ARABS AND DRUSES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19328, 15 May 1926, Page 13

ARABS AND DRUSES.

A SUCCESSFUL PROTEST* LETTERS FROM SYRIA. Ill' M.E.S. In view of the announcement by France that she is at length granting a Constitution for Syria as promised in 1920, with separate councils for each community, a description of the conditions there, accounting for the recent storm, may be of interest as teaching a lesson "how not to do it." Belated letters recently to hand from Arabs and Druses confirm all that the Times correspondent has been revealing of late, though for years' all such ~ letters have had to come by devious ways to avoid confiscation. Indeed, there has been no real freedom, social, economic or political, since the French "military occupation," for that it virtually is. Firstly, the Syrian peoples have all had a real grievance in the imposition of a paper currency based upon the fluctuating French franc, which has caused acute economic distress among a people already., ruined and starved through four years of war. Their industries, chiefly silk cultivation and weaving of carpets, have not been fostered; taxes and corruption take their toll, while in the neighbouring State of Palestine they can watch our efforts to promote agriculture, industries and education for all. Again, there are French judges, and French only is spoken in the Courts of Justice, which the Arabs and Druses regard as a blow aimed directly at them, since they know only Arabic. Moreover, all Syrians—Christians, Druses and Arabs —intensely resented the introduction of hordes of undisciplined black African troops who made it unsafe for even English ladies to be out of doors after sunset. Troublesome Turks. The greatest offence of all arose from the unfortunate mistake of filling high administrative civil posts not with honourable and sympathetic French officials, but with Turkish ex-officers and N.C.O.'s, only so lately driven out of the country by Allenby's fine troops and the Arab army under Colonel Lawrence, of Irak fame. Even the gendarmerie police force was filled jvitli Turks, corrupt and tyrannical as of old, frdm 1922 onward. These Turks have played a great part in the recent troubles. Swamping _ the elected "council," which therefore in no wav represented the people,- they have done all they could to mislead the 111 and a- ' tory Powers as to the real desires and con- ■ dition of the people, thereby serving their . own Angora Government well, and fomenting the present troubles That in 1925, thus encouraged, the • Turks were concentrating an army and supplies in Silicia, while defying the League of Nations and threatening to invade Syria, meant also a state of con- • | stant fear and unrest fo» her peoples, 1 f which with the memory of the recent I war in mind, might well fill them with 1 despair for the future, and a des.ue to | end present unhappy conditions at any cost, especially as their delegations about all these matters were invariably rebuffed and their leaders severely punished or deported elsewhere! The following two letters, one from an l Arab leader, well-read in his own fine literature, one from a Druse lesser chief, ; dwelling far apart from each other, ex- ■ press remarkable similarity of views, lbe Arab, essentially a trader, characteristically stresses the lowered currency and the loss of Damascus, into which the 1 Arab army trained by Colonel Lawrence ■ made a triumphal entry in 1918; and it was bestowed by us on their leader ; Feisul. The Druse is more concerned > .with honour and truth and safety. 5 An Arab's Report. \ From the Arab—after compliments— I "Hamd Allah! we have been strengthened to show our masters what is our will. ] Did they think that proud Arabs, friends •' . L of our brother Larens EffenJi, would ~ meekly submit to be for ever ruled by baseborn Slaves of Africa, by those 5 sons of Shaitan ? (Turks.) Your hon- , our knows that we loved not the French six vears ago, when they snatched awajour lovely city which Allah N'bi (Al- ' lenby) had given us for our ow-n! Yea, 5 all these years have we endured much ' dishonour 'thereby; moreover, -we could not trade with the worthless money of France. Yet would we not drive away the French, even'though they kgpt not their bond to govern us justly. But ever we hoped for our own council, and to have wise help in governing ourselves according to our book (Koran), like unto that which your honourable Government has given to our brothers over the Great Rivers (in Trans-Jordania and Irak)— But it was the will of Allah to afflict us; and many of our enemies have fallen : yet our minds know no peace, and we j are as flocks on the high hills that have ' no shepherd. . . . " Salemtik! and may your honoured - ■ days be long." Lament of the Druse. [ * And thus the Druse. "Alas! Alas!' Our sufferings have again been great, and ' there has been no safety for any! It i was the will of the Most High that we t should be as servants to our ancient r enemy (Turks). It is they who fill all 5 the high places, and rob and destroy us. Though we have sent our sages, with I honour and courtesy, to lay all our 1 troubles before our masters, they have j been spat upon and pushed away, yea, 1, and punished. Therefore, after these 1 many years, we could no longer re- - strain our sons, whose honour could not 0 endure it longer; they said we must end :"[ the matter by war, or show that we r Druses are cowards. Alas! That many robber bands and evil tribes have notd fought with honour, but have done n wickedly in this maboob (storm) though e our leaders threatened great penalties for d looting of property. Yet they, too, had •1 suffered many things and sought revenge. Truly the divine light leads us n on our path, but how can we guide them «s that know not The Way? The spirit of 1 life has returned to my honoured father .a whom you saw asleep in his mind j. (melancholia) after the Great TVar, and , n his wisdom is the strength of our ,j hearts. He counsels not the driving away of the French, but that they must listen (j to our cry; and of what use this long n struggle if we gain not our freedom with ie truth and honour? We desire only j] peace in the land, and our own Council of Government; for as we never obeyed j the Turk through untold generations, so .g will we not now submit to him. ... j. This letter by the hand and favour of one j you know. . . . The mercy of -the ' Most High be upon you, and bring it safely to your hand." IST.B.—News has come through that France has at last enforced the retirement '* of Sublie Barakat, Turkish Governor of Syria, since 1922.