'Report on Najd Mission 1917-1918' [‎21v] (42/60)

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Prophet at Madina is anathema and hotly inveighed against; the reverence
of other Snnni saints and their tombs, of which an instance is the pilgrimage
to the tomb of Abdulla ibn Abbas at Taif, largely resorted to by women dis
appointed of ott'spring, is regarded as an act of idolatry; while Ibn Sand
never tires of inveighing against the Sharif for permitting the laxity of
morals, which makes Mecca itself a byword.
In 1917 Ibn Sand arranged a ceremonious pilgrimage on a large scale
from Najd, in which rode his father and his brother, Muhammad. The
former's return on account of illness before he reached Mecca was, without
any reason whatever, interpreted in Sharifian circles as being indicative of
fear or hatred, while the experiences of Muhammad and his fellow-pilgrims
and the growing delicacy of the political situation decided Ibn Sand to allow
no official pilgrimage from Najd during the year under report. I have no
reason to credit reports emanating from Mecca to the effect that Ibn Sand
had threatened to visit disobedience in this matter with dire penalties—his
orders were in themselves sufficient; while he did all that was reasonably
possible to facilitate the journey of the Kuwait pilgrimage, which passed
through Buraida, when I was there at the end of August.
On the whole, I am of opinion that Ibn Sand's decision to send no pil
grimage from Najd this year was a wise precaution against trouble; the
Sharif's actions and public pronouncements at this period were, at any rate,
not calculated to make a Najd pilgrimage free of serious risk of disturbance.
19. Location of Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. in Najd.
The question of the permanent location of a British Agent at the Wah-
habi court, on which I was instructed to elicit Ibn Sand's views, was a very
delicate matter to approach, more particularly in view of Ibn Sand's growing
dissatisfaction at his treatment by H.M.'s Government, and I regret to say
that I had had no reasonable opportunity to make such a proposal when my
Mission terminated in circumstances which left no doubt that Ibn Sand
would not consent to it unreservedly.
Towards myself Ibn Sand was invariably frank and cordial; I saw him
daily, often, indeed, more than once a day, and he seemed to take pleasure
in giving me his views and discussing politics, history and the affairs of the
world in general. Nevertheless, it was obvious to me that my presence with
him was a matter which necessitated continual explanations to a critical and
hostile audience; according to his own account, he,countered the adverse com
ments of the strict Wahhabi element by the explanation that my stay, though
prolonged, was temporary and necessitated only by the Sharifian situation and
the blockade, in regard to which he found it necessary to be in close touch
with the British Government. He never allowed it to be supposed publicly
that I was in any way interested in his operations against Hail.
At the same time, he made it clear to me that he regarded my presence
as absolutely necessary and, indeed, advantageous to him, and he never sug
gested that I should go, until, in the circumstances already indicated, he
informed me very frankly that if H.M.'s Government were not disposed to
modify their recent policy towards him, he would not expect me to return or
to be replaced.
Public opinion would certainly be hostile to the permanent location of a
British representative in Najd, but Ibn Sand would, I am convinced, be pre
pared to run counter to the views of his subjects, if the presence of such a
representative were likely to be to his own political advantage. That will
depend on the line of policy decided on in due course by H.M.'s Government.
In any case, if we may assume that our policy in the future will be such
as to dispose Ibn Sand to agree to the permanent representative of H.M.'s
Government at his court, the nature of the agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. to be established will be a
matter demanding serious consideration. The jealousy and exclusiveness of
Najd render it, in my opinion, quite out of the question to establish an agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
on the ordinary lines in vogue at the ports on the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. coast, with all
the paraphernalia of office establishments, escorts and flags. The display
of alien power would be as unwelcome to the Wahhabi as the influx of alien
personnel; the presence of even Muslim clerks and servants from outside
would be a ground of suspicion and anxiety to Ibn Saud, calculated to dis
turb the even tenour of our relations with him.
For these reasons, I am convinced that, at any rate, for many years to
come, H.M.'s Government should aim at making tlieir representation at the
A\ ahhabi court as unostentatious as is compatible with efficiencv. The
British Agent at Riyadh must be content to live the life of the people, adopt
their manner of dress and, above all, to submit to the somewhat irksome
restrictions imposed on social intercourse alike by the bigotry of the people
i\nd^ the jealousy of their ruler. Perhaps even it would be politic in the
beginning so to arrange matters that the presence of a British Officer at
Riyadh should be intermittent and not permanent, constituting a series of
visits at reasonable intervals rather than continuous residence.