'File 61/11 IV (D 77) Hejaz-Nejd, Miscellaneous' [‎60r] (129/366)

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THIS document is THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC majesty's GOVERNMENT
/
EASTERN (Arabia).
CONFIDENTIAL.
August 12, 1931,
Section 4.
[E 4167/1600/25
No. 1.
Sir A. Ryan to Mr. A. Henderson.—{Received August 12.)
(No. 280.)
Sir, - > Jedda, July 12, 1931.
IN my despatch No. 200 of the 28th May I attempted to review the general
situation in this country with special reference to the Hejaz as distinct from
Nejd and its dependencies. Now that Ibn Saud has gone to Riadh and I myself
am about to go on leave, I should like to bring the review up to date.
2. It is generally felt that the King, having concentrated his attention on
the affairs of the Hejaz for over a year, his first prolonged stay in this part of his
dominions since he completed his conquest of it, has left those affairs in a hopeless
mess. It is even suggested by some that he has run away from them. I under
stand that the situation has given rise to extravagant rumours abroad, one of
them being that His Majesty had decided to abdicate in favour of his son Feisal,
presumably in the Hejaz, of which that Prince is Viceroy, or in favour of both
his elder sons, Saud and Feisal. A report in the latter sense, published in a Cairo
newspaper, was formally contradicted in the Umm-al-Qura " of the 10th July.
3. The feeling one has at present is a sense, not of greater apparent trouble
than in May, but of a lack of central direction. The Hejaz has been left like a
waterlogged and half-dismantled ship without any particular signs of a wind to
blow it either into port or to destruction. It is hard to say who is governing the
country. The King is too far away and probably too fed up not to be glad of
a rest from the Hejaz. The young Viceroy has been too much in the background
of late to make it possible to judge of his capacity for affairs. Among the
"statesmen" the two most important factors are Sheikh Abdullah Suleiman,
who is strong, and Fuad Bey Hamza, who is active and industrious. It remains
to be seen whether this not very happily assorted triumvirate can carry on until
next pilgrimage.
4. I can add nothing to what I said in paragraph 3 of my despatch under
reference regarding the situation in the interior. There is the same anxiety
about it in the towns. The same rumours float about, occasionally perhaps a little
more precise, but usually fantastic. In the imagination of the quidnuncs of
Mecca and Jedda, Jauf "falls" periodically, no one knows into whose hands.
A recent rumour has filled the lacuna in the case of Tebuk, which was said to have
fallen "to the rebels."
5. In paragraph 4 of my previous despatch I referred to the King's
religious position. There has been an interesting development in this connexion.
It became known towards the end of June that he had made concessions to his
extremists. He allowed to be published in the " L mm-al-Qura " of the 26th June
a long remonstrance addressed to him by the IHema of Nejd regarding the
repetition this year of the Accession Day celebrations instituted in January 1930.
The writers claimed politely but firmly that it was their right and duty to call the
King's attention to the irreligiousness of celebrations, which they had condoned
in 1930 as there might be political reasons for them, but the perpetuation of
which could not be tolerated. The King's reply, which was also published,
expressed his delight at being thus counselled. He deferred to the judgment of
the.ulema, and asked the forgiveness of God for his offence.
6. About the same time steps were taken to tighten up the regulations
against vicious practices, like abstention from prayer, the public use or sale of
tobacco (the importation of which is nevertheless still tolerated) and the use of
gramophones, &c. These regulations had been considerably relaxed and the
special courts or committees for the enforcement of them had disappeared. These
have now been reconstituted, and the task of enforcing the restrictions has been
divided between them and the civil authorities. Stocks of gramophone needles
were seized, and it is said that they can now only be bought from the police; but
I will not vouch for this libel on the public service of a friendly Power. It is
too soon to say whether the recent measures mark a definite change of policy
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