou n ta i n s o f th e

n o r th to Na s i r i yah town . N o n ew s o f th e s e h ad y e t b e e n mad epu bl i c . N o e ffo r t was spa red to mak e th e re tu rn o f th e v i c to r iou st roop s an affa i r o f na tional and re l ig iou s s e l f-glo r ifica t io n . T r iumpha la rch e s w e re e re c ted i n l\I o su l . Baghdad wa s gay w i th flag s and

wrea th s . Wa te rm e l on s s ta i n ed w i th red p igm e n t and ca rv ed to

rep re se n t A s sy r ian h ead s w e re tran sfixed w i th bayon e t s and dagge r si n Mo su l . T h e n ew spap e r s k ep t th e p eopl e u p to th e co r re c t p i tch .

T h e pu bl i c wa s remind ed tha t th e s lau gh te red A s sy r ian s w e reCh r i s tian s . Th e exp e c ta t ion tha t th e G ov e rnm en t migh t repu dia teth e ma s sac re was damp ed by th e p romo t ion o f Bak r Sidqy and th e

gran ti ng o f a yea r ’ s sen io r i ty to all offi ce rs wh o h ad tak e n par t i nth e exp ed i tion . F ree coffee fo r th re e day s and f re e shav e s fo r th e

sam e p e r iod w e re d ec reed fo r th e rank and file and p re sumab ly pa i dfor by th e go v e rnm en t . T h e ge s tu re o f d efian ce to th e c i v i l i z edwo rl d imp l ied i n th e t r iumphan t and lau da to ry re cep t ion o f th e

l—S e e th e i r nam e s a t t h e end of th e c hapte r .


v i c to r iou s t roop s i s no t th e only s ign tha t th e I raq Go v e rnm en ti n tend s to t ry and blu ff th e who l e ma t te r th rou gh . Unfo r tu na te ly ,i ts con s c i en ce i s so gu i l ty tha t i t h as l o s t all s en se o f p ropo r t ion .

S imi la rl y th e cong ra tu la tio n s o f th e I raq Go v e rnme n t by th e

oc tog e n e r ian Cha l d ean Pa t r ia rch ex to r ted by th rea ts ( so i t i s mo s tc red ibly as se r ted ) w i l l ca r ry no we igh t . I t i s s ign ifi can t tha t i n th i sa l l eged cho ru s of app ro va l f rom non-A ssy r ian I raqi Ch r i s tian s , th e

vo i ce of th e F re n ch Apo s to l ic De l ega te , res iden t i n Mosu l , i s s i le n t,e v en i n go v e rnm en t repo r ts .

I t i s mu ch to be hop ed tha t th e B r i t i sh Go v ernmen t w i l l no t

t ry to as s i s t th e I raq Go v e rnme n t i n smoo th i ng o v e r th e dep lo rab lee v e n ts o f th e pas t f ew mon th s . Th e re are , howe v e r , many Br i t i shre s i d e n ts i n Baghdad , wh o se e s ign s tha t we may no t hav e th e

cou rage to admi t a t G ene va—tha t th e s ta temen ts mad e the re la s tyea r w e re o v e r-sangu i ne , and tha t we may try to ob scu re th e

se r iou sn e s s o f th e s i tu a tion fo r wh i ch we shou l d shou l de rd e l i be ra te ly , th e mo ra l re spo n s i b i l i ty .

A B r i t i sh eye-w i tness i n the serv ice o f the I raqGovernment

,the fo l low i ng words appear i n h i s secret

repo r t :“

I s aw and h eard many h orr i ble th ings in th e Gr eat

War, bu t wh at I saw in S im el is bey ond human imagina

tion .

”To th i s te st imony shoul d be added that o f an

Amer ican res i dent in Mo su l : “

Ku rds and A rabs, on wh om

th e Governmen t is pu tting th e blame for killing th e A s

sy r ians , have s aved h undr eds of wom en and ch ildr en fromth e h ands of th e I raq army .

”

Ja ’ far al’Askar i

,the I raq i Mi n i ster i n London , o f

the same dece i t ful , d i shonest , and treacherous stock andNu r i Sa ’ i d in offic i al commun iques to the Eng l i sh pres sstated

,

“ No massac re has taken place in any par t o f I raq .

No women , ch i l dren , o r d i sarmed men o f the r e lat ive so f the rebel s have suffe red at al l . The I raq i de legat ionto Geneva admi tt ed act s o f atroc i t i e s hav ing been com

m itted. Wh o o f these i s a l i ar ?

Mr . J . S . M. Ward i n an ar t ic l e dated November 1 0 ,

1 933,i n the Dai ly Tel egraph stated :


for the moment , and Sh eren i and h e r daughter,Mrs .

Raih an i , w i fe o f Nwiy y a Yonan o f Barwar Qudch an is ,carr i ed a message from L ady S u rma to the Mu tasar r i fand L t .

-Col. Staffo rd , admin i strat ive inspec tor ,Mosu l , wh owas now a nonent i ty .

Later on , she l ed the demonstrat ion to the res i denc eo f the B r i t i sh Consu l and to l d h im that We shal l al ll eave I raq who se so i l i s sta ined w i th the blood o f ou r

sons , and we shal l j o i n the Mar S h imun,Patr i arch

,i n

whatever country he w i l l be f i nal ly sett l ed .

” And i n fronto f the French Consulate , she re i terated the unan imousdes i re o f the Assyr i an People .

When the pan ic—s tr icken re fugees began pour ing downinto Mo su l from the outly ing vi l l ages , Sh eren i he lped themin every po ss ibl e way . Sh e gave them what dresses shehad ; suppl i ed them w i th food w i th in the l im i t o f h e r

scanty means ; and as tai lo ress—though not h e r p ro fe s

s ion— she devo ted h e r t ime and energy to th i s ph i lanthrop icwork . I n consul tat ion w i th the Rev . Yukh anna 1 she madear rangements for the accomodat ion o f fo r ty Assyr i an si n the Church . Sh e mainta ined them fo r about threemonths by begging food fo r them and by co l l ect ing whatl i t t l e cash she coul d from h e r brethren .

He r daughte r , Mrs . Raih an i , was by no means l essz ealous in the great wo rk o f h e r mo ther , and h er son

,

Younadow Gabr i e l,a student i n the Amer ican Un iver s i ty

o f Bei rut wh o i s prepar i ng for the medical schoo l , hasI am glad to say , i nher i te d the h igh qual i t i e s o f h i s mo therHe i s enthus i ast ic and a w i se counselo r , and i t i s the hopeo f the autho r that h i s betrayed Nat ion w i l l , i n the nearfutu re

,f i nd h im to be an asset to h e r .

Hon . Z i a D ’

B e thMar S h imun,the unc l e o f the Patr i arch ,

was a few days l ate r o rdered to l eave I raq and arr i ved in

l—K n ow n a s K a s ha H a n n a E s hu , pr iva te Ch a p la i n o f H I S B ea t i tu de t h e

Ma r S h im u n . P a tr i a r c h .

CHAPTER XIX

THE CRI SI S I N IRAQ*

The sudden death o f King Fai sal on September 8,i n

Sw i tz er l and marks a turn ing-po i n t in the h i s to ry o f I raqnot l e s s dec i s i ve than h i s co ronat ion . He brought to h i sh igh po s i t ion few advantages except tho se o f b i r th : hi sfather had few , and h i s bro ther s almo s t none , o f h i s h ighqual i t i e s , and he was almo st unknown in I raq unt i l a fterthe war . I n i ndustry and inte l l igence

,i n po l i t ical l eade r

sh ip , and i n the use o f‘

const i tut ional ’ methods amongpeopl es better accustomed to the arb i trament o f the swo rd ,he was i n many respec t s th e i deal O r i ental monarch o f

the twent i eth century . I t i s unl i ke ly that any o ther po ss ibl ecand idate to the th rone o f I raq could have succeeded , ashe d i d

,i n reta i n ing and

,on the who l e

,s trengthening h i s

po s i t ion w i thout an open breach w i th the B r i t i sh Gove rnment on whom he depended fo r suppo r t and w i thoutappeal ing to the strong rac i al i nst i nc t s o f h i s subj ec t s .

The p ivo t o f the Const i tut ion o f I raq i s the King ,

wh o choo ses h i s ownMi n i s ter s and nominates al l the membe r s o f the powe r ful S enate . King Fai sal exerc i sed al l h i spowe r s ; he managed succe ss ive Cab inets w i th such sk i l lthat the ev i l s o f par ty gove rnment never took roo t . The

p e r iodical e l ec t ions , based on adul t mal e suffrage th roughe lecto ral co l l eges , were handled w i th equal sk i l l . Hi s fai lu reto res train the impetuous nat ional i sm o f h i s Arab fo l lower sand

,i n consequence , to secure the al l egi ance o f h i s Ku rdi sh

and Assy r i an subj ec t s was due to no want o f goodw i l l

*B y L t .-Col . A . T . W i l son , M . P .

R e p r i n te d by c o u r te s y o f t h e Au tho r a n d t h e N INE TE E NTH CE NTURYdz AF TE R RE VIEW . ( pp . 4 1 1 Oc to be r . 1 9 3 3 . Con s ta b l e a n d C o .

L im i te d P u b l i s h e r s . 1 0 -1 2 O r a nge S tre e t , London W. O . Z.

I have i ta l i c i z e d p om t s o f im po r ta nc e i n t h i s c ha pte r f o r em phas i s .

THE CRI S I S

o r under stand ing , bu t rather to the inherent d i fficul t i e s

o f a s i tuat ion c reated par t ly by the c i rcumstance s wh i chl ed to the e stabl i shment o f the I raq i State , and par t ly ( aswe shal l present ly l earn in I ndi a ) to the unsu i tab i l i ty o f

e l ecto ral systems i n countr i e s whe re rac i a l o r communald i ffe rence s are acute . I n such countr i e s maj o r i ty ru l e i ssynonymous w i th i nte rnal d i s sen s ions and open vio l ence .

F ew O r i ental monarchs have been abl e to command ,as d id King Fai sal

,the who l e-hea r t ed loyal ty and unb roken

suppo r t o f h i s Eu ropean advi s e r s . The i r bel i e f i n h imand the i r admi rat ion fo r h i s qual i t i e s i s the measu re o f

the suppo r t wh ich,i n happ i er c i rcumstances

,he might

have gained from the non -Arab race s,Ku rd i sh and

Ch r i s t i an,i n the no r the rn par t o f h i s k ingdom . I t was i n

the management o f these communi t i e s that he fa i l e d,and

h is las t day s we re darkened by th e r ealis ation of th e fac t,fo r w i th in a few weeks o f h i s dep a r tu r e from th i s count ryal l Eu rope was sta r t led

,and s h ocked

, by th e news of th e

cold-blooded mas s acr e of many h u ndr eds of A s sy r ians in

I raq dur i ng the firs t w e eks of A ugu s t . Wh a t ac tually

occu r red must r emai n obscu re unt i l an impar t i al i nqu i ryhas been opened on the spo t by some neut ral autho r i tyappo i nt ed by the League . Th e A s sy r ians th ems elv es

,in

a s ta tem en t des pa tch ed from I raq before th e mas s acr e,

cla im th a t th ey w e r e told by B r it is h offic ials on Ju ly I I

th a t if th ey we re no t s atisfied w i th wh a t th e I raq i Gove rn

m en t was do ing for th em th ey w ou ld do w ell to leave I raq .

A thousand men unde r Malik Yaku dec i ded to do s o andente r ed Sy r i a on Ju ly 30 , i n the bel i e f that the Frenchautho r i t i e s would r ece ive them . They w e re fo l lowed by afu r the r l arge band . The Gove rnment o f I raq had no t

expec ted such a move and despatched t roops to i n te rcep tfu r the r re fugees : fight i ng fo l lowed on August 5 ,

w i th alo ss

,acco rd ing to the offic i a l Press bul le t i n

, o f twenty


Arabs and n inety-five Assyr i ans . The Arab ic Press dec l eared tha t th r ee A rab officers had been cap tu red by th e

A s sy r ians and bu rned alive . I t was a l i e ( they had metthe i r death by the over tu rn ing o f an armoured car ) , buti t served to i nflame rac i al pass ions wh ich wer e fannedby a publ ic parade o f the dead and wounded Arabso ld i er s . Such Assy r i an l eaders as remained in Mo sulwere now depor ted : B r i t i sh advi ser s had al ready gone toBaghdad by o rde r o f the Arab Government , l e st theyshould be tempted to i n tervene . Amer ican m i ss ionar i e si n the v ic i n i ty had been requ i red to w i thdraw some t imebe fo re . Pan ic supervened . The Assyr i ans des ired only tol eave I raq fo r Syr i a . The I raq i Government were dete rmined to prevent them . I n i so l ated v i l l ages Assyr i an men ,women , and ch i ldren were murdered by Kurds , pai d andarmed by the I raq i Government

,and the i r poor belong i ngs

sto l en . Some for ty A s sy r ian villages were bu rned. SomeAssyr i an s fled into Turkey , and were

,i t i s sa i d

,sho t

down on arr i va l . But i t was at the v illage o f S ime l thatthe c l imax was reached . From 350 to 40 0 d i sarmed men ,women , and ch i ldren we re here murdered in co l d b lood on

the i r en fo rced return from the Syr i an front i er at Fai shKhabu r . I n the wo rds o f a B r i tis h ey e

—wi tnes s s ‘

I s aw

and h eard many h orr ible th ings in th e Grea t War , bu twh at 1 saw in S imel is bey ond h uman imagination .

’

To

th i s te st imony shoul d be added that o f an Amer ican res ident in Mo su l : ‘Ku rds and Arabs , on whom the Gove rnment i s putt ing the b lame fo r k i l l ing the Assyr i ans

,have

saved hundreds o f women and ch i ldren from the hands o fthe I raq i army .

’ Against th i s must be c i t ed the com

muniqu e’ i ssued by the I raq i Legat ion in London on

August 1 8, wh ich read as fo l lows :

No massac re has taken place i n any par t o f I raq ,

and i t i s very we l l known that about armed Assyr i an scro s sed the I raq i front i er to Syr i a w i thout the I raq i


and m i l i tary law alone have prevented them from res ign ingas a body . The i r pro te st i s on record .

The h i sto ry o f modern I raq , one o f the success ionS tate s o f the d i smembered Turk i sh Empi re , began w i ththe occupat ion o f Basrah by the armed fo rce s o f theB r i t i sh Crown in November 1 9 14 . I t s b i r th was fo reshadowed on January 8

,1 9 1 8 ,

by the twe l fth o f Pres i dentVV ils on

’

s fou r teen po i nt s,dec l ar i ng that ‘the nat ionalt ie s

now unde r Tu rk i sh rule should be assured o f an u h

doubted secu r i ty o f l i fe,and an abso l u te ly unmo l e s ted

oppo r tun i ty o f autonomous development . ’ Great B r i tainand France under took to give effec t to th i s st ipul at ionwhen

,on November 30 ,

1 9 1 8 ,they dec l ared that ‘the end

which France and Great B r i ta in have in v i ew i s thecomplete and defin i t e l iberat ion o f the peopl es so longoppressed by the Turks and the e stabl i shment o f nat ionalGove rnments and Admin i st rat ions draw i ng the ir autho r i tyfrom the i n i t i at ive and free cho ice o f i nd igenous populat ion s

The ‘peopl es ’ and ‘nat ional i t i es ’ concerned in I raqinc l uded Arabs ( o f whom the maj o r i ty wereSh iahs ) , Ku rds

,Jews

,Ch r is tians

( o f whom we r e o f A s sy r ian na tionali ty ) ,Tu rks

,and Ya z idis . Th e Jews

,th e Tu rks

,and

Ch aldean Ch r is tians h ave li ttle s ens e of na tionali ty : theyl i ve

,as separate communi t i e s , amongst the Arab p opu la

t ion . Th e cas e of th e Ku rds and A s sy r ians i s very

differ en t . They are h i l lmen,as d i fferent i n race from the

A rabs o f the pla in as Sco tch H ighlander s from Greeks .

They Speak tongues wh ich are who l ly un rel ated to Arab i c .

I n appearance,i n hab i t

,by tempe rament

,and by race

they mo re near ly resemble ‘No rdic ’ Eu rop eans than Arabs .

Th ey h ave be en r ep ea tedly p rom is ed au tonomous ins ti tu

tions cons is ten t w i th th e declara tions already qu o ted. Theun rat ified Treaty o f Sevres made spec ific prov i s ion (Ar t i

THE CRI S I S

c l e s 62—64 ) for local autonomy fo r p redominant lyKurd i sh areas

, w i th ful l sa feguards fo r the p ro tec t ion o f

A s sy ro—Chal deans

,bo th i n Tu rkey and i n what i s now

I raq , and the ful l e st publ ic i ty was given to these p ropo sal s .

Dur i ng 1 9 1 9- 1 9 2 0 a scheme fo r se tt l ing the Assyr i ans

as a nat ional un i t i n l ands,then vacant

,i n the no r th e rn

and northeaste rn boundar i e s o f I raq was p repared . Only

th e s anc tion of th e B r i tis h Gove rnm en t was needed. I t

was not for th coming,‘p ending th e conclu s ion of p eace

wi th Tu rkey .

’

Th e oppor tun i ty did n o t r ecu r . P eace

tarr i ed, and th e B r i tish Governm en t p roce eded to organiz e

I raq as a uni tary S tate unde r an A rab king, th e problemof Ku rdis tan and th e A s sy rians be ing pu t as ide for s u b

s equ en t s e ttlem en t . F o r some year s Ku rd i stan gave l i t t l etroubl e ; i t was admin i s tered

,no t by A rab offic i a l s

,but by

B r i t i sh po l i t ical office r s . The Arab Gove rnment was kepti n the background , and few Ku rds se r iously bel i eved thatthe day would come when they woul d be placed beneaththe hee l o f the desp i sed and hated A rab

,no r coul d th e

Ch r i s t i ans be made to bel i eve i t .

The Assyr i an s wh o i n 1 9 1 8 reached the B r i t i shre fugee camp at Baqubah from Tu rkey and Pe r s i a w e redr i ven ou t o f the i r homes by the Tu rks as a d i rec tconsequence o f the attempt made by the Russ i ans andby the B r i t i sh m i l i t ary author i t i e s ( unde r the i nst ruc t ionso f the Easte rn Commit tee o f the War Cab inet ) to makeuse o f them against the i r Tu rk i sh lo rds . The propo sal d i dno t o r i gi nate i n and was not app roved by local po l i t icaloffic i al s

,wh o i nMesopo tami a had stud iously avo i ded us i ng

the local Arab popul at ion again st the Tu rks . I t re sul tedi n the creat ion o f ano ther mino r i ty probl em wh ich neednever have ar i sen . I t served to harden the hear t o f theTurks and to s trengthen the i r reso l ve to e l im inate

, onceand fo r al l , al l non—Tu rki sh m inor i t i e s w i th i n the i rboundar i e s by a r enewal o f those methods o f massacr e ,


to r ture,and starvat ion by wh ich , as recent ly as 1 9 2 9 ,

theTurks proc l a imed themse lve s anew as the mo st savageo f l i v i ng races . The enl i stment o f Armenians and L e

bane se Ch r i s t i an s by the French author i t i e s i n Syr i a hadsomewhat s im i lar resu l t s

,but i t seems dest ined to br ing

about i n the near future an effec t i ve and des i rableequ i l ibr i um between the Chr i s t i an and Mo sl em commun it i e s in French mandated ter r i to ry .

Having once embarked on th i s po l icy o f D ivide e t

impera, 1‘that cunn ing old mo tto

,

’ as Bacon cal l s i t , wefound i t d ifficul t to abandon . Th e A s sy r ians are good

figh ting m en : from 1 9 1 9 onwards th ey perform ed invalu

able s e rvice firs t wi th th e B r i tish army , wh ich th ey s aved

fr om u tter dis as ter in and later as an integral par to f the de fence fo rces o f I raq under sel ec ted B r i t i sh office r scontro l l ed by the H igh Commiss ioner . They gave the i rservices free ly

,no t to the Arab

,but to the B r i t i sh Gove rn

ment , i n the hope that a measu re o f j u st ice would someday be vouchsafed to them . We had used them so freelyaga inst Tu rks

,Arabs

,and Ku rds al i ke that i t i s no t a

matter o f su rpr i se that the Tu rk i sh and I raq i Gove rnments have shown l i t t l e i nc l i nat ion to co-Operatei n sett l ing them as a homogeneous un i t . The outbreak o f

Assy r i an l ev i e s at Ki rkuk in 1 9 2 6 , when several harmlessshopkeepe r s we re murdered

,has no t been forgo t t en , and

the memory st i l l rankles .Between 1 9 1 9 and 1 9 2 3 a l arge number o f Assyr i ans

w i th offi ic ial approval and ass i s tance returned to the an

ce s tral val l eys in the Hakkiar i d i str ict,the sove re ignty o f

wh ich was under d i scuss ion at Geneva between Tu rkeyand Great B r i ta in

,wh ich c l aimed i t for I raq . In June

l—Ou r s t ra teg ic a e r od rom e s i n I ra q a r e be in g g u a r de d by A s s y r i a n lev i e s .

f o r t h e S im p l e re a s on th a t t h e R oya l A i r F o rc e w e l l kn ow th a t th e yc a n no t t ru s t t h e I r a q i a rm y to do s o , a nd B r i t i s h t roop s w ou l d c o s t t oom u c h m on e y .

2—S ee m y Me s o p o tam i a : A C la s h o f L oya lt ie s , 1 9 2 9 . p . 2 9 1 ; S i r A . Ha l dan e .

T he I n s u r r e c t ion i n Me s op o tam ia . 1 9 2 2 , p . 2 47 .

2 96 BRITISH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIAN S

r es u lt . The I raq i Government could scarce ly have donewo rse , but the i r fo l ly i s the resul t o f ou r sp inel essness .

We have been far too sens i t ive to the par t i san v i ewsexpressed by local po l i t ic i ans . As the offic i al repor t s tates :

The c ry that the l and o f I raq i s was be ing takenfrom them and given to al i ens came eas i ly to the l ips o f

po l i t ical agi tato rs , and in the interests o f the Assyr i an s nohandle must be given to agi tat ion o f th i s k ind . At thesame t ime the Assyr i ans themselves requ i r ed care fulhandl ing i f they were to be prevented from themse lvesarous ing the prej udices that i t was essent i al to al lay .

We must now examine br i efly the s teps taken by theLeague o f Nat ions in regard to th e mino r i t i e s quest ion .

The Commiss ion appo i nted in 1 9 2 4 by the League to

recommend a front i er between Turkey and I raq was avery st rong and exceed ingly competent body . I t foundthe nor thern par t o f I raq

, wh ich was i n d i spute,to be

predominant ly Kurdi sh . The Commiss ioner s dec l ared thatbut fo r the B r i t i sh Mandate , the maintenance o f whichwas earnest ly des i r ed , the maj o r i ty o f the populat ion wou ldpre fer Turk i sh to Arab rul e . They dec i ded against inc l ud ing i n I raq the fo rmer home lands o f the Assyr i ans

,

on the s trange ground that the B r i t i sh Government hadnever ra i sed the quest ion in ear l i er nego t i at ions , no r i nthe Treaty o f Lausanne :

S ince the Assyr i an quest ion was the pr i nc ipal argument advanced by the B r i t i sh Government , i n suppor t o fi t s c la im to a front i er embrac i ng a por t ion o f the Vi layeto f Hakkiar i , the Commiss ion cons i ders that the B r i t i shGovernment ’ s c l a im to th i s front i er i s not j ust ified .

Thus in four l i nes the Commiss ion rej ec ted thec l a ims o f the Assyr i ans . The reasons given reflec t l i t t l ecred i t on us

,but are ent i re ly i rre l evant to the mer i t s o f

the case . The Commi ss ion proceeded to award the who l eo f the terr i to ry c l a imed by Great B r i ta i n ( except the

THE CRI S I S

Assyr i an l ands ) to I raq ,subj ec t to the cond i t ions ( 1 ) that

‘th e t err i to ry must remain unde r th e e ff ec t i ve mandateo f th e League fo r a per iod wh ich may be put at twentyfive year s ’ ; ( 2 ) Ku rd i sh offic i a l s to be appo i nted i nKurd i sh terr i to ry . They added that i f these cond i t ionswere no t fulfi l l e d the maj o r i ty o f the peopl e would pr e fe rTu rk i sh to Arab sovere ignty . They recommended the ap

po i ntment o f a League rep re sentat i ve to re s i de i n thenor thern par t o f I raq , and they u rged that the Assyr i an sshould be gi ven

,l i ke the Ku rds

,a ce r ta in local autonomy

w i th the r i gh t to appo i n t the i r own offic i al s and to payt r ibute th rough the agency o f the i r P a tr iarch Mar S h iw u n .

S t r i ngent m ino r i ty p rovi s ions woul d be nece ssary,but

woul d be a dead le tte r i n the absence o f e ffect i ve supe rv i s ion on the spo t .

Having secu red a favou rabl e award by the Counc i lo f the League o f Nat ions free o f any such cond i t ion sexcept an invi tat ion to be gu i ded by the ‘sugge st ions ’ o f

the Commiss ion o f I nqu i ry ‘

fo r the appeasement and p rote ct ion o f al l e l ements o f th e populat ion

,

’ the B r i t i shGove rnment p roceeded to nego t i at e fo r th e te rminat ion o f

the Mandate . I n February 1 9 2 9 S ir G. Clayton was inst ructed to t e l l th e I raq i Gove rnment ‘

w i thout p rov i so o r

qual ificat ion ’ that H i s Maj esty ’ s Gove rnment would bep repared to suppo r t the cand i datu re o f I raq fo r adm i ss ionto the League , and in November 1 9 2 9 ,

Lo rd Pas sfie ld

i s sued a memo randum in wh ich emphas i s was l a i d on theexce l l ent e ffec t on th e po l i t ical atmo sphe re i n Baghdado f th i s unqual ified read iness to abandon al l respons ib i l i ty .

The Mandate s Commiss ion o f th e League,and espec i a l ly

i t s ve ry abl e rapp or teu r, M. Pier re O r t s , we re l e s s opt im i s t ic . I n repor t ing on the appl icat ion o f I raq fo r

admi s s ion to the League they obse rved that the i r i n fo rmat ion on the subj ec t was der i ved so l e ly from B r i t i sh

2 98 BRITISH BETRAYAL 0 1? THE ASSYRIANS

sources . They placed on record a pronouncement by S ir F .

Humph ry s wh ich had seemed to them o f great s ign ificance“ H . M.

’

s Government ful ly r eal i z es i t s respons ib i l i ty inrecommending that I raq should be adm i tted to the League ,wh ich i s , i n i t s V i ew ,

the only legal way o f terminat ingthe Mandate . Should I raq prove hersel f unwor thy o f theconfidence wh ich has been placed i n h e r

,the moral

respons ib i l i ty must res t w i th H . M.

’

s Government .‘But fo r th i s dec l arat ion ,

’

observed the Commi ss ionsarcast ical ly

,

‘

we should have been unable to contemplatethe te rminat ion o f a regime wh ich appeared some year sago neces sary in the interests o f al l sec t ions o f the com

muni ty .

’

S ir F rancis Humph ry s assured them that‘i n h i s

th i r ty year s ’ exper i ence o f Mohammedan countr i e s he hadneve r found such to l e rance o f o ther races and rel ig ionsas i n I raq .

’ He did not , however , add that h i s offic i alexper i ence was l im i ted to the No r th-V Ve s t F ron t ier o f Ind i aand A fghan i stan— than wh ich no par t o f the wo r l d i smo re fanat ical

,and where an indigenous Chr i s t i an com

muni ty doe s not exi st .I n descr i b ing to the Mandates Commiss ion the t rend

o f events in Kurd i stan S ir F . Humphrys was very opt im i st ic . He had to l d them to abandon al l i dea o f Ku rdi shindependence , to face the fac t s and make the best o f

th ings as they we re . As to Ku rdi sh offic i al s,Arabs wh o

knew Ku rdi sh might be better than Kurds . Effic i encyand honesty rathe r than race should be the test . He foundeve rywhere a genu ine des i re fo r peace , and bel i eved thatevent s augured we l l fo r futu re re l at ions between Arabsand Ku rds in I raq . Thi s was i n June 1 93 1 . The Permanent Mandates Commi ss ion final ly dec i ded w i th obv iousre luc tance to recomm end I raq for admis s ion,

subjec t to

proper s afeguards , on pap er, fo r m inor i ti es . These sa fe

guards , wh i tt l ed down to a bare m in imum on the groundthat I raq i nat ional p r i de would to l e rate no prov i s ions no t


To Sha ikh Ahmad of Barz an and h is fo l lowe rs

As y ou hav e ignored p rev iou s ord e rs and proc lama t ion s i ti s h e reby no tified tha t offen s i v e a c tion f rom th e ai r w i l l be

in te n s ified You , you r v i l lage s and flocks w i l l be a t tackedw i th mach i ne-gu n fire and bomb s , some of wh ich may no t exp lodea t on ce , bu t o nly af ter some hou rs . You are adv i sed to remov eyou r wome n and ch i ld ren to a place o f safe ty Th enop e ra tion s w i l l con ti nu e u n ti l all oppos i t ion h as ceased and you rl ead e r s ( nam ed ) hav e made su bmi ss io nTake h e ed . Go v e rnmen t i s too s trong for y ou ; and fu r th er

re s is tance i s hop e l e ss . Why shou l d th ere be more blood shed ?

Shaikh Ahmad was i n due cur se de feated andcaptured

,

3 but no t unt i l some sco re s o f tons o f h ighexplo s ive shel l s had been dropped on h i s v i l l ages andflocks .A few months l ater a di st ingu i shed correspondento f Th e Tim es bo re w i tness , i n a spec i al ar t ic l e , to th i smani festat ion o f

‘the spread ing and uni fo rm pattern o f

c i v i l i zat ion ’ i n I raq,add ing complacent ly that near ly 1 0 0

Ku rds wh o fl ed acro s s the front i er to escape the c iv i l i z inginfluences o f the I raq i army and the B r i t i sh A ir Fo rcehad been hanged w i thout ceremony by the Turks

,i n

pur suance o f sentences p rev ious ly passed for c r imescommitted when the country was i n the i r hands somee ighteen years ear l i er . That the Turks should be al lowedto do to death by s low s trangulat ion

,as i s the i r way ,

near ly 1 0 0 men from an area over wh ich Great B r i ta inhe ld a mandate

,w i thout , as far as we know ,

any pro test,

was a shame ful event . I t had the effec t o f convinc i ngth e Kurds at long l ast that , however des i rous ind iv i dualB r i t i sh advi sers may be o f secur ing j ust ice for them

,

no th ing i s to be hoped from the B r i t i sh Embassy atBaghdad . There has been no troubl e w i th the Kurds s i nce

,

but beneath the su r face i s deep d i scontent . The Ku rdsare imp lacably ho st i l e to the present regim e

,and there

3—I t i s s a i d th a t h e w a s r e l e a s e d a nd s ent ba ck t o B a rz an , a nd h i sf o l l ow e rs re a rm e d , s ho rt ly be f ore t h e A s s y r ian m a s s a c re .

THE CRI S I S

are o ther e l ements wh ich w i l l not be slow to take advant

age o f d iv i ded counsel s at Baghdad .

Two ques t ions requ i re immed i ate at tent ion bo th o f

the League o f Nat ions and o f the B r i t i sh Gove rnment .The fi r s t i s the future o f the Assyr i an communi ty . Theyhave not been fa i r ly treated ; the cr imes o f wh ich theyhave been v ict ims are the consequence o f the i r d i spers ion .

They are d ifficul t to manage , obst i nate , r ight ly proud o f

the i r race,natural ly susp ic ious o f schemes fo r the i r

benefi t devi sed by men wh o see them th rough A rab eyes .

They have not been we l l l ed ; the i r l eade r s have no t beenwe l l managed by B r i t i sh advi se r s

,and have now been

depor ted,i n defiance o f the Fundamental Law s and League

guarantee s,to Cyrus . Thousands o f dest i tute women and

ch i l dren, wh o have seen the i r men fo l k mu rde red in co l d

b lood,are i n re fugee camps . No th i ng i s be ing done to

re -establ i sh them,and seed t ime i s near . I t i s hard to

se rve two c l i ent s w i th d ive rgent amb i t ions,and Lo rd

Hugh Cec i l ’ s observat ion that B r i t i sh offic i al s and the i ri n fo rmants are commonly rathe r b iassed on the s ide o f

the Mo s l em governo rs and aga inst th e gove rnedCh r i s t i an s i s not w i thout an e l ement o f t ruth . The me r i t so f th e I raq i Government have

,as he says

,been ove rrated ;

the d i stres s and gr i evance s o f the Assy r i ans unde r- rated “

I n th i s matter we can l earn someth ing from French offi

c ials i n Syr i a , and i t i s to Syr i a that the Assy r i ans have ,s i nce 1 93 1 , looked fo r a home . They have seen theArmen ians succes s ful ly set t l ed there and ass im i l ated . Theyhave seen a j ust balance struck between A rab and non

Arab races and someth ing l ike an equ i l ib r i um reached .

One c i rcumstance only makes the Assyr i an s v i ew thepro spect o f a set t l ement i n Syr i a w i th m i sgiv i ng . Theyfear , as do the i r l eader s , that the ul t imate re sul t m igh t

4—Th e p re s ent trou b l e s w e re not u nexpec ted . and grave w a rn ing s w e res en t hom e b y re s pons ib l e au thor i t i e s a s rec ent ly a s Au gu s t 1 9 32 .


be the trans ference o f the i r sp i r i tual al l egi ance to Rome .

That i s an ancestral fee l i ng wh ich we i n th i s country,

and espec i al ly the Free Churche s should be abl e to

unders tand .

They have lo st fai th in the League o f Nat ions,fo r

almo st every spec ific safeguard suggested to that body byi t s own Commi ss ione r s s ince 1 9 2 4 fo r the i r p ro tect ionhas been rej ec ted o r reduced to a p ious phrase . TheCounc i l o f the League d i d not endo r se the propo salfo r a Res i den t League Commiss ioner , di d not i ns i s t on

the conc l us ion o f a sat i s fac to ry land set t l ement , di d not

even send a Commiss ion to make inqu i r i e s on the Spo tbe fo re terminat i ng the Mandate . The League has doneno th ing s ince the massac re s occurred except to c i rculateex par te s tatements to al l concerned ; i t can do no th ingunt i l the Counc i l meet s again . There i s no precedentfo r a League inqu i ry into the troubl es o f a mino r i ty ina sovere ign S tat e , and none could be hel d unl ess the who l eCounc i l agree . The precedent might be mo s t inconven i entto many countr i e s . Great B r i ta in

,as the al ly o f I raq

,can

scarce ly take the l ead . Wh o e l se w i l l do so ? The ag

gre s so rs have three months’ s tart .

Meanwh i l e,the Assyr i ans are be ing descr ibed as in

‘

rebe l l ion,

’ and we are so l emnly warned,i n a h ighly

in sp i red message from Baghdad,that

th e p re se n t temp e r o f I raq i na t ional i sm i s su ch tha t any a t temp tto app o r tion blame o r impo se pu n i shme n t migh t hav e th e mo s tu nd e s i rabl e rep e rcu s s ion s i n th i s cou n try , mu ch mo re se r iou s thanth e trou b l e s gon e b e fo re . Th e re i s a g rea t d iff e ren ce b e twe e nEu rop ean and A s ia t ic s tanda rd s o f th e va lu a tion o f human l i fe .

I raq ’s s tandard , l ike tho se o f h e r n e ighbo rs , h as b ee n e v o l v ed byc en tu r ie s o f mi s ru l e and opp re s s ion .

I raq,i n o the r wo rds

,i s proving an apt pupi l , in p e tto

,

o f Japan . I n the c i rcumstances i t i s not su rpr i s i ng thatth e Assyr i ans should look to the French i n Sy r i a fo r


and Basrah are to the air communicat ions o f the B r i t i shEmpi re in the East what the Suez Canal i s to ou r seabo rne t rade w i th As i a . We thus have a stake in thecountry greater , i n propor t ion to the popul at ion , than inany o ther fo re ign country , except , perhaps , Argent i na .

The last Soc i al i s t Government pai d , i t i s to be feared ,l i t t l e heed to these fac t s when i t made , as in India , thee stu re wh ich

,by an uncondi t ional promise to I raq o f

admi ss ion to the League , enta i l ed the ine l uc tab l e con s e

quence s which Pro fe ssor Gi lbe r t Mur ray and Lo rd HughCec i l

,i n harmony w i th mysel f

,l ament . To make pledges

i n haste and to c ry ove r them at l e i sure has become ahab i t w i th us

,as al so the hab i t o f ‘l eav ing i t to Geneva ’

to get us ou t o f the troubl e we have brought on ourse lve sby ou r own i nfi rmity o f purpo se . May we not echo

,as

we l i s ten to the impeccabl e o rato ry o f success ive Fo re ignSecretar i e s

,the wo rds o f Lo rd S trat fo rd de Redcliffe p

Oh "for one glan ce f rom Cha tham ’

s ey e

T o make ou r v i le m i s-g i v i ngs flyOh "for one ch e e r l ike tha t wh i ch b rokeF rom Engl i sh h ea r ts whe n Canni ng spoke .

The r i s i ng t i de o f nat ional i sm in Baghdad canno tbe checked ; i t must take i t s cou rse , the d i ss i dent Chr i s t i anm ino r i t i e s be ing , as w e re the Greeks o f Asiat ic Turkey

,

t ransplanted to l e ss ho st i l e so i l . We need fear no breakdown o f gove rnm ent in Baghdad : King Ghaz i w i l l , fo rmany year s to come

,pe r fo rce re ly on h i s advi se rs

,one

o f whom Yas in Pasha,i s a man o f great ab i l i ty

,wh o

can command the suppo r t o f the I raq i army and o f thenat ional i s t i cal ly m inded publ ic . The Assyr i ans once transfe r red , no one i s mo re l i ke ly than he to meet the Ku rdshal f-way .

With the death o f King Fai sal the movement towardswestern i zat ion , o f wh ich he was the exponent

, w i l l be

THE CRI S IS

overborne by the m i l i tan t creed o f sel f-s u ffic iency wh ichi nsp i re s the ruler s o f Per s i a and Tu rkey . I t need causeus no al arm

,for I raq depends on o il royal t i e s fo r stab i l i ty

and w i l l not permi t i t s revenues,actual and po tent i al , to

be j eopard i sed . The ‘nat ional ’ movement wh ich we andthe Al l i e s s tar ted i n 1 9 1 8 must now fo l low ,

w i th eve ri ncreas ing momentum

,the cou rse on wh ich i t has been

l aunched . Kings wh o abd icate may be w i s e o r foo l i sh ,

but there can be no quest ion o f the fo l ly o f a k ing wh o ,

having abd icated,seeks to resume the sceptre . I n As i a ,

as el sewhere,there are nar row l im i t s to i n te r rac i a l and

in te rnat ional act ion . The emo t ions that are evoked are apar t o f human natu re

,a p roduc t o f unto l d ages i n the

pas t and o f env i ronment no t eas i ly al t e red . B u t th e

pos i tion in wh ich th e B r i tish Governm en t h as placed i ts elfto-day in I raq is as in tolerable as i t is u nparalleled.

B r i tish advis ers , wh os e adv ice is no t asked ; a B r i tis h

Mili tary Mis s ion forced to be s ilen t spec tators of fou ldeeds

,fou r s qu ad rons of th e B r i tis h A i r F orce , wh os e

in terven tion h as been confined,of r ecen t mon th s

,to

dropp ing leafle ts on A s sy r ians telling th em to s u r rende r .

Th ey did s o, and w e r e mas sacr ed a day o r two late r

in cold blood. \fVe are assu red that calm r e igns i n I raq ,

and that the League o f Nat ions woul d do w e l l to de fe rd i scuss ion o f the problem t i l l Novembe r . Meanwh i l e , l e tu s tal k o f Di sarmament and I nternat ional Co -Ope rat ion .

CHAPTER XX

THE END

The Mar S h imun,P atr iarch , has addressed a desper

ate appeal to al l the Chr i s t i an Churches wh ich w i l l befound in append ix ( J ) . Thi s was j ust ified by the factthat the struggl e i n I raq

,though pure ly po l i t ical , was

made by the I raq Government , a war between the Crescentand the Cro ss .

The dut i e s o f Maj o r Thomson wh o was appo i ntedset t l ement officer have now become that o f a sexton

,and

h i s o r ig inal contrac t fo r s ix months w i l l now be extended ,fo r he has been appo i nted by the League o f Nat ions ,pres i dent o f what i s cal led a “ local emigrat ion committee .

”

He w i l l be ass i s ted by an inspec to r o f an admin i strat ionand a local officer appo i nted by the I raq Government .Proved oppresso r s to be given except ional p r i v i l ege o f

be ing bo th defendants and j udges i s incons i stent w i thcommon j ust ice and i s the most i nfamous scandal I haveever heard o f . Thi s act ion i s myth ical , and Maj o rThomson may yet be given a permanent po s i t ion i n I raq '

No ac t ion whatsoever has been taken by anybody to

pro tec t the Assyr i ans o r at l east remove some o f the i rtremendous d ifficul t i e s and suffer i ngs to wh ich they are

now subj ec ted,desp i te the hal f-hear ted i ntervent ion o f

the League o f Nat ions . They have been l e ft to d i e fromco l d , d i sease , fear

,and by murders . Maj o r Thomson ,

fo rmer ly i n the Sudan c iv i l s erv ice , and wh o sees w i thArab eye s

,give s the fo l low i ng account in h i s repo r t No .

T/A/ 1 1 9 o f August 2 9 th ,1 933, o f the Assyr i an re fugee

camp :


The re are 27 o rphan boys and gi rl s in th e camp w i th no

known re la ti v e s . I hav e taken u p th e qu es t ion o f th e d i sp o salo f the se ch i l d re n w i th th e Domin i can Fa the rs i n Mo su l wh o may

be abl e to h e lp i n th e ma t ter .

”

Such was the s i tuat ion o f the Assyr i an s,at the c lo se

o f 1 933 , wh o trusted Great B r i ta in . The fate o f theAssyr i ans was tragic from the moment they shook handsw i th the B r i t i sh i n Pers i a

,and i t was mo re so when

they depar ted on the grd o f Oc tober,1 932 .

On September 2 8 th ,1 933 ,

the Mar S h imu n l e f tCyprus and travel l ed to Geneva arr i v ing there on October

4th ,1 933,

exac t ly twelve months , s ince h i s Peopl e weretreacherously given up . The League o f Nat ions del iberat ions ended w i th a fine apo logy by the w i l dest assass ino f the twent i eth century

,and final ly i t was recommended

that the Assyr i ans should emigrate from I raq .

When the Assyr i ans are evacuated from I raq , i t w i l lbe the duty o f tho se i nterested i n the remain ing Chr i s t i ansto appeal to some Power to keep an eye on them wh ichcould intervene by fo rce o f arms i f and when that Powe rfeel s there are s igns o f danger . No o ther measures w i l lh e o f any avai l . What the League o f Nat ions can andwhat i t canno t do i s now too consp icuous to requ i re anyproo f . But such inte rvent ion can only be eff ect ive ( andavo i d ano ther massacre wh ich i s sure to come ) be fo reand No t a fter the t ragedy .

On the o the r hand , I am o f the op in ion that theKu rds w i l l no t awai t much longe r to be rul ed by abackward Government much in fer io r to them in al lrespec t s . The B r i t i sh interest s m ight demand the Ku rdsto r i se much ear l i er than i s ant ic ipated , and I am con

v inced that the futu re sa fety o f the remain ing Chr i s t i ans

( af ter the Assyr i an fo rced emigrat ion ) , l i e s i n anautonomous Ku rd i stan in the who l e o f the Mo sulWilay e t

CONCLUSION

as ra’

iy y ah , ( subj ect s ) o f the Ku rds wh o w i l l no doubtensure them re l igious freedom

,and permi t them to

pract ice the i r hab i t s and customs wh i ch has been im

po ss ib l e under the I raq Government .

I n conc l us ion,I hope the Engl i sh reade r w i l l no t

accuse me o f be ing ant i—B r i t i sh i n any way . I haveattempted to place be fo re the publ ic fact s wh ich werekept in th e dark . The Assy r i ans have many good fr i ends ,among the offic i a l and unoffic i a l c l as se s , and I pe r sonal lyknow many Engl i sh gent l emen wh o had done al l i nthe i r powe r to make the Assy r i an po s i t ion to l e rabl e andare now ashamed to find the Assy r i ans pe r secuted . Butthe change in the i r Gove rnment ’ s po l icy , p rej ud ic i a l a si t was to the Assy r i an in te rests

,compel l e d them to become

me re observers .

I may al so add that recogn i zed Assy r i an Nat ionalbodi e s o r wr i te r s o f any nat ional i ty des i rous o f anyi n fo rmat ion on any spec ific po i nt

,the autho r woul d be

too g l ad to place h i s serv ices and in fo rmat ion at the i rd i sposal

,i n the hope that bet te r wo rk may be p roduced ,

wh ich , unde r the c i rcumstances , th i s book has been w r i t t en ,

was an impo s s ib i l i ty .

I must admi t that the re are many gaps in th i s bookwh ich I cou ld have bette r fi l l ed

,but un fo r tunate ly the

brev i ty o f t ime and my unsett l ed cond i t ions we re no t so

generous as to enabl e me to do s o . These gaps I hope tofi l l at some future dat e , wh ich may not be far d i stant .


Some o f the secret l e t ters about the Assyr i ans shouldnot

,I th ink

,remain secret any longer whereas the

remainder can be publ i shed later .

Copy—Te l egramF rom : H igh Commis s ionerT o : Zinneremo , LondonN o . 14117

Da ted :

My te l egram dated 53- 1 1 No . 1 3576 Re fugees fi r s tpar tly ow i ng to defec t ion o f TIARI and TAKHUMAcont ingents wh o endeavoured to break away to the ir old

homes deser t ing the main body and par t ly ow i ng to badweather the Assyr i an cont ingent are on the i r back to us ,and the who l e quest ion o f the ir repatr i at ion has to berecons i dered . Secondly , I have sanc t ioned scheme fo r

sett l ement o f fami l i e s at Dohuk and Aqra andarrangements are proceed ing .

PR IVATE

I have reason to suspec t that the French Governmenti s about to ask that the Assyr i an s be inv i ted to set t l ebetween Mard in and Jaz i rah

,and i t i s rumoured that

ce r ta in o f the Assyr i an l eader s have been heavi ly b r i bedto secure the i r consent . I t seems po ss ib l e that the Frenchw i l l o ffer to accept al l futu re financ i al respons ib i l i ty andto guarantee to ar range matter s to the sat i s fact ion o f

local Kurds and Assyr i ans al i ke . My i n fo rmat ion seemsto der ive co rrobo rat ion from papers rece ived under covero f you r l e t ter No . 4 1 dated

I should be glad to have at a very ear ly date anint imat ion o f the w i shes o f H . M. G . shoul d the s i tuat iondevelop on these l ines .

COX .


( I ) I s the scheme fo r wh ich y ou now want fundsthe second al ternat ive given in your te l egram No . 3 1 7/ Sdated Feb . 3rd

?

( 2 ) How many mountainee r s i s i t propo sed to

repatr i ate , and h ow many would that l eave on ou r hands ?

( 3 ) How much o f the i s requ i red for

repat r i at ion and h ow much fo r se tt lement ?

(4 ) What has become o f the U rm ians ? A re theys t i l l i n camp at Mi ndan ?SE CRET .

Office of th e H igh Commi s s ion e r,Baghdad , 22nd Ap r i l 1921 .

G . H . Q . ( 2 cop ie s ) .

D i re c to r o f R epa tr ia t ion , Mosu lD i v i s iona l Ad v i s er M osu l .

Memorandum

Copy fo rwarded fo r i n fo rmat ion .

Sd. / Secre taryTo the H igh Commi ss ioner fo r Mesopo tamia .

Copy o f a S e c re t M emo . N o . 527 da ted th e 9 th Ma rch , 1922,f rom th e Sp ec ia l S e rv i ce Off i ce r , Mosu l , to th e D i v i s iona l Adv i se r,Mo su l .

I forward herew i th a rough copy o f a pr inted mapwh ich reached Mo su l a few days ago w i th a l etter fromAgha Petro s , i n wh ich he states that he was about tot ake steps to found an A s sy ro

-Chaldean S tate in thearea marked

,and that the F rench had promised to ass i s t

h im even w i th arms i f necessary .

The l ine s o f del im i tat ion in my copy are i n red,

and i t w i l l be no t iced that the nor the rn boundary o f

Syr i a i s that o f the p re-Angora Agreement

,wh i l e i t s

Eastern one cuts th rough the middl e o f S i nj ar .

Agha Petro s ’ l e t te r was d i spatched from Bei rut , andi t i s no tewo r thy that Anton Samb i r i , wh o cal l s h imsel f

THE SECRET LETTERS

‘Represen tat i ve o f th e Syr i an Catho l ic Patr i arch in Urmiaand Kurd i stan ’ l e ft fo r Syr i a on the 3rd i nstant . I be l i eveth i s man i s a we l l-known intr iguer on the par t o f AghaPetro s .

I f th i s scheme o f Agha Petro s ’ i s anyth i ng mo re thana ballon d’

es sai, i t i s l i ke ly to l ead to endl ess compl icat ions ,

as i t i nc l udes i n the new S tat e o f Ku rd i sh areas Sa i r tL i j j e

,and the country now unde r the cont ro l o f S imko

,

wh i l e i t l eaves the Midiat-A z ekh Ch r i st i an area to theTu rks

,and al so p ropose s to cu t off a large p i ece o f Pe r s i an

terr i to ry . Fur the rmore , i t i s l i ke ly to p rej ud ice recru i t i ngfo r ou r l ev i e s i n th e minds o f the Assyr i ans .

I t i s d i ff icul t to s ee h ow th e French w i l l be abl eto render any mate r i a l ass i s tance to th i s pro j ec t . Asan extreme po s s ib i l i ty , i t i s suggested that the p resen tTu rk i sh concentrat ion at Jaz i rah i s in tended as a th reat ,no t to I raq

,but at the nar row French co r r i do r w i th i t s

po i nt s on the Tigr i s j u st be low that town,o r as a re se rve

to be moved to re in fo rc e Mard in .

I n my No . 5 1 9 o f the 3rd i n stan t i t was repo rt edthat the re had been fight ing no r th o f Aleppo at Ki l l i s .

Although no confi rmat ion o f th i s has been r ece i ved,an

i nte l l igent travel l e r wh o r eached he re on the s th i nstantr epo r t s that French t r0 0 ps had been hu r r i e d back to theno r th o f Aleppo ,

dur i ng the l as t week o f Feb ruary .

Off i ce o f th e D i v i s iona l Ad v i se r,Mo su l , da ted th e 14th Ma rch . 1922

T h e S e c re ta ry to H . E . ,

Th e H i gh Commi s s ione r , Baghdad .

Memorandum

Fo rwarded , w i th o r i g inal copy o f map as fo rwardedto me by S . S .O . fo r i n fo rmat ion

Sd/ D i v i s ional Adv i s er, Mosu l .

5 1 4 RRI I‘

IsH lUC'

l‘

R. o r THE ASSYRIANS

N o . 34 1 O ff i ce o f th e Admin i s t rati v e .

I n spe c to r Mo su l ,Da ted th e l l th Ju n e . 1923.

Th e Adv i s e r .M i n i s t ry o f I n te r io r, Baghdad .

lcm or andum

I fo rward copy o f a Repo r t on th e Assy r ll'

l l llS rece ivedfrom th e Mo su l .

S h o r t l y a ft e r t h e rece ip t o f th i s repo r t . I h ad th e

oppo r tu n i t y o f hav i ng a long d i scuss ion w i th the MarS h im un and Tiar i Ch ie fs .

Th u ‘

1 re m u ch up se t by th e publ ica t ion o f the P rotoco l . nd s e i n i t a s ign th a t the y w i l l be han ded backto t h e me rc i e s o f a Mohammadan Gove r nment at the endo f th e p e r iod o f grace .

The y s ee no p ro sp ec t s o f eve r be i ng able to l i ve int eace unde r su ch cond i t ions in the i r own v i l lage s . LadySu rma th inks tha t many o f them in she e r despe rat ionw i l l re tu rn to br igandage O IlCC th e fr iendly p ro tect iono r th e B r i t i sh G ove r nmen t i s w i thdrawn .

b-T—Q

Li t t l e w e igh t was g iven to m y as su ran ce that B r i t i shi n flu ence w o u l d s t i l l rema i n a ft e r th e per iod o f four\ ea rs men t ioned in th e Pro toco l . The y po i n ted ou t thateven nou th e \ su ffe r ma ny mino r annoy ances wh i h augera re t u r n. soone r o r la t e r . to th e co r rupt methods in vogu eunde r th e Tu r

F o r the t ime be ing . they rea l i se th e neces s i t\ o f keeping on good t e r ms w i th th e I raq Gover nment—LadySu r ma assures me that they w i l l t ake spec i al pa ins to dos o . bu t asks tha t Gove rnment w ill invest igate the poss ib i l it i e s o i the i r emigra t i ng to Canada o r an other B r i t i shco lony .

I would reques t that the i r plan may be la id be fore


Te l egram Cod e ( P )

From In te r ior Baghdad .

To Adm in tor Mo ssu l .N o . c 2 117 da ted 15th Sep tembe r 1923.

“

You shou l d make e v e ry e f fo r t to d i spo se o f A rmen ianrefu gee s from Sy r ia among th e ch r i s t ian v i l lage s” .

C e qu v eu t d ire :“ P r iere d éploye z tou s e ffo r ts pou r vou s d é fa i re de s ( d i sp ose

of ) réfu gié s arm é n ien s de Sy rie dan s le s v i l lage s ch ré t ie n sOu e ncore

p ou r e'

tablir le s ré fu g i e s a rm én ien s de Sy r ie dan s le sv i l lages ch ré t'ien sDan s l

’

u n e t l ’au t re cas , cc té l ég ramme e s t singu li e remen t

r év é la teu r . Le s mas sac re s e t le s bombardemen ts qu i on t e n sanglan tée t ravagé le sol i rakien ne nou s appa ra i s se n t p lu s comm e de s

ép i sod e s a cciden te l s d ’

u ne v ie i l le lu t te re l igieu se ; ils son t le l og i qu ee t t rag iqu e dé v e loppeme n t d ’

un p rogramme d’

u n i té arab e qu i n e

p eu t se réal i se r p l e i neme n t qu e p ar l’

exp u ls ion ( ou l’

ex term ina

t ion ) de s commu nau té s “mino r i ta i re s ” .

Qu e le s“M i no r i ta i re s d ’ i c i , ( cc d

’

al l eu rs ) , en fas sen t don c l eu rp rofi t .

Le s vo i l a tou t au mo i n s f ixé s su r la morali te'

e t l’

e fficaci té du

sys teme d i t “

de s ga ran tie s i n te rna t ional e s” .

S i le s Angla i s fa i sa ie n t é vacu e r , des 1923, le s v i l lage s ch ré t ien sde la p ro v in ce de Mo s sou l , c ’e s t qu e le s rep ré sa i l l e s de 1931, de

1932 e t de 1933 é ta ien t déja p ré vu es—s i non p réméd i té e s .

Ma i s s’i l s i n v i ta ie n t au con tra i re le s A rmé n ien s de Sy rie a

s e tablir ch e z eu x (make e v e ry e ffo r t . c e t te i n v i ta t ionn

’

é ta i t qu ’

n n gu e t-ap e n s .

I I .

“

L’

h is toir e s e répé te .

L’

h i s to ire n e fa i t qu e se rép é te r , e t il n e fau t p eu t-et re p as

t rop bl ame r le s Angla i s qu i con ti nu e n t a fa i re l eu r m é tie r d’

Anglai s .

Le s in té ré t s de I’

Emp ire son t au j ou rd ’hu i du coté a rab e . I ls

é ta ien t j ad i s , ou p lu s exac teme n t, ils on t é té , a u n momen t donn é ,du coté tu rc : c ’e s t a ce t te ép oqu e qu e Glad s tone , ap res avo irsu s c i té u ne rébe l l ion a rmé n ie nne co n t re la Su bl im e-Po r te , fa i sa i t au ne delega t ion d’

E r ivan ce t te imp é r ial e répon se , ( dej a rep rodu i tei c i )

La f lo t te b ri tann iqu e ne peu t p as a r r i v e r ju squ’

au Mon t

THE SECRET LETTERS

S i le s av ion s mil i ta i re s de Sa Maj e s té s’

e ta ien t tou j ou rs t rou v é sdan s la meme imp o s s ib i l i té , il y au ra i t c e r ta i n em en t au j ou rd ’hu i ,dan s la région de Mo s sou l , qu e l qu e s tete s de p lu s su r de s épau l e sch ré tien n e s .

Dan s ce t te t rah i son gé né ra l e de l’E u rop e qu i a é té dénou ncéeav e c u n e va i n e r igu eu r dan s u n pa th é t iqu e app e l a la con sc i e n ceu n i v e rse l l e , s eu l e la F ran ce a fa i t excep t ion : s eu l e la fidé li té

f ran ca i se n e s’

e s t j ama i s d e'me n ti e .

C ’

e s t la p r i n c ipa l e m o ra l i té h i s to r i qu e de ce s fa i ts d’

h i s to i re ‘

le s min o r i tes o r i e n ta l e s , ch ré t i en n e s e t nonch ré t ienn e s , c l i e n tel e sna tu re l l e s de la F ran ce , n au ron t de ga ran ti e s , de sécu i i teé e t de

l i b e r te’ qu’

au tan t qu e la F ran ce s e ra e l l e-mem e l i b re e t fo r te , e t

dan s la m e su re ou e l l e le s e ra .

C ’

e s t c c qu i fa i t qu e n ou s pa r t ic i p on s d i re c tem en t au x l o i sfondam en tal e s de l ’équ ilibre eu rop é e n : r i en de ce qu i s e pas se su r

le s r i v e s du B h inou su r la f ron tiere p o l ona i se n e p eu t et re é trange rau ch ré ti en de D e i r e l-Kama r ou a l ’Alaou i te de La t taqu ie.

The f r i ends o f the Assy r i ans i n Eng l and w e re ve rymuch conce rned about the i r futu re i n I raq on the te rminat ion o f the B r i t i sh Mandate . I t was natu ral that theywould make enqu i r i e s from the h ighest autho r i t i e s i n th el and . That autho r i ty was S i r Franc i s Humph rys . I mayquo t e on e o f h i s repl i e s sent to a fr i end o f the Assy r i an si n England .

Th e Re s i d en cy , Baghdad .

15th D e c emb e r , 1930

DearThank y ou ve ry much fo r you r l e t te r . I was ve ry

so r ry to mi ss y ou i n England , and bel i eved that y ouretu rned to London two days a ft e r I had l e ft fo r Cons tan t inop le . I was ve ry much i nte rested in th e ar t ic l eent i t l ed

,Lambeth and the Fu r ther East ” wh i ch y ou

we r e k i nd enough to send me .

I want y ou to fee l qu i te sat i sfi ed that the Assy r i an sare be ing p roper ly looked after i n th i s count ry . When y ou


say that they are i n a deplorabl e condi t ion, y ou must

remember that i t i s unreasonabl e to j udge the condi t ionso f Assyr i an t r i besmen wh o l i ve i n the h i l l tract s o f

I raq by Eu ropean standards . Judged by the standard o f

the i r ne ighbours , I can assure y ou that the ir lot i s farsupe r io r to o ther tr i bes and sect s

, wh o are the i r fe l lowc i t i z en s i n I raq .

I t i s true that they suffer from malar i a,but so do

all tr ibes wh o l i ve i n the East,espec i al ly i f they grow

r ice crops near the i r v i l l age , as the swampy ground inwh ich r ice i s grown attract s mo squ i toes . They have bet termedical fac i l i t i e s al so than o ther tr ibes i n I raq .

The fac t i s that the Assyr i ans have no mo re l egi t imatecomplaints than o ther ’ I raq i s at the present moment , butthey are natural ly apprehens ive o f what i s l ike ly to happenwhen the B r i t i shMandate i s terminated .When th i s occurs ,the respons ib i l i ty fo r minor i t i e s w i l l have to be fulfi l l edby the ’I raq Government towar ds the League o f Nat ionsd i rect

,and not through the B r i t i sh Government as at

p resent . Thi s i s of cours e why i t was impos s ib l e to makeany ment ion o f minor i t i e s in the new Anglo- I raq Treaty .

Rouman ia,fo r i nstance , i s no t respons ibl e to Russ i a but

to the League fo r the treatment o f i t s m inor i t i e s . I t i sextraord inary what a lot o f mi sunderstand ing there i s on

th i s po in t .I hope sho r t ly to see the Mar S hiwun and Lady

Surma,and I shal l have much pleasure i n giv ing them

you r message .

Wi th al l good w i she s fo r Chr i s tmas and the New

Year .

You rs v e ry s i n ce re ly ,F . H . HUMPHRY S .

The statement that I t i s true that they suffer frommalar i a , but so do all the t r i bes i n the East

,espec i al ly

i f they grow r ice c rops near the i r vi l l age as the swampy

32 0 BRITI SH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYR l'

ANS

o f charge , vi s i ted the d i sabled and the s ick , and helpedmos t v ir tuously to re l i eve the suffer i ng Assyr i ans .

Those w i th bet ter pens m ight be abl e , perhaps , to

descr i be more effect ive ly Dr . Malke ’s sp ir i t o f se l fsacr ifice

,but I cons i der that , as an eye-w i tness wh i l st I

was i n Mo sul , i t would be an act o f gro ss d i scour tesy ,were I to br i ng th i s book to a c lo se

, w i thout acknowl

edging the serv ice s he s o generously rendered to theAssyr i ans in the moment o f need .

I n the person o f l at e M. Wil l i am Mar t i n , and laterM. M. j ean Mar t i n and Pi er re B r iquet , fo r reasons o f

human i tar i an i sm , the Assyr i ans have found no betterfr i ends . The stand taken by M. B r i quet on behal f o f

the Assyr i an nat ion dur i ng the r ecent nat ional cal am i tyhas made a pro found impress ion upon the author , andthe re fo re

,he w i shes to express h i s ever l ast i ng grat i tude

to h im .

The fo l low i ng i s an art ic l e by M. Pierre B r iquet , i nthe jOURNAL de GENEVE ,

Apr i l I 4 ,1 935, ent i t l ed

UNE NATION SAUVEE :

La S . d. N . clans s on plus noble ro‘

le

C ’

e s t av e c la p lu s v i v e sa ti sfac tion q u e l’

on app r i t , il y a

qu e l qu e s sema i ne s , la tou rnu re qu e p re na i t enfin la qu e s t io n as sy r ie nn e . Il n

’

é ta i t p lu s qu e s tio n de tran sp o r te r c c b rav e p e t i t p eu p l e demo n tagnard s dan s la fo ret v i e rge de Gu y ane , n i de l

’

abandonner s

l’

é t iolem en t e t 51 la mo r t au mil ieu de s Ku rd e s hos ti l e s de l’

Irak.

Le Co n se i l d é c ida me rc red i d ’

accep te r l’

off re gén é reu se de la F rancele s A s sy r ien s pou r ron t s ’

é tabli r en Sy rie .

Ce t te h eu reu se so lu tion e s t du e d’

abord a u n changeme n t tresn e t de l

’

a t t i tude adop té e p ar le Fo re ign Offi ce . La G rand e-B re tagn ene pa rv e nan t p as a t rou v e r dan s son immen se emp i re la p lace de

loge r A s sy r i e n s , e l l e n e pou va i t decemm en t s’

op p os er a cc

qu’

i ls s’

é tabli s sen t a i l l eu rs . Le s abandonn er a l ’ex termina t ion ap resavo i r u ti l i sé l eu rs se rv i ce s eu t é té od i eu x . Londre s fin i t p ar s

’

en

re nd re comp te : son p re s ti ge n’

au ra i t-il p as g rand em en t sou ffe r tdan s tou t l ’Orien t ? N

’

oublion s p‘

as non p lu s qu e nomb re de j ou rnau x angla i s s

’

indigna ien t . Le l i v re admi rab l e e t comp l e t du

DR . S I I IML'

N MA L KLTh e I n t i ma te F r i e nd of /z z s P e op le

“ Th ey h e l d i t t o be gro s s imp i e ty . w o r th y o f d e a th

i f a v o u th d id n o t r i s e i n th e p re s e n ce o f

f a v e /m l

A P P E N D I C E S

APPEND IX “A”

LETTER TO THE MANDATES COMMISS ION BY THEMAR SHIMUN ET ALS .

( Or iginal in Sy riac )

Mosul,

October 2 3rd, 1 931 .

To :

H is Excellency ,

Th e Chairman,Mandates Comm is s ion,

L eagu e of N a tions , Geneva .

Refer ence th e attach ed docum en t. I beg to convey

to You r E xcellency th e following :

Th e A s sy r ian N ation wh ich is temporar ily living in

I raq, h aving placed before th e ir ey es th e dark fu tur e,

and th e m is erable condi tions wh ich are u ndoubtedlyawai ting th em in I raq , after th e lifting of th e manda te ,

h ave unanimou s ly h eld a Confer ence wi th m e in Mosu l

on th e 2 0 th Oc tober, 1 93 1 . A t th is Conference were

pr es en t th e temporal and sp i r i tual leaders of th e A ssy r ian

N a tion in i ts en ti re ty as i t w ill be obs erved from th e

documen t qu oted above bear ing th e leade rs’

s ignatu res .

Th e fu tu re condi tions were fu lly dis cu ss ed and th es e

centre around two poin ts . (Can we or can we N ot live in

I raq?) A t th e conclu s ion of lengthy deli berations , i t wasunanimou sly decided by all th os e pr es en t

,th at i t is

qu i te impos s ible for u s to live in I raq . Th e leade rs’ Will

was en tru s ted wi th m e vide th e docum ent s igned by th em

to explore all m eans th at I de em pos s ible to find a way forth e em igration of th e A s sy rians from I raq . Unde r th e

circums tances , I , toge th er w ith th e u ndermentioned s igna

tori es be ing th e respons ible leaders of th e A s sy rian N a tion ,


APPEND IX “ B”

STATEMENT SHOWING NAMES OF 76 ASSYR IAN SBRUTALLY KILLED IND IV IDUALLY FOR WH ICH THERE

HAS BEEN NO REDRESS .

N ames of P ersons Ki lled N ames of Vi llag es N ames of Tr i bes

E nwiy ah Yacu b Lag ip a Lower Tiy ariSh imu n G iwarg i s

D inkh a E nw iy ah

Zia Ta lya Galiy y ah D’

B arkh u

Sh imu n Orah am

Osh ana Ap rim

Rev . Zkh ary a Dinkh a

Dinkh a La z a rHau i Warda

lo. I shu H i ndul l . I s-khaq Lach i n12 . Goriy y il Yosep

N annu Yokh annan

14. G iwarg i s Yacu b15. I shu Y o s ep

16 . Dinkh a Zia

17 . Odi sh a Po lu s18 . Kh iw ru Ho rm i z d

19 . Yoh annan B arkh u

O

oo

xl

o

kn

sx

oo

wv

20 . Sap p u

2 1 . D r . Shm iwal F a rha t22 . Osh ana Upp er T iy ari23. Ba i tu24. Mayyah Upp e r' T iy ari25. Haru n Kaku26 . 1Vlaq sud Tuma27 . Majj i Khaya28 . Hommy Mayyah29 . Kh osh aba Ke ena30 . Bayi Y okh annan

C h adu Mayyah32 . B a z idu Mannu33. Napo l e on Ku r ty34. Maq su d35. Mu sa I shu36 . Su laqa Hanna37 . Ba i ram Shalal

APPENDIX

Names of P ers ons Ki lled

38 . Sharba t ti N i san39 . Yokh annan Gaggu40 . Shab i Khamu41 . Chu n i Yokh annan

42 . Rev . Qamba r43. Ma t tu sh lakh I s rae l44. E l i sha Ho rm i z d

45. Sh ikh u Horm i z d

46 . I shu G iwarg is Shaka l47 . Sliwu Sh akarru

48 .-49 . Osh ana N annu bro .

50 . Tuma Hommy

51 . Ya l da Dav id52 . Sh la imu n Dan ie l53. Tuma Yokh annan

54. I shu M i l l i55. Sama r i56 . Sh inz ar

57 .-58 . Qamba r and w i fe

59 . Rev . Pa t ru s I s-Khaq60 . Rev . G i ly ana Markh a il6 1 . Odi sh u I s ra i l62 . Sh limu n Manny63 . Ya l da Kh o sh aba

64. Dinkh a Khami s65. I shu Kan nu66 . Haj j i Sliwu

67 . Shami Ho rm i z d, (Woman )68 . Ya sm i G ily anan , (Woman )69 . Ma rya’n H orm i z d (Woman )70 . Si t tu Marbina , (Woman )7 1 . Ho rm i z d I sbaya72 . N i san Dan ie l73. Sah da Orah am

74. Yakh an i s Sa rgi s75. Tuma Yo sep

76 . Benyamin

N ames of Vi llag es

( (

B”

N ames of Tr ibes( 6

y.“(J

.

fidi an is

IO U (

Hamu n-G iramu n

( 6 ( G

Hamu n -Gi rC‘ t

. l fl l lln

s

Sh am sdinanN

Kuman i Sapna , (Ama’h )

Baydal , (Zibar )


APPEND IX “ C”

RAD IOGRAM M E OF THE ASSYR IAN M ETROPOL ITAN OF IND IA .

Oc tober r oth,1 933 .

His Holines s Mar S h imun,

A s sy r ian P atr iarch,

Geneva, S u iss e .

S y rian Chu rch of I ndia, views wi th ex tr eme con

s ternation and pro tes t aga ins t inhuman treatm ent of th e irbre th ren A s sy r ian Ch r is tian r efugees enormous s acr ifices

for th e A lli es , and th e i r s ubs equ ent s ervices a t th e ir call

als o great h opes h eld ou t to th em at leas t of a h omo

geneou s s e ttlem en t P res en t a ttemp t to s catter th em is

flagrant inju s tice Comple te confidence in L eagu e’

s ju s tices uppor t all r epres en tations ofMar S h imun P a tr iarch Hop eL eagu e will r igh t all wrongs , Give th es e s ufier ing h ome

les s people at leas t a h omogeneou s s e ttlemen t and pro tec tth em agains t fore ign m is s ionari es , creat ing dis loy alty and

pres erve th e ir tradi tional r igh ts and cu s toms .

Mar Timath eus,

A s sy rian Me tropoli tan of India .

32 8 BRITI SH BETRAYAL 0 1? THE ASSYRIANS

Now the se promi se s have not been kept , and we

have sai d i n exchange that the Assyr i ans must be set t l edsomehow ,

and we have accepted serv ice from them on

that under stand ing . Final ly , we l e ft the l and be fore ou r

t ime,w i th the p romi se st i l l un fulfi l l ed , and we blame the

Assyr i ans fo r i ngrat i tude .

3 . You blame the Mar S h iman severe ly fo r h i s un

compromi s ing att i tude toward the I raq Government , andaccuse h im o f seek ing only pos i t ion for h imsel f , to gainwh ich he was w i l l i ng to endanger h i s peopl e .

I do not say that a youth o f five-and-twenty hasmade no blunders in a problem where exper i enced B r i t i shadmin i strato rs have admi ttedly made many . Be i t no t ed ,however , that whatever he asked i n the way o f t emporalpowe r , he never asked for s o much as the League had saidwas h i s r i ght ; and that those wh o blamed h im for seek ingany al so asked h im

,mo re than once , to use that temporal

power o f h i s to keep the Assyr i an Levy loyal to the irduty when they shared the general unrest o f the ir peopl e .

You must not bl ame a man for seek ing to keep what

y ou ask h im to use for your conven i ence,and where al l

have blundered,shal l we blame the youngest and most

wronged ?

Apropo s o f th i s accusat ion o f se l f- seek ing , be i tremembered that the I raq Government have o ffered thePatr i arch weal th , fo r h imsel f and h i s fami ly

,i f only

he would approve the i r scheme for the sett l ement o f h i speopl e . He j udged that the scheme meant nat ional des truct ion

,and at the l east i t was not sel f-s eek ing that made

h im oppo se i t .

S i r John S imon has sai d that i t i s no use try ing toaffi x blame o r respons ib i l i ty i n th i s affai r . So far asI raq i s are conce rned

,we are w i l l ing to accept that rul ing ,

provided that i t i s appl i ed to Assyr i ans as we l l . The one

se t are raw admin i strato rs and h ot nat ional i s ts , wh o had

APPENDIX “ D ”

given no p ledges to the Assyr i ans spec i al ly . The o the r are

h o t-headed tr ibesmen, w i th a sense o f i nj u ry again st the

wor l d at l arge .

Thi s,however

,doe s not apply to the B r i t i sh Govern

ment . We gave pl edges,we accepted serv ice on the

strength o f them,and we then t r i e d to s l i p ou t , l eavi ng

a quest ion that had been too hard fo r us to tho se wh o hadnot ou r expe r i ence . Our re spons ib i l i ty cont i nues

,by ou r

own avowal,and we have fi r s t to see that th e I raq Govern

ment doe s put a st 0 p to the mu rder s and mal treatmentfo rced conve rs ions and the l i ke— that are s t i l l go i ng on .

Second,we must see to i t that the I raq Gove rnment p ro

c l a ims and en force s a comple te amnesty fo r both s i desi n the matter . Th i rd

,we must find a home fo r these

Assyr i ans,and must secu re that al l wh o want to come to i t

can be brought there , and that accommodat ion can berese rved for o the rs to fo l low ,

as they find the cond i t ionso f l i fe into l e rabl e in I raq .

By the t ime we have done th i s the re w i l l probab lywe quo te the exper i ence gained from o the r re fugee set t l ement s e l sewhe re—be l i t t l e change l e ft ou t o f a m i l l ionpounds . We must stand prepared to pay that as THEBILL FOR THE WIPING OFF OF A STAIN ONOUR NATIONAL SHIELD—I am ,

e tc . ,

W. A . WIGRAM,

London ,England .

330 B RITI SH BETRAYAL OF THE ASSYRIANS

APPEND IX “E”

TH E TREACH EROUS DOCUMENT or B AGHDAD .

“

1,Mar S h imun, h ave p eru s ed y ou r excellency

’

s le tter

N o . s / I I o4 dated e8 th May , 1 933, and h ave accep ted all

i ts contents .

“

1 under take h er eby tha t I w ill do no th ing to make

th e task of Major Th oms on and th e I raq Governm en t

complica ted in regard to th e s e ttlem en t s ch eme and th at I

will in all way s and a t all times be as one of th e loy al

s ubjects to H is Majes ty th e King, th e Grea t .

Thi s i s the sense les s under tak ing d ic tated to H is

B eati tude , th e Mar S h imun,P a tr iarch , by the Min i ster

o f I nter io r w i th the approval o f Co rnwal l i s and Edmonds .

Th e Mar S h imun had never compl icated the task o f

Thomson o r o f the I raq Government , no r was he at anyt ime d i s loyal to King Fai sal . Such documents aecom

p an ied by th reats could no t be exac ted from the MarS h imun wh o has h i s own obl igat ions towards h i s People .

Mo reove r,the Mar S h imun was under detent ion in

Baghdad,and Thomson , w i th the suppo r t o f the p igg i sh

Mo su l autho r i t i e s , could have en fo rced h i s set t l ementpro j ec t w i thout impl icat ing theMar S h imun i n a d i abo l icalsett l ement to wh ich the B r i t i sh advi se r s knew we l l thatthe Mar S h imun would , unde r no c i rcumstances

,g i ve h i s

c onsent .The document was dra f ted and sent to the Mar

S h im un fo r s ignatu re as i f he we re a Mi no r .

” Hi sl ibe r ty he ce rta i nly d i d not po s sess

,but that was no t a

r eason to apply to h im the old Hamidi an methods . Theatmo sphe re p reva i l ing then was exceed ing ly unheal thy andthe co e rc ive measu res taken at Mo su l against the Assyr i anno tabl e s j ustly st rengthened the Assyr i an bel i e f that theGove rnment was only plann ing the i r dest ruc t ion .


( a ) I am w i l l i ng to ass i st i n the sett l ement o f

the Assyr i ans i n I raq .

( b ) A ft er set t l ement I w i l l g ive the requ i red promis e s i n wr i t ing to do my utmo s t to make my Assyr i anpeopl e as one o f the mos t loyal and law-ab id ing subj ect so f Hi s Maj es ty and H i s Government .

( c ) I w i l l then make preparat ions in acco rdance w i ththe Canons o f my Chu rch , for draft ing Of the law acco rdi ng to Your Exce l l ency ’ s suggest ion and con fo rmable to

Ar t ic l e‘VI o f the Fundamental Law .

I f th i s i s no t agreeabl e to the Government,I c l a im

the r ight to ask the League o f Nat ions fo r the al ternat i veset t l ement scheme .

Sd. E s h ai S h imun,

B y th e Grace of God,Cath olicos P a tr iarch of th e A s sy rians .

Cop ie s to

Th e D ip l omatic rep re sen ta ti v e s of

B r i ta i n Tu rkey Be lg iumAme r i ca H o l land No rwayI ta l y F ran ce C z e chos lo vak iaPo land Ge rmany Pe r s ia

P . S .

—May I draw Your Excel l ency ’s at ten t ion to

the inflammato ry speech O f an hono rabl e deputy,r eco rded

and broadcasted in Al I st iq l al O f June 2 9 th ,and o the r

local pape r s i nc i t i ng hatred against the Assyr i ans .

APPENDICES

APPEND IX “ G”

STATEM ENT SHOWING NAM ES OF ASSYR IAN S MASSACREDB ETWEEN 1 1 th AND 1 6 th AUGUST 1 933 ,

IN TH E MOSUL L IWA .

N ames of P ersons Ki lled Rema rks

1 . P r ie s t Arsan i s S trangl ed w i th a co rd2 Shm iwal

3 G iwarg i s

4 Nlas ikh

5. Shm oel

6 . Sada B eh ead ed7 D av id8 . Adam B u rn e d a l i ve .

9 . Ra i s Goriy il Sh imu n

10 . Ra i s Mu sh i Ha ro nl l . Ra i s Sh ima I sa12 . Ra i s Ta i lu Dav i d13 . Wil l iam Go r ie l

14 . Giwarg i s Go ru15. Go ru Giwa rg i s

16 . Bada l Giwarg i s17 . Ha ron Pa t tu18 . Zia Tuma19 . Shm iwal Kh o sh ab20 . D r . Hak im B arkh u

2 1 . I shu Shaba22 . E l ia s lWaru s23 . Yo nadan Balu24 . Ka i sa r N i san25. IVIu sa Sh iba26 . Kana i sah Jannu

27 . Sla iman Kh o sh aba

28 . S i lmu Somo29 . So ru Khamu r30 . E l lu Sor i sh u

31 . M ikha i l E l lu32 . S ibdin Khamu33 . Khamu S ibdin

34. Kh o sh aba Mu sha35. I sa Sh ima36 . Ap rim I sa


N ames of P er sons Ki lled Remarks

37 .

38 .

39 .

40 .

41 .

42 .

43.

44.

45.

46 .

47 .

48 .

49 .

50 .

51 .

52 .

53.

54.

55.

56 .

57 .

58 .

59 .

60 .

6 1

62 .

63.

64 .

65.

66 .

67 .

68 .

69 .

70 .

7 1

72 .

73 .

74.

75.

76 .

77 .

78 .

79 .

Ba ru ta Dinkh a

Pi t tu ShabaDash tu ShabaKhamu Pi t tuSh iba Pi t tuI shu I sdnDinkh a Sh ibaSh ibu Dinkh a

N im ru d Orah am

Marsh u Ko shaYo sep SodoDinkh a Abdu lYu n i s Giwarg i sGiwu A z z uShabu A s suShaba Dinkh a

Yukh anna I‘d a t t i

Ma t t i Yukh anna

D ikhu Yukh anna

Shabu Mali sh u

Odi sh u ShabaYuwal Sh imu n

Su laqa RahuRashu Su laqa

Khamu MinaOdi sh u M i naEdd i Sh i rinsh aBenyamin Edd iMikha i l Edd iYal da So ruDash tu So ruQasha Zia

Sh imu n Qasha Zia

Qas im Yacu bKh ubiar Ma t t iYo s ep Ma t tiSa iman Dav idA t tu Sh imu n

Dav id A ttuYacu b A ttuN i san Kh osh abaKh osh aba N i sanYa trun Wa rda


N ame s of P ers ons Ki lled Remarks

123. Ba rcham124. N i san125. Barcham126 . Ho rm i z d

127 . Giwarg i s

Yukh anna

129 . Hanna130 . Sl iwa131 . Sonk i132 . Khamm i

133. Qas i134 . M i r iam135. E smar136 . Sinjana137 . Shm in i

138 . Mar ta

N . B .

—The above per sons whose bodi es could bei dent ified

,we r e k i l l ed in Dohuk and S imel . Li st s o f two

thousand o thers are under preparat ion .

APPENDICES

APPEND IX “H”

PERSON S B RUTALLY ASSASS INATED .

Statement show ing names o f Assyr i ans b rutal ly assass inated subsequent to the

“

offic i a l massacre and re fer redto i nMar S h imun

’

s rad iogramme o f September 1 6 th , 1 933,sen t from Ni co s i a to Geneva .

HO

©

OO\I

OCR

—QC»

N

H

N am es of P e rs ons Killed D is tr icts

D inkh a Samano Barwa r i j a i r iKh osh aba AdamYokh annan YonanOdish u P ith y u

Sh im un I yyarTamar Marogu ilSh imun MakkoYaku MakkoBenyaminMamoj iwo YaquEl i a AdamShaba Sh la imun

Shaba Yokh annan

Yokh annan Giwargis

Sh im un Odish u

Sliwu MajjiD inkh a Ho rm i z d

Zi a Qaw i l aYokh annan YonanGiwargis D inkh a

Ch ikku Dadish u

Chaya Ruwal. L awandu Yonathan Barwar i j a ir iQasha Mansu r

. Guzz i,Wi fe O f Shm iwal

N N

MajjiB ib i

, Wi fe O f Dinkh a 110 1’

m i z d.

Wi fe Of Qasha Toma ( NO . Dohuk2 8 below

,both k i l l ed on

Qasha Toma


APPEND IX “ I ”

L IST OF ASSYR IAN V ILLAGES LOOTED DUR ING THE

T IM E OF TH E MASSACRE .

N ames of Villages

S ime lKolabn i

Mans i r i aKharab Kulk iSy y id Dhah i rQasr YazdinMawanaGir il

Se r Shar iJajaman i

Dhar iGarmaw i

Hajisn iMas i k iRuh a idi

Kh abartu

Kala Badr iZo rawaDos t ikia

Salay h a

Tel H ish fCaraiph an

Iaz kin

Raiawa

Bad iBabaluB agir i ( a )B agir i ( b )Ko l a HasanMaj al Makht iAlqush ta

Gundikta

Tu t ika

Aloka ( upper ) Amad iyah


APPEND IX “

J”

AN APPEAL

F rom.

MAR ESHAI SHIMUN XXICATHOL I COS PATR IARCH OF THE ASSYR IAN S

ALL THE CHRI STIAN CHURCHES .

The present do lo rous and gr i evous po s i t ion o f theAssyr i ans

,the F ir st Chr i s t i an Peopl e wh o emb raced

Chr i s t i an i ty,makes i t i ncumbent on me Spir i tual ly , as the

H ead o f the Assyr i an Church o f the East,to broadcast ,

alas,a despond ing appeal to al l the Chr i s t i an Churches to

come to the ai d o f the Assyr i ans in I raq wh o ,for certa in

reasons coupl ed w i th re l igious frenzy on the par t o f theI raq government , have been persecuted by that governmentdu r i ng the month Of August 1 933 ,

un for tunate ly under theeyes o f the Greates t Ch r i s t i an Empire in the wo r l d .

Th i s i s one o f the darkest hours i n the h i s tory o f theAssyr i an Church and Peopl e .

The Assyr i ans,due to the i r i nev i tabl e entry into the

wo r l d confl ic t o f lo st the i r o r ig i nal homes inTu rkey and the i r fight ing qual i t i e s and fai th fulness wereut i l i z ed by the B r i t i sh author i t i e s for the l ast e ighteenyears i n the hope that the l atter would rec iprocate byredeeming fai th ful ly the promi ses made to the Assyr i ansfo r a home in wh ich they could develop and pro sper on

Ch r i s t i an l ine s and Teach ings .

The Anglo - I raq rel at ions wh ich saw many changeswere final ly defined in the Anglo- I raq Treaty o f June 30 ,

1 930 , wh ich de l iberate ly neg l ected the interests o f theAssyr i ans , thus l eav ing them homeless and dest i tute as theB r i t i sh Government undertook to suppo rt uncondi t ional ly

APPENDIX “

J”

s ince 1 9 2 9 the admi ss ion o f th e I raq to the League o f

Nat ions i n 1 932 w i thout mak ing adequate prov i s ions fo rthe sa feguarding o f the Assyr i an int e rests as was o r i g i nal lyunder taken .

Ever s ince 1 930 ,we have been mak ing representat ions

to the League o f Nat ion in wh ich we expre ssed i n no

uncer t a in terms ou r app rehens ions fo r the future . ThePermanent Mandate s Commi ss ion d i d not only fee l butshared ou r fears

,but S ir Franc i s Humph rys , fo rme r ly

B r i t i sh H i gh Commiss ioner and now Ambassado r,unde r

took On behal f o f H i s Government to “ shoulder the mo ralrespons ib i l i ty shoul d I raq prove he rse l f unwo r thy o f theconfidence placed in h e r” . Vi s-a-v i s th i s em inent dec l arat ionthe League o f Nat ions was compel l ed to be s i l enced be fo rethe B r i t i sh announcement and sat i sfied i t se l f w i th “ paperguarantees” fo r the sa feguard ing o f the l i ve s and prope r t i e so f the I raqMi no r i t i e s . We pro te sted and sai d that ne i th erthe “ B r i t i sh mo ral respons ib i l i ty” no r the “ Pape r guarantees are suffic i ent to p ro t ect u s once the fanat i c I raqgove rnment i s l e t loo se and I , i n acco rdance w i th theunan imous op in ion o f the Assy r i an Peopl e

,defin i te ly

s tres sed the po i n t i n my appeal O f Septembe r 1 93 1

addre ssed to th e League O f Nat ions that,I f the mandate

i s l i fted w i thout e ff ec t i ve guarantees fo r ou r p ro tec t ion inth e futu re

,ou r exterminat ion woul d fo l low

Only n ine months have e lapsed s i nce the l i ft ing o f

the mandate when ou r fear s based on expe r i ence and fact shave been substant i at ed by a who l e sal e massacre Of th eAssyr i ans i n the Mo su l I iwa and by pe rsecut ion o f o the rsi n o ther par t s o f I raq .

A fter a st rong Oppos i t ion from the I raq governmentand w i th no one to de fend ou r po i n t o f vi ew

,i t was

dec i ded to appo i n t a sett l ement exper t i n an advi sorycapac i ty w i th no execut i ve powe r . Be ing a pa i d se rvant o fthe I raq gove rnment , i t was natu ral that he woul d pu rsue


the po l icy o f the I raq government wh ich aimed at thedestruc t ion in due course

,o f Ou r Fai th

,Language

,

t rad i t ions , customs and usages and Ou r exi stence as 3

Race . The I raq government i n order to render th i s one

eyed sett l emen t fut i l e,i nst igated and encouraged the fanat ic

Mo s l em elements against the Assyr i ans . An extens ivepres s campaign throughout I raq passed unchal lenged forfive months and thus i t prepared the publ ic opin ion fo r

a Ho ly War . I t was now the un ive rsal be l i e f O f theA rabs that th e war was between the Crescent and theCro ss . Thi s was final ly put in Operat ion in August 1 933 .

Hundreds o f thousands o f Arabs vo lunteered to fight ahand ful o f unbe l i ever s and “

infidels”

.

Men ,women and ch i l dren were massacred who l e sal e

mo st barbarously by r ifle,revo lver and mach ine gun fi re .

Groups o f Assyr i ans were t i ed up w i th ropes and Sho tdown by the regular and i rregular troops in the I raq army .

The Mi n i ster s o f In ter ior and De fence and o ther h ighoffic i al s were a few mi les away from the massacre zone .

Pr i e st s were k i l l ed and the i r bodi es mut i l ated . Assyr i anwomen we re v io l ated and k i l l ed . Pr i e st s and Assyr i anyoung men we re k i l l ed instant ly after re fus ing forcedconve rs ion to Muhammadan i sm . The rapac ious Arab s wh owere armed and inst igated by the Arab offic i a l s wh o

rece i ved the i r i n struc t ions from the central autho r i t i e scar r i ed away the catt l e and be long ings o f the Assyr i answ i th impun i ty . Ho ly books were destroyed and Assyr i anv i l l ages set on fi re . Assyr i an ch i l dren wh i l s t hanging on

to the i r parent s wh o we re be ing dr i ven to the butcher i eswer e sho t dead . Pregnant women had the ir wombs cu t andthe i r bab i es dest royed .

These atroc ious act s we re carr i e d ou t by the mi l i taryand c i v i l author i t i e s o f the I raq government . Certa in i rregular Kurds we re al so encouraged and armed by theI raq government to j o i nt i n plunder i ng o f the Assyr i ans

BRITISH BETRAYAL OE THE ASSYRIANS

Final ly , I p ray th e Almigh t y God to crown y ou re ffo r t s on behal f o f my mar ty red People w i th success .

E SHA I SHI II I'

N

B \’ lh ‘

(THICK ( I f (TOO,

Ca th olicos P a tr ia rch of th e A s s y r ians .

Ni cos ia . Cy p rus . Sep tembe r 2 o th , 1 5 33 .

AP PEND IX K "

ANGLO-IRAQ DECLARAT ION OF 24th DECEMBER 1922

REGARD ING THE KL'

RDISH GOVERNMENT .

Hi s B r i tann i c Maj e s t y '

s Gove rnmen t and th e

Gove rnm en t o f I raq recognize th e r ights o f th e Kurdsl i v ing w i th i n the boundar i e s o f I raq to s e t up a Ku rdi shGove rnm en t w i th in these boundar i e s and hope that thed i ffe r en t Ku rdi sh e lemen t s w i l l . as soon as po s s ib l e ar

r i ve ar an agre em en t be tween themse lves as to th e fo r m

w h ic n the y w i sh tha t th e Gove r nmen t should take and th e

boundar i e s w i thin wh ich they w i sh i t to ex t end and w i l ls end r e spon s ib l e del ega t e s to Baghdad to d i scuss the i reconomic and po l i t i cal re lat ions w i th H i s B r i tann icMaj esty '

sGove r nmen t and th e Gove rnmen t o f I raq .

DEC IS ION OF THE COUNC IL OF M IN I STERS or IRAQDATED

That the I raq Gove rnment do no t i nt end to ap po i ntan y A rab offi c i a l s i n th e Ku rdi sh di s tr i c ts excep t technicaloffi c i al s .

"

No r do th ey i n tend to fo rce the inhab i tant s o f th e

Ku rdi sh d i st r ict s to use the A rab ic l angu age in the i r offic i a lco rrespondence .

APPENDIX “ K”

That the r i ght s o f the inhab i tant s and the re l ig iousand c i v i l communi t i e s i n th e sa i d d i str ict s shal l be prope r lysafeguarded .

”

A TELEGRAM ADDRESSED BY THE IRAQI PR IMEMIN I STER TO THE MUTASARRIF OF KIRKUK .

“ Please in fo rm the Admin i st rat ive Counc i l that the i rsuggest ions have been accepted and that the Gove rnmentagree s that the appo i n tments be fi l l ed by local men only andthat the local l anguage be cons i de red as Offic i a l .

You may in fo rm the Admin i st rat i ve Counc i l andpromise them the fulfi l lment o f these cond i t ions i n anunoffic i a l way .

IRAQI PR IME M IN I STER ’S SPEECH OF

We shoul d g i ve the Ku rds the i r r igh t s . The i r Offic i al sshoul d be from among them . The i r own tongue Shoul d bethe i r Offic i a l l anguage and the i r ch i l d ren should l earn the i rown tongue i n the schoo l s . I t i s i ncumbent upon us to

give them the i r r i gh ts .

IRAQI PRIME M IN I STER ’S C IRCULAR IN STRUCTION STO ALL MIN I STR IES .

You r Exce l l ency has no doubt seen th e speech madeby the P r ime Mi n i ste r i n the Chambe r o f Deput i e s andpubl i shed i n the p ress on th e fo l low i ng day . Th i s speechembodi es the po l icy wh i ch the Gove rnment pu rsued andw i l l pu r su e i n th e admin i strat ion in the Ku rd i sh zone ,namely

,that th e offic i al s Shoul d be Ku rds and the offic i a l

l anguage should be Ku rdi sh .

“Hi s Exce l l ency has there fo re d i rect ed me to reque stYou r Exce l l ency to endeavo r to carry ou t th i s po l icy andadhere the reto i n a l l that apper ta in s to the e stabl i shmentso f the zone in quest ion .


ST I PULAT ION S OF THE LEAGUE OF NAT ION S .

Regard should be pai d to the des i res expre ssed by theKurds that Offic i al s o f Kurd i sh race should be appo i ntedfor the admin i strat ion o f the i r country

,the d i spensat ion o f

j ust ice and teach ing in the schoo l s , and that Kurdi sh shouldbe the offic i a l l anguage o f all these serv ices . ”

Transl at ion of C i rcular l e t ter No . 2 2 95 dated 1 8 thFebruary

,1 9 2 6 , from theMi n i ster o f In ter ior , Baghdad to

Mu tasar r i f,Mo su l .

Subj ec t : Ku rdish A reas .

A fte r compl iment :

We send y ou herew i th a copy o f the Speech del iveredby HE . the Pr imeMi n i s ter i n Par l i ament wh ich gives thePo l icy o f the Government i n the Ku rd i sh Areas fo r

pe rusal and to keep th i s Po l icy be fo re your eyes as aDastu r wh ich i s the bas i s fo r ac t ion acco rdingly .

TRAN SLAT ION OF THE SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE

PR IME MIN I STER IN PARLIAMENT .

(Feb .

We al l are aware o f the fac t that the ‘I raq Government has fixed

, on i t s i nst i tut ion , i t s po l icy towards theKurds and the non-Mohammedan Communi t i e s . TheGovernment h as there fo re cons i dered

,by vi r tue o f duty ,

that the No r the rn nat ions and espec i a l ly the Kurds Shouldbe given the i r natural r i ght s and that they shoul d have asat i s fac to ry admin i st rat ion fi t fo r the inte rest o f th e i rcount ry . We al l are agreed w i th th i s fac t as we l l as theConst i tut ional Assembly admi tted the present admin i strat ion be fo re the i ssue Of the dec i s ion o f the League O f

Nat ions . The terms Of Ar t ic l e 3 are conven i ent andadequate to the w i shes o f the country .


Mo sul . leEminence .

Je me permet de m’

addres s e r a l a plu s haute au to r ite

Catho l ique du regne B r itan ique , au nom des Chath oliqu ee t de tous l e s Chret i ens de cet Etat de l

’

I raq pourl’

inte re s s er au so r t de ce t minor i te dans ce regn I sl am ique .

Le mandat B r itan ique su r L’

I raq cessant e t l ’ i ndependance de ce pays Obtenue , bientot nous autresChret i ens

,nous al lons nous trouver face-a- face avec l a

fantas ime Mah ome tant , sans mai tre sans pro tecteur , a lamerc i de l a to l erance musulmane , que l

’

h is to ire et su r toutl a dern i ere guerre a montre combien e l l e es t inconstante .

Dans cette ango i se , nous l evons l e s yeux ve rs vo treEminence l a pr i ant d’

employ e r s on i nfluence su r l’

op in ion

publ ique Angla i se en no tre faveur , e t pla i der no tre causeaup re s de l a soc i et e des nat ions pour nous obten i r un

modus v ivend i , qu i permette a ces re ste s des massacres del a guerre de v ivre en su rete .

Un nobl e ch ret i en,o r iginai re de cet pays , le

que des per sonne d igne de fo i,m ’

ont assure qu ’ i l a consacresa v i e pou r l a de l ivrance de ces connat ionaux se trouve ap re sent a londres . Dans son passage ic i

,il s ’est rendu

compte de l ’etat des Chret i ens de ce pays , e t i t e st a memede pouvo i r fourn i r a vo t re Eminence l es rense ignementsre l at i fs a cet te quest ion , je me permet donc de le recom

mander a Vo tre Eminence .

Oue Vo tre Eminence se m e fie de toute autre requeteque l e s inte resse s n e manquerons pas de presenter avecdes souscr ipt ions des che fs Ch ret i ens pou r souten i r quenous sommes t ranqui l l e s e t content dans l a regime actuel ;ce s on ts des souscr i pt ions fo rces e t gard a nous S i nousag i ssons autrement ; mai s l a ver i t e e s t comme je l

’

ecr is a

vo tre Eminence,malgre le r i sque que je cour s par l a

presente l ett re , c’e st pou rquo i je pr i e Vo tre Eminence de

ten i r mon nom cache .

( S igned )

APPENDICES

A PPENDIX"L”

M INUTES OF TH E IRAQ COM M ITTEE IN LONDON .

The fo l low i ng m inute s o f th e I raq Commit tee are

mo s t i nterest ing,i n that they c l ear two impo r tant po i nt s :

( a ) That the Government be l i eved the Assyr i an s to be inimminent per i l” and that “ th e p r i nc i pal massac re o f

Assyr i ans had been perpetrated by the I raq regul ar army” .

G . 1 2 42 7 .

M INUTES OF A M EET ING OF TH E IRAQ COMM ITTEE H ELDAT 1 5 GROSVENOR CRESENT

,LONDON

, s .w . I .

ON SEPTEM B ER 1 4th , 1 933, AT P .M.

P res ent : Pro fesso r Mu r ray ( i n the Chai r ) . B r igad i e rGeneral B rowne

, S ir Nige l Dav i dson , Capta inGracey

,Lo rd Lugard,

Pro fesso r Margoliou th ,

Captai n Mum fo rd , S ir Walter Napi e r,Lo rd

Rhayader,CanonWi gram and S irMacar tney and

Mi s s W'

h i te .

Apologi es for abs ence we re rece i ved from Maj o rBuxton and Mrs . Dugdal e .

5 . Minu tes . The m inute s o f th e meet i ng he ld on

August 2 oth we re app roved .

6 . D epu ta tion to th e F o re ign Office . P ro fes so rMu rrayand Lo rd Lugard repo r t ed that they , Lo rd Rhayade r , LordHugh Cec i l andMr . Eppste i n had con fe r red at l ength w i thS ir John S imon and Mr . Ste rndal e B ennet t at th e Fo re ignOffice on S eptembe r s th . They reta i ned the impre ss ionthat the Gove rnment bel i eved the Assy r i an s to be im inentper i l and we r e i n pr i nc ip l e sympathy to the p roposa l s putforward by the Committe e at i t s l as t meet ing .

7 . Communication from I raq . Lo rd Lugard com

mun icated to th e Commi ttee a l et ter from the mo s t re l i abl eauthor i ty i n no rthern I raq confi rming the fact that the


pr i nc i pl e massacre o f Assyr i an s had been perpetrated bythe I raq regular army

,stat ing that a re fugee camp had

been fo rmed fo r the women and ch i ldren o f the murderedmen

,and expre ss ing the Opin ion that the only hope o f

safety fo r the Assyr i ans as a who l e lay in the i r trans ferto some o ther terr i tory .

8 . A c tion in S uppor t of th e Commi tte e’

s P olicy .

I t was

RESOLVED That a le t ter , wh ich every member o f theCommit tee and cer tai n o ther competentpe r sons would be inv i ted to S ign

,Should

be sent to the TIMES conta in ing anassurance o f suppor t to H .M. Governmenti n fo l low i ng a courageous and construct ivepo l icy d i rected to the fo l low i ng obj ec t s

( 1 )

( I I )

( I I I )

The maintenance o f the refugeecamp as an immediate measure ;

The appo intment o f an internat ionalcommiss ion o f enqu i ry ;

I ns i stence that the Mar S h iwun,

Maj o r Thomson and o ther i nd i spensabl e w i tnesses should be p e r

m itted and i f necessary ass i s tedfinanc i al ly to appear be fo re such acommiss ion ;

Trans ference o f the bulk o f theAssyr i an communi ty e i ther to Cypruso r to Syr i a and the ir sett l ement bythe Nansen Inter-nat ional Re fugeeOffice ;The contr i but ion by Great B r i ta ino f the maj o r par t o f the necessaryfunds for th i s purpose .

”


remained Tu rkey o r Syr i a,and wh i le sett l ement i n the i r

own homes in Turkey would have been the best so l u t ion,

yet under present cond i t ions th i s was not po ss ib l e . Thereremained Syr i a . The Committee was agreed :

( a ) That the best so l ut ion would be for theAssy r i ans to be sett l ed , i n as homogeneousa bloc as po ss ibl e , i n Syr i a , w i th the helpo f the League Re fugee Service

A S a matter o f immed iate po l icy,the

Committee , recal l i ng the fac t that pet i t ionsfrom the Assyr i ans wer e now be fore aCommittee o f Three

,wh ich would p re

sumably repor t to the Counc i l , fe l t thatH .M. representat ive Should pres s stronglyfor the Counc i l to appo i n t a Commiss iono f I nqu i ry to go i nto the who l e ques t ionon the Spo t

,i t s terms o f re ference be ing

w i de enough to cover the quest ion o f theKurds al so .

Meanwh i l e , a spec i a l Commi ss ioner mightbe appo i nted as a temporary measu re . Thespec i a l nature o f the case should be po in tedou t as j u s t i fy ing th i s unusual step . I twould be for the League Commiss ion to

recommend the final so l ut ion .

4 . Pro fe sso r Murray agreed to put these v i ews inw r i t ing be fo re S i r Rober t Vans i ttar t , and to ask fo r an

i n terv i ew at wh ich , he w i th Lo rd Luggard and Lo rdRhayader , would expla in th e Committee ’s vi ews moreful ly .

APPENDICES

APPEND IX “M”

REPLY OF TH E ACT ING-H IGH COMM ISS ION ER To TH E

S IGNATOR IES OF TH E PET IT ION DATEDSEPTEMB ER I I

,1 930 .

The Res i dency,

B aghdad .

2 4th Septembe r , 1 930 .

The S ignato r i e s o f the Pet i t iondated 1 l th September 1 930

I n common w i th al l o ther B r i t i sh offic i al s,I real i ze

and apprec i at e th e loyal ty and devo ted service wh i ch theAssyr i an l ev i e s have a lways exh ib i ted .

“Wi th regard to you r request that th e Assy r i an Lev i e sshal l not be used against the Ku rds . I ful ly recogn i z e theimpo r tance o f avo i d ing any ac t ion that w i l l impai r goodre l at ions between the Assy r i an s and the Ku rds . I haveeve ry hope that no i nte rnal t roubl e amongs t th e Ku rd sw i l l ar i s e

,but shoul d t roubl e un fo rtunate ly occu r , I

canno t o f cour se give any defin i te p romi se that Assy r i an sw i l l not be employed against the Ku rds ; I can only repeatthat th e impo r tance o f the matte r i s no t be ing

,and w i l l

not be,lo st s igh t o f .

“Wi th regard to st at ion ing Levi e s i n th e Mo su l L iwa .

You must remember that the Levy t roops we re rai sed formi l i tary pu rpo ses and i t i s impo s s i bl e to employ them on

po l ice wo rk . I r egard i t as the duty o f th e Po l ice to

pro tec t scattered v i l l ages and as y ou are we l l aware al arge propor t ion o f the Po l ice i n the Mo su l L iwa are

Assyr i ans . At the same t ime I woul d remind y ou thatthere i s a detachment o f the Assyr i an l ev i e s at B illeh andthey afford some pro tect ion fo r your fami l i e s .


I am mo st grat ified to no te your express ion o f

fr i endsh ip fo r Hi s B r i tann ic Maj esty ’s Government .“As I have ind icated above 1 I see defin i te s igns that

th e Central Government in I raq recogn i ze the advantagethat w i l l accrue to them by obtain ing you r good w i l l andI ask y ou to meet them hal f way , and Show that y ou are

ready to serve them fai th ful ly as y ou have served H i sB r i tann ic Maj esty”

( S igned ) R . B rooke-Popham,

Air Vice Marshal,

Ac t ing High Commi ss ioner .

1—On ly pe rt in en t pa r a gra ph s o f th i s le tte r h ave be e n h e r e re p rodu c e d .


1 9 1 7- 1 9 1 8 . Whi l e ho l d ing our po s i t ions against the

Turk i sh army,the B r i t i sh av iato rs advi sed us to r etreat

and conso l i date ou r force s back to Hamadan . On th i so ccas ion

, ou r so l d i er s had to break th rough the Turk i shl i ne s in o rder to j o i n the B r i t i sh . At Hamadan , theB r i t i sh d i sarmed ou r army . Short ly therea fter

,Cap t .

Alexander Ani e er 1 and Col. McCar thy recru i ted e ightbat tal ions from the Assyr i ans and re-armed them . The i rplan was to d ivi de the Assyr i an Fo rce into three con

t ingents to push fo rward to the No r th . Ou r men were ,however

,sent to Baqubah i n I raq to be fi tted w i th army

uni forms , when Armist ice was dec l ared . The B r i t i shevacuated the i r troops some three year s after and the p rotect ion o f the front i ers was entrusted to ou r men .

1 9 1 9- 1 932 . The Assyr i ans guarded the front i er s o f

Mesopo tam i a and on numerous occas ions were o rderedby the B r i t i sh to subdue the Arab and Kurdi sh d i sorder sand upr i s i ngs

,as fo l lows :

1 9 1 9 . I n the mounta ins o f Ku rd i stan , several B r i t i shofficer s we re k i l l ed and the B r i t i sh autho r i t i e s ordered theAssyr i an fo rces under the l eadersh ip o f Agha David to

pun i sh the perpetrato rs , wh ich operat ions were successful ly conducted and o rder was r estored .

1 9 2 1 . Ami r Fai sal was c rowned King o f I raq .

1 9 2 2 . She ik Raqib o f Batas revo l ted against theI raq Gove rnment . A B r i t i sh office r was k i l l ed . TheAssyr i ans were aga in cal led upon to take pun i t ive act ion .

1 9 2 0 . Mo re than 75 Assyr i an po l icemen and so l d i erswere k i l l ed in Aqra and envi rons .

1 9 2 2 . Rowanduz was st i l l occupied by Turk i sh troops .

Two B r i t i sh and th ree Assyr i an Battal ions re -captured thetown . The Assyr i ans lo st several casual t i e s i n the operat ions

l—T h e fi rs t pre s i den t o f th e A s s yr ia n Na t iona l F e de ra t ion i n Am e r i c a ( 1 9 33 ~

H e d i e d i n Yonke rs . N ew Yo rk , on Ja n u a ry 1 6 . 1 9 3 5 , a t t h e a g e

o f fo rty-s eve n . H i s d e a th w a s a lam en ta b l e los s to t h e na t ion h e loveda nd s e rve d s o w e l l .

TH E LATE CA PT . A L I-:XANDER AM E E I

P r e s i den t , A s sy r za n .V a tzo na l F ede ra t i o n

(N ov ember . 1 933—Ju ne . 1934)

T h e mu l t i tu d e tha t do e s n o t redu c e i ts e lf to

u n i ty i s con fu s ion th e u n i ty wh i ch d o e s n o t

d ep e nd u p o n th e mu lt i tu d e i s tv ran nv .

—P as ca l


Th i s , we unde rstand , can be accompl i shed only byappropr i ate ac t ion o f the League o f Nat ions , and to thatend we humbly pray your good offices in br inging thedeplorabl e s i tuat ion we have presented to the attent ion o f

you r Government , i n o rder that , i f convinced o f th e

j us t ice o f ou r cause , as we s incere ly trust i t w i l l be , thenece ssary measures fo r our re l i e f may be propo sed by i tsrepresentat ives to the League at the ear l i e s t poss ib l emoment .

( Sd. ) Rev . Sh laimun Abraham,

and o ther Assyr i an Nat ional Commit teemen .

APPENDICES

APPEND IX “O”

PET IT ION S TO K ING GEORGE V . ,TO TH E PRES IDENT OF FRAN CE

,

AND TO TH E PRES IDEN T OF UN ITED STATES .

A ssy r ian Eas te rn Chu rch ,N ew B r i ta i n , Con n .

S ep temb e r ls t , 1933

H is B r i tannic Majes ty ,

King George th e F ifth .

We take the l ibe r ty o f appeal ing to You r B r i tann icMaj esty on behal f o f the Assyr i ans o f I raq . We w i shto remind the B r i t i sh Gove rnment o f th e loyal ty and loveo f ou r peopl e in fight ing fo r Great B r i ta i n as man i festedby the i r eno rmous sac r ifice and lo sse s in de fend ing th eB r i t i sh Cause du r ing th e Wo r l d War , even agai nst the i rown Mo the r—count ry .

Human i ty deplo res and c i v i l i z at ion condemns ther ecent atroc i t i e s committed on helpl e s s Ch r i s t i anMi no r i t i e s .

The Assyr i ans i n Amer i ca, wh o fought i n B r i t i sh ranks

deep ly regret that the i r b reth ren shoul d be al lowed to

per i sh unde r Your Maj e sty ’s F l ag . The re fo re,we humbly

beseech Your Maj es ty ’ s pro tect ion by putt i ng an end to

th ese ho r r ib l e massacres .

Sd. J o s eph A iva z ,S e c re tary ,

A s sy r ian P ro te s t Commi t te e .

6

H is Excellency ,th e P r es iden t of th e F r ench Republic .

France has always championed th e cause o f de fensel es s Ch r i s t i an Mi no r i t i e s i n the East . We w i sh to rem indth e French Republ ic o f the sacr ifice o f ou r peopl e infight ing on behal f Of the Al l i ed Fo rces aga ins t the i r own

Mo ther-country , and o f the sac red promise s made byFrance to these Ch r i st i an Mi nor i t i e s .


There fo re , we humbly beseech mercy o f the FrenchGovernment to permit these defensel e ss

,persecuted

Chr i s t i ans seeking pro tect ion o f th e French F lag , to be

permitted entry into Syr i a .

Sd. Josep h Aivaz , Secre tary ,Assyrian Protes t Comm i ttee .

H is Excellency , th e P r es iden t of th e Uni ted S tates .

We ,Assyr i an Amer ican C i t i z ens and res i dents o f th e

S tat e o f Connec t icut , at a meet ing hel d i n N ew B r i ta in ,Connec t icut

,on September I s t , 1 933 , through ou r duly

elec ted representat ives do mo st v igo rous ly pro tes t the un

war ranted and i nhuman treatment , i nc l ud ing the ruthl essmassacre o f our fe l low nat ional i st s res i d ing in I raq , anddo hereby pet i t ion and implore the Pres i den t o f the Uni tedS tate s , e i ther per sonal ly o r through the regu lar const i tutedchannel s o f diplomacy , to use the good o ffices andi nfl uence o f the Uni ted States

,i n summar i ly and

pe rmanent ly supp re ss ing the perpetrato rs o f these atroc i t i e s ,

Sd. S . K . Dav id , Cha i rman ,Sd. Joseph Aivaz , Se c re ta ry ,Assy rian Protes t Commi ttee.


3 . Al l o f the Assyr i an tr ibes ral l ied round abouth im not only i n Tu rkey but i n Pers i a and el s ewhere unt i lh i s fal l i n the batt l e

,March , 1 9 1 8 .

4 . The same Mar S h iwun was i nv i ted by theRuss i an Government i n Geo rgi a and bestowed upon h imthe honors o f a Monarch , and offic i al ly and po l i t ical lyrecogn i zed h im Russ i a ’ s Al ly .

5. Throughout the war,the Pers i an Government

deal t offic i al ly w i th the Mar S h iwun as the head o f theNat ion and held h im respons ibl e for every act .

6 . I n general , every Nat ion that had deal t w i th theA ssyr i an s

,has taken the Mar S h iwun as the vo ice o f the

wh o l e Assyr i an Nat ion .

7 . Throughout al l the ages,the Assyr i ans i n every

country have l i dded to the Mar S h imun and appl i ed to

h im as the Head o f the Nat ion . I n the Wo r l d War,he

was Commander-in-ch i e f o f the Assyr i an Forc es .8 . F i nal ly , at the pr esent al l the Assyr i ans in every

country acknow l edge h im as the i r l eader . Fur thermore ,We, thousands o f Assyr i ans in Amer ican through th e

Nat ional Assoc i at ion are stand ing by h im unan imously .

LONG LIVE THE MAR SHIMUN .

Very Re spec tfu l ly,As sy rian Na ti onal Un ion ,Sd. J . J . I saac

,Secre tary .

B I B L I O G R A P H Y


Go rdon,Cyrus H .

,S atan

’

s Wors h ippe rs in Ku rdis tan, in

As ia , Oc tober , 1 933 ,pp . 6 2 6 -630 .

Luce,A . A . ,

.Monophy s i t is r n, P as t and P res en t, London1 9 2 0 .

Reso l ut ion o f the Counc i l Of the League o f Nat ions on theAssyr i an Quest ion , October 1 933,

-Apr i l 1 935.

Lay ard’

s ( S ir Aust i n Henry ) Nineveh and i ts Remains,

Wi th an Account o f a Vi s i t to the Chal dean Chr i s t i anso f Ku rd i s tan and the Yaz idis o r Devi l-Wor sh ippers ,e tc .

,2 volS . ,

London , 1 848 .

Luke , Har ry Char l e s , l‘d os u l and i ts Minor i t ies,London

,

1 9 2 5 .

Longr igg’

s F ou r Centu r i es ofModern l rag, London , 1 9 2 5.

L igu e N a tionale Ku rde (Hoyboun No . L es Mas s acresKu rdes en Tu rqu i e , Cai ro ,

1 9 2 8 .

Maps o f I raq w i th No tes fo r Vis i to r s . Publ i shed by theGove rnment o f I raq

,1 9 2 9 .

Mi nutes o f Pe rmanent Mandates Commi ss ion,

Mal ek , Yusu f , L es Cons equ ences Trag iqu es du Manda t en

l rag, Be i rut , 1 932 .

Mac l ean 81 B rowne ’ s Ca th olicos of th e E as t and H is

P e ople .

Mum fo rd , Capt . Phi l ip , Ku rds,A s sy r ians and I raq, The

Jou rnal o f the Royal Central As i an Soc i ety , vol. XX ,

January,1 933 .

Naay em ,Jo seph , S h all th is N a ti on D ie

,Chaldean Rescue ,

50 3 Fi fth Avenue , N ew Yo rk,1 9 2 0 .

Neale,F . A .

,E ven ings at Antioch

,London , 1 854 .

Neal e, J . M. P atr iarch a te of An tioch

,London

,1 873 .

Niebuh r ’ s Tu rkish Travels .

N iki t in e,B . ,

L e P roblen t e A s sy r ian ( Ext rac t du Journ a lA cadem i Diplomat ique Internat ional e ) , Par i s , No . 4 ,

1 933~

No l de , Baron E .,L

’

l rah Or ig ines H is tor iqu es e t S i tu a t ion,

I n ternationale,Par i s

,1 934 .

B I BLIOGRAPHY

Par l i amentary Debates,House o f Commons , July 2 3 ,

1 93 1 .

Par ry , O . H . , S ix Month s in a S y r ian Monas te ry ,be ing

the r eco rd o f a v i s i t to the Headquar te rs o f theSyr i an Ch r i s t i an s i n Mesopo tam ia

,London

,1 895.

Rich,C . J.

,Ku rdis tan

,London

,1 836 .

Soane,E . E . ,

[Mes opo tam ia and Ku rdis tan in D isgu is e ,

London,1 9 2 6 .

Su rma D ’

B a i tMar Sh imun,A s sy r ian Ch u rch Cus toms and

th e [Mu rder of th e Mar S h imun,London ,

1 9 2 0

Spec i a l Repo r t on th e Progres s o f I raq du r i ng the per iod1 9 2 0

- 1 93 1 , London , 1 93 1 .

Sayce , A . H . ,A s sy r ia, I ts P r inces

,P r ies ts and P eople

,

London,1 885.

Warda,Jo e l E . ,

Th e F licke r ing L igh t of A s ia , US A .

1 9 24 .

Wigram,W . A .

,Th e A s sy r ians and th e i r N e igh bo u rs ,

London,1 9 2 9 .

A n I n trodu c tion to th e H is to ry of th e A s sy r ian

Ch u rch,z oo-640 A .D .

,London

,1 9 1 0 .

Th e A s sy r ian S e ttlemen t,London

,1 9 2 2 .

(Wi th S ir E . A . Wigram ) Th e Cradle of Mankind

,2 d ed. ,

London,1 9 2 3 .

Th e S epara tion of th e Monophy s i tes , London ,

1 9 2 3 .

Ou r Smalles t A lly , A B r i e f Account o f th eAssyr i an Nat ion in th e GreatWar , London ,

1 9 2 0 .

Wil son,L t-Col. S ir A rno l d T . ,

Mes opo tam ia : A Clas h ofL oy alties , 1 9 1 4

- 1 9 1 7, London , 1 93 1 .

—.Mes 0 p0 tam ia, 1 9 1 7

- 1 9 2 0 ,London . 1 93 1 .

I N D E X

A

A,

” “G rou p , 266 , 268

Abdu l Ahad , 229Abdu l Baki r , 16Abdu l N u r , N i cho la, 220Abdu l Nu r , Mar , 1 15

Abdu l Hamid I I , 145’Abdu 1 Mahd i , Sayyid , ixAb raham , Rev . Sh la imu n , Pe tit ion o f , 355-358

Abu lfarag iu s , G rego r iu s , 1 10

Adi , She ik o f , 128 , 131

Aga i , 12

Ahad , Kh u r i ’Abdu 1, 287Ahmad , She ik , 33, 36 , 270 , 299 ,300 , 357

Aivaz , Jo seph , 359-360A i z ary a , Agha, 234

Albaq d i s tr i c t , mas sac re , 49Alde rman , Cap t . , 26 , 134Aldwards , Maj o r , 259Al epp o , 107 , 180 , 18 1, 313

Al exand re t ta, 184

Al i , Rash id , 86 , 176Alkoo sh , 15

A lqo sh , 65, 83, 86, 142Amadey ah d i s tr i c t , 52, 83, 160,214, 227 , 268

Am e e r , Cap t . Al exand e r , 356,f .n . ; re-a rm s e igh t A s sy r ianba t tal ion s , 356

Ame r i ca , a sac red name , 156 , 185Ame r i can , 46 , 141, 126 , 180 , 286 ;N ea r Eas t Re l i ef , 143

Am e ry , bi t , 295

Ami r , th e , 128

Ami r , Gha z i , ( now k i ng) , 20 ,136, 137 , 274, 304

Andwo rd, M. , 209

Anglo-F ren ch D e c la ra t io n v io

la ted , 70Angl o-Fre n ch D i scu s s ion i nPa r i s , 256

Anglo-I raq De c lara t ion344-348

Anglo-I raq T rea ty 150 ,163, 164, 245, 265, 340-34 1

Ango ra , 68An ta r , Mr . , 235

An ti-F re n ch p ropaganda,133

An tio ch , Chu rch o f , 107 ; Pa tr ia rch o f , 107 ; Un i v e rs i ty of ,14

Aqra D i s t r i c t, 51, 52A rab s o f I raq , h e irs of th e old

Tu rk s , 16, 58 ; savage , 157 , 166A rab ba rba r i sm , 263-287

A rab I n su rre c tion 51, 63,248

A rab , Khaym , 36

A rama i c , 14A rbe l , 15A rb i l , Lewa, 270

A rchb i shop , of Can te rbu ry, 44,45, 46 , 178 c l s eq . , 266 ; o f

Du bl i n , 266A rme n ian s , 2, 62, 63, 66 , 75,130 , 145, 178 e t s eq . , 231, 232,247 , 263, 274

A rmi s ti ce , 193A rn o l d , See Sir W i l son A . T .

A sh i ta , 254A shu r , P rof . Yu su f , 115

A shu rban ipal , 6 , 8 , 9A s ia M i nor, 3, 184A skar i , Ja ’

far al, 80 , 284

Askof , 109

A s sy r ia, v i i , 1A s sy r ian s , th e , 47-60 , 30 1 ; goodqu a l i tie s , v i i , 62-63, 172 ; j u s tcau se , 48 ; w i n 15 imp o r tan tba t tl e s , 49 ; sho t i n th e r i v e r ,257 ; fo rced to re tal ia te , 257 ;d e fea t th e en emy , 257 ; p lan sto d i sarm ,

236 ; l i s t of th e

k i l l ed , 324-325, 333-337 ; v i l

I N D E X

A ssy r ian s ( Con t . )lage s loo ted , 338-339 ; p e t i t ionof 1930 , 353-354 ; na t iona lcommi t te eme n , 358 ; p ro te s tcommi t te e , 359-360 ; Na tiona lUn ion , p ro te s t o f , 36 1-362 ;Empi re , th e Go l d e n Ag e , 3 ;and th e G rea t War , 10 ; as

a l l y , 17 , 1 16, 117 , 1 19 , 177 ,

266 , 327 ; l o s s , 18 , 19 , 152 ;law ab id ing , 6 1, 125 ; l e t te r o f

Ju ly 23d, 254 ; l e v i e s , 12 1, SeeLe v i e s ; i n M e sop o tamia and

Pe r s ia , 19 1-195 ; fou gh t fo r

England , 158 , 340 ; d e ce i v ed ,17 1

A s sy r ian-Am e r i can Be n e v o l e n tA s s o c ia t ion , th e , v i

A s sy r ian Na t i onal , A s so c ia t io n o f

Co nn e c ti cu t , v ; A s so c ia t ion of

Y onk e r s v ; Fed e ra tion ,v, s e e Am e er , Pe rl ey , D u rna ;Hom e , 158 ; Le agu e o f Ame rica , i v , v , 1 ; Union , v ,S ch o o l A s so c ia t io n o f Am e r i ca ,

v i,

P e t i t ion , 160-16 1A s sy r ian P robl em , 327-329

A s sy r ian , Re fu ge Re l i ef Com

m i t te e 307 ; F ow e rake r’

s s e t

tlem en t s ch em e fa i l s , 51 ;Y ou ng Pe opl e ’

s A s so c ia t io n ,v i ; A rmy , 4 ; J u r i sp ru d en ce ,5 ; .T ragedy , T h e , 319

At ru sh i , Ahmad Agha , 270Au gu s t th e 7 th ,

268

Au gu s t , H o ly War p roc la im ed ,267

Au gu s tu s , 8Avan s , th e , 128

Awgaf D epa r tme n t , 131

A z i z , Bi shop Pe t ros o f Zakh o ,

79

A z mi , Khal i l , 252

Baba, D r . , 228Baban , Ja lal , (Min i s te r o f D e

f e n ce s ) ix ; Hamd i B eg , 20 ,

2 1, 68

Babyl on , 1, 2 , 3Babylon ian s , 8Badd il ey , Cap t . , 273Bad eau , Mr . , 278 , 280

Baghdad , 50 , 80 , 83, 107 , 132,

134, 18 5, 187 , 19 1, 192, 193,

2 13, 239 , 240 , 253, 255, 263,

27 1, 277 , 278 , 283, 300 , 303

Baha i s , 139

Ba i j i , 275-276 , a t tack o n th e

B a ijo ,Rab Kh am sh i , 168 . 169

Bak i r , s e c SidqyBak u , 192 194

Baqu bah , Camp , 18 , 19 , 50 , 58 ,

6 1-65, 62, 63, 187 , 193, 29 3,

327 , 356

B a radeu s , Jaco b , 104

Ba rba r i sm , A rab , 263-287B arkh o ,

family , 266Ba rwa r , ( l ow e r ) 254B ar z anj i , Sh e i k Mahmu d , 33,

37 , 52

Ba s rah , 132, 151, 164, 247 , 292,

304

Ba s r i , Hasan B eg . 166

B a z , 241, 269

B a z z u n . Salem ,146 , 2 17

Be au p i n , Blg r a 78

B eda r , Rev . Pau l , 144

B e e ry , N i ch o la s O . , vBe l l , M i s s , 2 1Be n e s , 209

Be r re , Mg r . , p ro te s t s , 73, 200Be th-N ah re en , 11, 106

Be traya l , f i nal , 2 13-287B ey rou th , 134, 2 13, 27 1, 274, 312

B ianch a r i , M. , 208-209

Bi sh op o f R i p on , 1 18Blu e-Book

,178 e t s eq . , 2 19 , 220 ,

230 , 238

B ombay liy y ah , Reg ima al, 177

B ou rdillon , H . B 59

Bou rn e , Ca rd i nal,266

B ray , S i r D eny s , 20 1B rifkan i , Sh e i k Nu r i , 270


B r iqu e t , M . Pie r re , 320B r i ti sh Go v e rnme n t, i , 16 , 239 ,265, 27 1, 329 ; ra i se s A s sy r ianfo rce i n I raq , 50-51 ; manda te ,a fa rce , 69 ; d e c la re s Fa i sa lKi ng , 117 ; p romi se s fo r se l fgo v e rnme n t to A s sy r ian s , 17

18 , 279 ; Mo ra l re sp ons ibil

i ty , 249 , 264, 268 ; Ai r Fo rce ,250 , 283, 299 , 300 , 305 ; Embas sy, 250 , 251, 27 1 ; indi f

fe rea t to th e fa te o f th e

A s sy r ian s , 249 ; s ta i ned , 1 18 ,

256 , 329 ; u ng ra te fu l ne s s and

t reach e ry , 47 , 262, 340 ( cau seo f th e mas sac re )B rooke-Popham , R . , 353-354

B rowne ,B r igad ie r J . Gilb e r t,

167-170 , 2 14

B ryce , Lo rde t s eq .

Bu rge rs , S e rgean t , 169B u su r iy ak, 268

Bu tle r , Cap t . , 26

186 , V i scou n t , 189

Ca i ro , 133

Cambon , bl . Pau l , 29 1Came ron , Col . , 12 1, 28 1

Canada , 314, 315

Cau jole , Pau l , 173Ce c i l , Lo rd Hu gh , 1 18 , 26 1, 30 1,304

Cha i252

Cha l cedon , Cou n c i l o f,106

Cha l d ean Bi shop s , p os i t ion de s

B ekh ai r , th e mou n t o f ,

p e ra te , 75 ; edu ca t io n th rea te n ed , 77-78 ; cu l t i va to rs re

du ced to se rfdom , 82 Pa t

r iarch , 65 ( Par t r iarch o f Babylon ) 72, 78 , 249 , 284

app re h e n s i v e o f th e fu tu re ,72, 79

Cha l d ean se c t, 103Cha l dean s , th e , 65-102, 74, 274 ;

sam e as th e A s sy r ian s , 65

Chamb e rla i n , D r . , 280

Ch ikhkh u , 242

Ch ri s t ian edu ca tion , po s i t ion i nI raq , 87-102Ch r i s tian s , mu rd e rs83-87

Ch r i s tian Aid So c ie ty , th e , vCh r i s t ian v i l lage s ra i ded , 85Ch r i s tian i ty i n Ch i na , 14Ch r i s tology, 103, 106Chu na, Ma t ti , 86Chu rch of ‘

th e Eas t , 10-16, 153

Chu rch of England , Fo re ignMi s s ion s , 288C lay ton , Col . Gil be r t , 133. 297Commi tte e of Union and P rogre ss i n Tu rk ey , 190

Commu n i ty law, 232, 237

Connolly , Mr . , 205

Con sc r ip tion , 136Con s tan ti nop l e , Cou n c i l o f , 106,1 11, 186

Cop e , Cap t . Ma t th ew , 72

Co rnwa l l i s , S i r Ken eh an , ix , 48 ,57 , 73, 74. 130, 175, 216, 217 ,

by Arab s,

230 , 244

Cox , 310

Cumbe rland , Rev . R . C . , 125,140-151 ; 278-28 1, 283, 241 ;dabbl e s i n p o l i ti c s , 141 ; fa i lu re a s a mi s s iona ry , 141, 144,146 ; l ie s exp o sed by Cap t .Mumfo rd , 146-151 qu a s ic r im i na l

, 152, f .n . 2 ; v i tia te sth e sp i r i t o f mi s s ion , 152, f .n .

2

Cu nl i ffe-Ow en , Col . F . , i v , 6 1-65Cu rz on , Lo rd , 72, 73, 77 , 186,

189 , e t s eq .

Cyp ru s , v i , 55, 67 , 1-23, 272,285, 287 , 30 1, 308

D

Da i r Mar Oraha , 74

Da l lal , Bi sh op J i rj i s , 76Damascu s , 107 , 2 13Dan ie l , Qasha, 144


Ga rd i , Ju su f , 85Garp ili , 268

Ga rshu n i , 105Gawa r

,d i s t r i c t o f , 49 ; Tu rk i sh

aggre s s ion i n , 107

Ge n e va , i i i , v i , 23, 135, 137 , 165,166 , 196 , 2 13, 2 14, 2 16, 277 ,284, 294, 304, 308

Gengh i s , Khan , 16Ge o rge , K i ng V , p e t i tion to , 357

Geo rge , Ll oyd , 70Ge rman s , 180 , 190

Ghan ima , Bi shop Yu su f, 79 , 263

Gha z i , Ami r , now k i ng , 20, 136,137 , 274, 304

Giwa , 242Go l d e n Ag e o f th e A s sy r ianEmp i re , 3Gooda l l , Mr . , 79

Go rdo n , C . H . 128

Go re Chamma,268

Go riy y i , as sa s s i na ted , 241Gou rard, Gen . , 133

Gowan , Cap t . C . H . , 45

Goyan , Tu rk a tro c i tie s i n , 48 , 74G racey , Cap t . , 17 , 18 ; p romi se sto th e A s sy r ian s , 172 ; v i s i tsth e A s sy r ian s , 50, 1 19

G rego r,p r i e s t (A rme n ian ) 263

G rod in s So c ie ty , 266“G rou p A ,

”254, 255, 256 , 259

Growdon , Cap t . , 169

H

Ha f sa Khan im , 33

Ha i da r , Ru s tam , ix , 86 , 176 ,223, 224

Ha i fa , 57

Ha igh , bl . G . , 45

Haj i , Giwarg i s , 287Hakkiar i , 17 ; au ton omou s reg ion ,49 , 120

, 166 ; o ccu pation fa i l s , 51, 294, 295, 29 6,194, 195

Hamadan 19 1, 192, 193, 194, 355,356

Hamdi . B eg , 68 , Baban’

s sum

ma ry o f Ku rd i s tan ,20 , 2 1

Hamid ,’Abdu 1 I I , 145, 151

Harp oo t , 107 , 115

Hash in i , se e Yas i n al

Hayyim , E z ra Daud , h i s mu r

de r , 138

Hebraeu s , B ar,110

H eb rew p roph e ts , 2“H e i rs o f th e Age s , th e , 152,

se e V an E s s , Rev .

H end e r son , Mr . , con trad i c ts S i rF ran c i s , 265He rki tr ibe , 263H e r tfo rd , 37

H e te rogen eou s , 105, 153, 184H icom , 311

H igh Commi s s io ne r , 168 , 175, 176 ,198 , 199 , 263, 270 , 294, 312 ,

313, 315

H ina idi , 2 14

H i sqa il, S i r Sasu n , 133

H i t ti te s , th e emp i re of , 2

H o l t, Cap t . , ix , 33, 263

H o ly Se e , 78

Ho ly war , i n Au gu s t 224,267 , 342

Homoge n e ou s , 11, 1 1 1, 153, 194,195, 204, 2 10 , 2 12

Horn s , 108Ho rm i z ,

Rah Emma Mal ik , 272Ho rm i z d, 49

Ho u se o f Commo n s , 123, 185 e t

s eq .

Hou se o f Lo rd s , th e A s sy r ian si n , 175-190 ; Pa r l iamen ta ry deba te s , 178-190Humph rey s , S i r Fran c i s , l l l , ix,

27 , 66 , 8 1 82, 135, 139 , 145,160-166 , 196, 19 7-199 , 2 14, 229 ,240 , 263, 264, 265, 27 1, 277 ,282, 298 , 299 , 317 , 319 , 341 ;

i l lu s i v e p romi se s , 158 ; seek sth e h e l p o f th e Mar Sh imu n ,

160 ; h i s blu f f s , 16 1 ; no tru s ti n , 165Hu sa i n . Ami r ’Abdu 11a al

, 123

I N D E X

I nd ia, 14“ I nfi de l s , 153, 234, 267 , 342I n su r re c tion of 1920 , 23

I raq Commi tte e i n London , minu te s of , 349-352

I raq gove rnme n t, 162, 268I raq Pe t ro l eum Co . , 147 , 275,276 , 303

I raq , p opu la t ion o f , 22 ; 95 p e r

ce n t i l l i te ra te , 176 ; c rea te diffi cu lt ie s on Pe rs ian f ro n tie r ,24 ; savage , 157 , 166 ; backwardand fana ti cal , 198

I raq t roop s , i n th e massac re , 269I raq Un i ty , i t s o r igi n , 7 1Isa, Mal ik , 129I saa c , J . J . , 362

I saac of Eph e su s , 1 10

Isha , Qasha, 287I shaq , Rev . , 235

I sma i l , Ma l ik , 227 , 229 , 235, 241,see YakuI s rae l , cap ti v i ty o f t r i b e s o f , 5

I s t i qla l , al, 177

Jacob B aradeu s , 104

Jacob , Bi sh op of Tag ri t , 1 10

Jacob o f Ed e ssa, 110

Jacob of Saru g , 1 10Jacob i te , 88 , 103-127, 107 , 109 ,127 ; no t a na tiona l nam e , 103,104,

1 12, 1 14 ; Chu rch , 104 ;Sac ram en ts , 105, 106 ; Pa tr iarch a te Edu ca t ion So c i e ty , 109 ,f .n . 1 1

Jamal , Tu rk i sh Commande r, 17 ;th e A s sa s s i n , 75 ; re fu se sQa imaqamsh ip to Fa i sal , 17

Jame s , Pro f . E . J . , vJapan , 302Ja rd i n e , B r i t i sh Off i c ial , 74, 77

Jaz i rah , 310, 313Jeb e l Tu r , 107

Je ru sal em , 12

Jew s , 76, 80 , 83, 130-139 , 177 ,232 , 246 , 226 , 292 ; commandI raq T rad e , 132 ; mu s t l e ndto th e A rab s , 132 ; w ea l th o f ,134 ; gi rl s fo rc ed to I slami sm ,

137-138 ; sp eak Sy riac , 132J ihad , 267 , 270 , 327Ji lu , 277

J oh n , Bi shop o f A s ia , 1 10

Joh n , Bi shop o f Dara , 110

J u da s , 114

K

Kadh im , Qas r Qasha , 8 1

Kadh ima i n i n c i d e n t , 25Kamal , Mu s tafa Pa sha , 68 , 166 ,357

Kamali s t s , 84, 17 1, 172

Kela i ta , Al ex , 287

Ke la i ta , Mr . I shu D e , 76

Ken eh an ,s ee S i r Co rnwal l i s

Kenn e th , Wil l iam S 145, 146

Ke rm e n sh ah , 194

Khabba z . Gab r i e l 41-43

Kh abou r,Fa i sh , 290

Kha l id i , Tawfig al, 176

Khami sh , B a r Kh ardakh e , 13

Kh am sh i , Rab, 272

Khamu , bla lik, 227 , 231, 232 ,

242

Kham , Jalada t B edr , 257

Kh ana ra , D’

rookh a , 13“ Khayi n A rab ,” 36Khayya t , Mgr . Yu su f , 200

Kh idn , 241Kh o sh aba , 2 19 , 2 2 1,242

,254 ; Y u su f , 221

Kh o sh rawa ( Salami s ) , 15K i ng , Cap t . P . P . , 169 , 224

Kip h a , M o se s B ar, 1 10

Ki rku k In c i d e n t , 166-174 ; nar

ra ted by B rown e , J . G . , 168

Fo r t,169

Knabensh u e , bi t , 279

Ko ran , teach i ng compu l so ry i nth e se conda ry scho o l s

, 8 1 , 88

Ku li . Kha rab , 268

228 ,


Ku rbana , 105

Ku rd s , th e , 32-46 , 54, 68 , 69 ,7 1, 74, 80 , 159 , 188 , 263, 272,290

,292, 195, 199 , 2 16-2 17 ,

229 ,233, 249 , 277 , 300 , 304

f r ie nd ly w i th th e A s sy r ian s ,37 , 44, 185, 270 ; f r i c tioncau sed by th e A rab s , 33 ;su p e r io r to A rab s , 32, 37 ;bomb ed by th e B r i t i sh , 32-33,34, 36 , 38 , 150 ; v i l lage s de s

t roy ed, 38 , 43 ; c rop s de s troyed ,39-40 ; po l i t i cal r igh ts d en i edto , 38 ; E ng1i sh condu c t i n th e

Leagu e p re j u d i c ia l to , 43 ; p opu la t ion

, 32 ; d emand p o l i t i calr igh ts , 32 ; to l e ran t , 32 ; p re

fe r Tu rk s to A rab s , 33 ; Abi li ty and p ar t io t i sm , 34 ;wrongly p i c tu red i n E u r0 p e ,36 ; no t re sp on s ib l e fo r th e

mas sac re o f th e A s sy r ian s , 52,250 ; s e t u p aga i n s t th e A s

sy r ian s,222-223 ; d e ce i v ed , 17 1

Ku rd i sh , T r ib e s , 2, 303 ,

298 ,288 , 296 ; edu ca tion bad i nKu rd i sh d i s tr i c ts , 80 ; womenand ch i ld ren ki l l ed , 80 ; An

glo-I raq D e c la ra t ion344 348 ; na tiona l i s ts , 20 ;v i ew s summa r i z ed , 2 1 ; c i rcu

lar 43 ; p ro v e rb , 32

re v o l t su pp re s s ed by B r i ta i n ,33

Ku rd i s tan , 15, 51,263, 293, 308

Ku rs i,108

Ku t , 177

188 , 195,

L

Lag ip p a , Maq su l, 254

La idone r , G ene ra l , 74

Laming ton , Lo rd , 190Lange

,M. , 200

La rnaca , po r t o f , 285

La s r i , Sa t ’i a s , 78 (D i re c to re ra l o f Edu ca t ion )

Lau sann e , t rea ty o f , 274, 275,

296

Leachman , COL, 177

Leagu e of Na tion s , Cou n c i l of ,

v i,18 , 52, 53, 56 , 64, 66 , 69 ,

70 , 74, 84,119 , 122 , 130 , 133,

139 , 146 , 150 , 153-155, 159 , 16 1,162, 165, 175, 176 , 264-26 6 ,

268 ,27 1, 274, 28 1, 295, 296,

297 , 30 1, 302, 305, 306 , 308 ,

318 , 195, 240,243, 244,

247 ,

259 , 341, 358 ; re spon s i b i l i ty o f ,

157 ; th e A s sy r ian s be fo re , 1932 12 ; p romi se of , 327 ; s e e

Pe rman en t Manda te s Commi ss io n

L e s te r , Mr . S ean , 209Le t te r o f Ju ly 23d, 254Le van t

,111

Le v i e s , th e A s sy r ian , 121,146,

147 , 149 , 158-166 , 267 , 269 ,27 1, 273 e t s eq . , 2 14, 247 , 327 ;l oya l ty, 158 , 168 , 239 ; d i sconten t o f Ju n e , 1932, 158-159 ;su p e r io r to A rab army

,143

Lloyd , H . I, 59 , 74

“

L o cal Se t tl em en t231

Lo co , Ma l i k,227

,232, 233,

253,256 , 257 , 258

Long r igg ,bi n

,82

L’

Or ien t , 41

Lu ke , H . C . , 109

Commi t te e ,

MacD onn e ll , 230

Madfa ’

i , Jamil al, 177 , 2 16

Madh aba tas , 66Magdas i , Mu sa Gor iy y i , 86

Mahmu d , Sh e ik , 150-151,270 , 357

Ma i n , E rne s t , 1 13, 125Maj id , Agha , 263

Maj id , B eg , 85

Ma la r ia , 143, 146 , 147 , 155, 318 ,

319

168 ,


Mar ti n , W i l l iam M. , 320

Mass , 10 5

Mas sacre , th e 268-270 , 289 , 341,342 ; p re v iou s a t temp ts , 263

B r i ti sh take p ic tu re s o f , 175,270 ; B r i t i sh cau se of , 262 ; i nTu rkey

,1 15

Mas s igh i , M . 207-208

Mau d e , B r idge ,134

M ccar thy , Col . J . J . , i v , 1 19 ,19 1-195, 356

M ede s , 9Me sopo tamia th e A s sy r ian s i n ,19 1-195

Middl e Eas t, 107Mikha ,

Yu su f , 85

M i l l e r , Cap t . A . T . , 169“M i l l e t , 1 12

M i ndan , 51, 6 1-65, 143M i no r i tie s , 264, 265, 266

Mi rwa t t i , Ra i s-Yosep 254

Mi ss io n s , fo re ign , 104, 152, 319

M i z u ri , 263 ( i n Dohu k ) , warning to th e Leagu e , 264 ; one

pou nd f or each As sy r ian head ,267 ; Au gu s t th e 7 th , 268 ;I raqi troop s , 269 ; Le v ie smo v ed , 269-270 ; v i l lage s p i llag ed,

270 ; Ku rd s h e lp th e

A s sy r ian s , 270Mohammad , Su l tan I I , i i iMohammadan i sm , 16, 58

Mond , S i r Al f red , 134, 139

Mon eyp e nny , 235Monophy s i te s , 104

b4o o ran , 105“Mo ra l re spo n s i b i l i ty , i i i ,265, 268 341

Morgen th al, M r 190

Mosu l , i i i , i v , 57 , 64,129 , 131, 132, 136 , 200 , 251,263, 267 , 270 , 27 1 273, 274,278 , 283, 327 ; me e t i ng i n , 242,255

Mu h afidh , of Baghdad, 176

Mu h s i n , S i r ’Abdu l B eg al

Sa ’du n , 199

264,

Mumfo rd , Cap t . Ph i l ip , 146-151

Mu r ray , P rof . G i l ber t, 304Mu tasar i ff ( of Mosu l ) , 236 , 238 ,239 , 254 ; mee t i ng o f Ju ly 101 1

, 252

Mu t rans , 109

Nadl e r , L t .-Col . , 130

Na i rn T ran spo r t Co . , 213

Naqqash , Mr . Geo rge , i i iNa s i r iyah , Town , 283, 287Na than , Rab Kh am sh i Odi shu ,

227

N a th anai l, Hayyim Effendi , 133Na t iona l i ty law , 275

Na tu ra l i z a tion , 147N ear Eas t, 107“N ear Eas t and I nd ia , th e Ed itor, 113, 123 ( now changed to

G rea t B r i ta i n and th e Eas tN ea r Eas t Re l i e f , Ame r i can , 143Ne s to r ian , 103, 113, 153, 182

Ne s to r iu s , 106

N i caea , Cou n c i l o f , 104

N iki t ine , 172, 173, 174

N i n ev eh , 1, 4, 7 , 9N i n e v e h As soc ia t ion , vN seban , Uni v e rs i ty of , 14

Nu q tah , Khan , 134, 177Nu r i , al Sa ’ i d (M i n i s te r of F o r

e ign A f fa i rs ) , ix , 7 1, 176 , 177 ,197 , 213, 2 18 , 220 , 223, 259 ,260 e t s eq . , 274, 284

Odish oo , B ar N invay ah , 13

Odi sh u ,Howe l , 275

Oma l l ey , 235Omar , 16Ooga r , King IX , 9 , 10 , 1 1

O r ts , M. , 27 , 205, 264-265, 297

Osh ana , Odi sh u Ra i s , 254Owe n , se e Col . F . Cu n l i ffeOwe n

I N D E X

P

Pachach i , Mu z ah im al, 87

Pal e s t i n e , 134, 136 , 272Panfil, Re v . J oh n B . , 251, 252 ,277-278 , 280 , 282

Pap e r gu a ran te e s o f th e Leagu e ,i i i , 268 , 341

Pa r l iame n t , 265Pa r ry , O . H . ,

109

Pas sfie ld, Lo rd , 45, 297Pa t r ia rch , o f An tio ch , 107-108 ;

o f Babyl on , 72-73, 166 ; o f th e

Ea s t ( Pa t r iarcha te ) , 15, 277 ;o f th e Sy r ian Ca th o l i c s , 75

Pa t tu , Yu su f , 85

Pea ce Cong re s s , 186

Peh l e v i , R i z a Khan , 68Pe nn i ngton , Cap t . , 50 , 19 1Pe r l ey , Dav id B . , i v , 103-128 ,151 i v , v s e e A s sy rian Na t iona l Fed e ra t ion ; B arsum , 1 15

Pe rman e n t Manda te s Commi ss io n , i , 85, 139 , 159 , 160 , 264,

265, 298 , 194, 202 e t s eq . ; 341,op i n ion o f , 202-203 ; con c lu s ionto , 203-205 ; rep o r t p re se n tedto , 205 ; th e Mar Sh imu n

’

s

l e t te r to ,2 10-2 12

Pe rs ia and M e sopo tamia , th e As

sy r ian s i n , 19 1-195, 253Pe r s ian f ron ti e r , 24, 19 1Pe rs ian s ; 10 , 308Pe t ro s , Agha 312, 313, 19 1, 192

Pe t ro s , D r 144, 149

Ph i l l ip s , Si r‘

P e rc ival, 176

Ph i l oxe n ian ,1 10

Pi rs , th e , 128Pi ru , Ra i s , 241Po r te , Su bl im e , 107 , 111P ro v i s iona l Acco rd , Sy r ia and

I raq , 255

QQadha , Sha ikhan , 128

Qad i r , Sh e i k Agha , 80 , 270Qa imaqam , o f Amad iyah , 242

Qa imaqam , o f D ohu k , 250Qawwa l s th e , 128 , 129

Qudch am s , 15, 254

Ra ih an i , Mrs . , 286

Ra ih an i , I shaq , 287Ramad i , 2 14Rap h a il, 231

Raq i b , Sh e i k o f Ba tas , 356“ Reb e l s , 194

Red c l i ffe , Lo rd S t ra tfo rd , 304R e i d , Squ ad ro n Lead e r , 273, 230Ri safi , Ma

’ ru f al, 176

Roman Ca th oli c M i s s ion s, 65

Roman Emp i re , 6

Rom e , 6 , 65, 74, 75, 11 1 , 200

Rowandu z , cap tu red by th e A s

sy r ian s , 52, 263, 270 , 356Roya l A i r Fo rc e , 151, 250 , 283,

299 , 300 , 305

Ru s s ian Off i ce r s , 50 ; p romi se o f

s e l f-go v e rnm e n t , 17 , 173 ; l oya lt o th e A s sy r ian s , 19 , 119 , 129 ,146 ; e v e n af te r th e Re v o lu

t i o n , 19 1, 282, 293, 355Ru tbah ,

2 13

Sa i d , blu h ammad E ffend i , 44,

52 , 175

Sa i d , Nu r i al, ix , 176 , 177 , 213,

274, 284

Sa i fu , Ra i s , 254Sa i n t Ma ry ’

s M onas te ry i n Har

p oo t , 1 15

Sa i n t Pe te r,107

Salak , T h i sp u n , 15

Sa lami s , 50Sa l i b i , D i ony s iu s B ar , 1 10Salman E ffend i ( Po l i ce In sp ec

to r ) , 177

Samh ir i , An to n , 312Sam soon , 184

Sar Amad iyah, 2 14 233, 238

Sa ra i , Jama ’

al, 176


Sa rg i s , se e Mar Sa rgi sSa rgo n I I , 6 , 7Sa rgon , Cap t . , 283Sarsh u ri , 268

Sa tan , 129Sa tow , S i r Ha ro l d , i iSa ’

u d , K i ng ’Abdu l A z i z , 123Savage , A rab s o f I raq , 157 , 166

Sayigh, Qas Su la iman , 263

Sea l , h i s to r i cal , 65Se c re t l e t te r s , 310-321Sennach rib, 6 , 7 , 8

Sev re s , T rea ty o f , 292

Shabu , Rab Emma227

Sha ikhan , d i s t r i c t o f , 128

Sh almanase r I , 2 ; I I I , 2Shammu , I b rah im , 85

Sh a rba t t i , Makk i B eg al , 85, 250Sh ar ifian Na t ional i s ts , 266Shawka t , Naj i , 163, 176, 2 13

Sh a’

y u ta , Ho rm i z , 84

Sh e ren i,h e r b rav e ry , 285 ; sp i r i t

of char i ty , 286 ; loya l ty to th e

Mar Sh imu n, 286

She ro,Hamo , 58

Sh i ’a , th e , 23-32, 54, 68 , 247 ,292 ; trou b l e w i th Su nna , 2526 ; p ro te s t o f , 28-32

Sh imu,Ra i s , 241

Sh imu n , Rev . D eacon Emmanu

el, 214

Sh imu n , Se e Ma r Sh imu n

Sh la imu n, Malke z da iq , 287 , 257

Sidq y , Bak i r, 268 , 277 , 283, 29 1,235, 236, 357 ; shame fu l ly de

f ea ted by th e A ssy r ian s , 268S ime l , mas sac re i n , 1 18 , 274, 269 ,279 , 280 , 290

Giwarg is ,

S imko , 239S imo n th e Apo s tl e , 1 1

S imon , S i r Joh n , 19 , 208 , 229 ,328 ; th row s onu s o f th e p romi s e s on Ru s s ia , 18

S i na t ra i ded , 74, 85S i naw i , Nasha t al, 273

S i nda r , 136

T

T ah sh in’A1i

,224

Ta i lu,Ra i s

, 241

Ta laa t, 190

T aleki , Commi ss io n ’

s recomm en

da t ion s , 67 , 243Talka i f , 83

S i nga r,d i s tr i c t of , 128 , 2 13

S i nj a r,Jaba l , 57 , 130

Siwa idi , Naj i al, 176

Skh ary a , Ra i s , 234Smi th , Mr . Renn ie , i vSmi th , S idney , 7 , 78So re l-Came ron , L t .

-Col . G . C .

M. , 170

S taffo rd , Col . R . S . , (Adm in i st ra tive I n sp e c to r i n Mosu l ) ,ix , 114, 251, 252,286

S teph en , Bi sh op , 76S toke r , W . H . , 303

S ton e-cas e , 234-235, 236 , 268Sukar , ’Abdu 1 Wa l id al Haj,A rab She ik , 175

Su la iman , H ikma t (M i n i s te r o f

I n te r io r ) , ix , 239

Su l tan , lVIoh ammad I I , n ; 1 1 1,

189

Su nna , th e , 22-23, 68 , 247

Su rma , Lady D ’

B e th Mar Sh imn u , 165, 187 , 188 , 193, 299 , 233,238 , 285, 286 , 314, 318 ; i nB r i ta in , 182 ; Dobb ’

s l e t te r to ,

48 ; i n cha rge o f th e temp o ra laf fa i rs , wh e n , 19 ; h igh qu al iti e s o f , 285

Sy r ia ,194, 205

, 2 10 , 253, 255,256 , 266 , 30 1

Sy r iac , 132, 105, f .n ., 5

Sy r ian Ca tho l i c s , 103Sy r ian f ron tie r , 27 1Sy ro-I raq f ro n tie r , 54, 255

Sy ro-Pa l e s t i n ian Commi t tee 137

Sy ru s , Mar Ef rem , 1 10


Yaku , Ma l ik I sma i l ( Con t)p re v en ted f rom v i s i ti ng h is

t r i be , 242 ; I raq b rands h imas a

‘band i t,’

266 ; 16 years i nth e Le v ie s , h igh id ea l s , and

h i s mil i ta ry qu a l i tie s , 267 ; ex

cellen t se rv i ce to th e B r i t i sh ,267 ; a good Chr i s tian , 266 .

Yasdan ,129

Yasdin , Das t , 268

Yas i n , al Hash in i (Min is te r o f

F i nance ) , ix, 124, 136, 166 , 167 ,170 , 172, 175, 176, 223, 226 ,

304. 348 ; d ebars Ch r i s tian sf rom p romo t ion in Pu b l i cWo rk s , 77 ; a d emagogu e , 76 .

Yaz idis, 127 , 128-131, 292 ; I s lamas a sacrilige , 128 ; s t ru ggl esw i th th e A rab , 129 ; re lu c tan tto vo te fo r Fa i sal , 130 ; favo ran A s sy r ian e nclav e , 130 ;

f r iendly w i th th e A ssyr ian s ,57-58

Yaz idis Ch ief , Daud , 57 , 58239

Yonadow, Groriy y il, 285

Yonan , Groriy y il of B az , 269 ,241

Yonan , Nwiy y a, 285Yo sop , Mar, 219You ng, Maj or Hu be r t

, 8 , 159 ,199

Yukh annan , Re v.

242, 286

Yu su f , P rof . Ashu r , 115

o f Tkhuma,

Z-Plan , 58Zada , Ra i s , 241Zakho , d i s tr i c t o f , 52, 85, 86 , 132Zak i , Mu hammad , (Min is ter o f

Ju s ti ce ) , ixZam i li , 218

Za r i , Sayyad , 268Zia, D

’

B e th Mar Sh imun , 286

Zibarie tr ibe s , 52Zion ism , in I raq, 134, 248 ; an tiZion i sm d emon s tra t ion , 134,139

Zmali , 218

Zoroas trian , 129

Zucker, Rabb i Max, v

F I N I S

E R R A T A

13, l i ne 14 : Read e ternal, for en ternal .

14, l i n e 1 : S trike ou t“

th e

15, l i n e 17 : Read extinc ti on for ex te n s ion .

17 , l i n e 8 f rom bo t tom : Read valiant for val l ian t .111, l i ne 17 : Read various for va r iou .

135, l i ne 5 : Read than th at for tha t tha t .151, l i ne 7 f rom bo t tom : Read v i tiated for v icia ted .

157 , l i n e 9 : Read p r imordial for p remordial .

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