'File 3/8 Affairs of Sh. Khaz`als sons.' [‎136v] (272/508)

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19* In May 1926 the BANT TAIvIIM wore in trouble for inurdering a
Taxation Officer, and the Commander and 17 men of his escort of 20*
The grievances on this occasion y/ere heavy tax demands and insulting
behaviour to women and Shaikhs. Experiments were made after this in
the installation first of a CHA’B Sheikh, and then of KHAZ’AL's son
’ABDULLAH in some sort of pararaountcy over the Arabs of KHCIZISTAN.
In 1928 ca:ne the turn of the BANI TURUF who rose after violent measures
by the police to enforce the wearing of the ‘Tahlevi hat ” in honour of
a forthcoming visit of the Shah, and also because of oppression by
Persian frontier officials. The BANI TURUF were out for three months
and were only pacified when the revolt in Afghanistan diminished the
Shah’s passion for forcible modifications of dross. In the following
year in view of continued unrest Shaikh ’ABDULLAH ibn Shaikh KHAZ *AL
serving as a Lieutenant in the Persian anny was removed to Tehran.
Already at this date it was reported that the tribes were hoping for a
return of KHAZ’AL’s eldest son CKASSIB. Since 1928 however there In vc
been no major troubles in spite of fury caused by police methods of *
enforcing the abolition of the veil and countless minor pinpricks. In
1935 MOHAMMERAH, PALAHIYA and IUIAFAJIYA lost their traditional Arab
names in favour of new Iranian ones and the Arabs of ARABISTAN had to
give way in the province’s name to the long vanished KHUZ. Yet another
grievance is that the Arabs like other minorities are allowed no schools
of their own. The Arab tribes are leaderless and '■onsciovts of their
weakness: but a visitor to the BANI LAM in. 1942 was astonished at their
bitterness.
The heirs of Shaikh KHAZ ’A T,
20 « Shaikh KHAZ’ALMs considerable harem endowed him with 29
children including 13 sons (see Appendix ’D’). Of these only 3 sons
(CHASSIB, ’ABDUL AZIZ and NIDHAM) and 3 daughters are in the fullest
sense of the term legitimate, but all are entitled to a strmre of their
father’s inheritance. There is a lamentable consensus of opinion that
all the sons are worthless* The eldest Shaikh CHASSIB Ilian SAHDARI-i-
ARFA’A in particular, who was undergoing treatment for syphlis if Paris
at the time of his fayher’s arrest, squandered away his patrimony, and
e ^ wo bis six wives to destitution. His own impoverished state
was the force behind his recent moves to recover his inheritance, though
e is said to have made a better shewing as Governor of KOHAliERAH in
1919* Nevertheless the KHUZISTAN Arabs have a pathetic belief that his
years spent in England somehow give him a standing in English eyes.
21. _ The activities of Shaikh KHAZ’AL’s childien in the years
ollowing their father’s fall are difficult to trace because they v/ere
thought unworthy of record. Several are still living in TEHRAN, others
have settled in BASRA whither in 193^ ’ABDUL MAJID escaped from police
surveillance in TEHRAN to join CHASSIB lately returned from Europe.
Some years back the British Government paid to the heirs a sun of
money representing the. capitalised value of the tax imposed by the Iraq/
Government on their date gardens. (CHASSIB’s share was paid to his
destitute first English wife) and this step has been taken to show
that the British af'-,er all considered themselves morally bound by their
°~: agreement though (presumably) any such deductions v/ere specifically
refuted at the time " J
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Recent Developmen ts.
u u F 1 event > a part from an interview Shaikh CHASSIB states
that he had with Mr. AUSTEN C1LTOEPIAIN, no political move would appear
to have been made by any of -che family until after the Allied entry into
Persia in 1941 . The sight of all the tribes, the QASHQAI, the KURDS,
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