'15/2 NOTE ON WAHABI PORTS - SAUDI ARABIA - SAUDI TRANSPORT.' [‎11r] (21/38)

.3077/40.
Britich Legation,
Jedcla.
(P
[m
/10,4a ,
(1043/560/2)
ay 6th, 1940.
My Lord,
The Italian monthly review Or lento ode mo” published in
(;ctobe s last a list of the ”Ikhwan n settlenrents or ^colonies”
which had been, established in various parts of lie jd, and which
were mentioned in the press reports of the tribal looting which
took place at Riyadli in August 1939• The Italian paper 1 o report
gave tile i lore so ion that the Ikhwan movement was still of .rent
political Importance in this country. 'r. de Gaury, hovav r,
wont throuch t o list of settleirx nts and mad© certain commento
which may interest Your Lordship 1 s department, and I now have
the honour to submit a short note on. the present position of
the Ikhwan novm.mnt in the li.Jit of r. de ( aury*s re >ort and
such other information as is available. I mat howev r confess
that accurate Information from / *ab sources on this subject is
almost impossible to obtain. -
v
2 .
It will be remembered that the religious settlements of
thjc "Iliiv/an' (brethren) date from 191. A g neral description
of their character and. objects is given in Afield notes on audi
j raola ’, 1935, ages 32 and 33* The original idea was to
establish agricultural setticmen s throughout the various tribal
areas, peopled by Joe more fanatical elements of dsuihabi Arabs,
in order not only to break up the existing nomad and tribal
organisation for the benefit of the state, but to retain the
services of the fanatics and divert them from raids into Iraq
and Kuweit, for ing them by degrees into the nucleus of a
territorial and national army. Mr# /hilby’s book M The leapt
of Arabia”, published in 1922, contains many references to
Ikhwan, settlements and to the hopes which were then cherished
as to their motional,non-tribal, usefulness.
3# Hr. de Gaury, however, now informs me taint in the
o inion of many Arabs with whom he talked recently at . iyadh
the Ikhwan movement is dead# Appendix IV, page 130, of
"field Notes" draws attention to the gradual lowering of the
strict religious standards which had been the boast of the
first settlers in "Ikhwan” co .unities. It appears that tills
deterlorati 3n of religious seal has gone on at an increasing
rate. ueh settlements as re lain are no longer purely
religi us colonics: the increasing tide of pros erity and
security against tribal raids lias resulted in a good deal of
tribal settlement, and the Ikhwan colonies have become merged
into, and swallowed up by, tribal settlements which have little
or no connexion with strict /ohhabi tenets. In some cases
Mr# de Gaury knew from personal experience that settlements
mentioned in the lists no longer exist at all: for example,
the colon y called Mlreira” in t' e Ajnan tribal territory, which
never had more than about four houses, is now completely
deserted. Ttas tenaoncy towards tribal settlement is well
shown by such scliemes as the agricultural development at Hliarj,
ab >ut which a separate re >ort has been submilied.
I have, etc#
(Sgd#) P.H. Stone hewer Bird#
Trie night Lon. the Viscount Halifax, K. r - •
etc. etc. etc.
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