A WAHABI MONARCH.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 10, 13 January 1926, Page 7

A WAHABI MONARCH.

KING OF THE HEDJAZ. POWERFUL FIGHTER'S RISE. • JEDDAH, January 12. The Sultan Ibn Saud, leader of the Wahabis, has been proclaimed King of the Hedjaz,- at Mecca, following on the abdication of Hussein Ibn Ali.—(Reuter.) The Wahabis , are warlike moralists who defend their meticulous interpretation of the Prophet's teaching with hard and constant knocks—fighting for their belief keeps them tough. Mohammed Ibn Saud, the forerunner of the new Wahabi monarch founded the movement in 1875. A restless, turbulent and progreeeive people, they have been almost as pushing as Christian nations. In 1913 they penetrated to, and held El Hasa, on the Persian Gulf, Abdul the Iniquitous and his forbears having held it since 1875. It gave Ibd Saud an excellent push forward to have fought for Britain in the Great War. He seized Jeb el Shannar and puniehed Saul Ibn Hashed, an ally of the Turks. His most powerful thrust, however, was made in the war against King , Hussein, occupying the holy cities of Medina and, Mecca. Hussein was proclaimed King of Arabia in 1917. Hence the powerful thrust. Hussein after the abolition of the Caliphate by the Turkish , National Assembly, had himself proclaimed Caliph, and the Wahabis prepared for ■war, which broke out in the autumn. The sequel was the abdication of Hussein, whose son, Ali, was unable to prevent Ibn from occupying Mecca, which he did on October 14, 1924. Since then he has captured the port of Jedda, on the Red Sea, and King Ali thereupon abdicated.