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Coll 6/78 'Italian propaganda amongst the Arabs.' [‎217r] (435/461)

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The record is made up of 1 file (228 folios). It was created in 2 Jul 1936-2 Sep 1938. It was written in English, Arabic and French. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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tht h9n&* of goTernmont dopartaonte and a arowd of
officer* and high officials 5 and Count *)• Soadar1 1 in
charge of the Ethiopian ireaa Bureau, aith nuaieroas Italian
and foreign Journnllata, aa well ae carrsapondenta of the
Arabic jfreae of Cairo, ^aiBaaoua, and Aleppo.
THE nesaot A0I«X33I$ TUI lOfAlLSS.
H« !• the Viceroy at once told the chiefa that he
aiahed to meet them personally one by one. They sere thereupon
preeented individually to H. 3U Oraaienl, who ehook each one
by the hand and engaged hi* in several ainutea conversation,
ashing after his and^eally’s hsalth, hla oscapation, and his
particular lins of activity in Addis Ababa. He prolonged
hie talk particularly with the noble Chief, Idriao, with the
vadla and the Olama, with the teaohera of the local Arab
school, and with the caravan proprietor*, each of who* owns
fro* three to four hundred samela employed in the age-old traffic
with Xaffa A Jiaaa. Haring thus interested himself in the
commercial activities of a number of wholesale merchants of
the Yemen and Harar end learned of oerteln difficulties
l*p*ding thsir track, he iiwediately gave orders to the
competent officials to deal justly with cash *&*»• 1. £• than
introduced General Bail, Governor of Herar, to the Moslem
notables who were natives of that Province.
J0ST2CI ALL.
H. M. Grasienl then addressed ell the notables, saying
that he was glad to »sst thsm and adding that ht had learned
to know and as tee* the Arabs during the 15 years that he had
passed in Italian north Africa. ”Aati»Itallan propaganda,"
he continued, "has spread among the Arabs of Ethiopia the
saying that I have been very harsh and severe towards Moslems.
I have Indeed been harsh, but only towards rtbsls and evii-
dosra, whilst I have always been Just to all and friendly
towards

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Content

This file documents steps considered and taken by the British to combat reported Italian anti-British propaganda and disseminate pro-British propaganda in the Middle East and beyond.

The file's principal correspondents are the following: His Majesty's Ambassador in Rome (Eric Drummond); the British Consul-General, Addis Ababa (Hugh Stonehewer Bird); His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires, Addis Ababa (Patrick Maxwell Roberts); the British Consul-General, Batavia (Henry Fitzmaurice); His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires, Jedda (Albert Spencer Calvert); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Reader William Bullard); officials of the Foreign Office, the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. , and the Government of India's External Affairs Department.

Included in the correspondence is discussion of the following:

  • Ibn Saud's [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] views on Italian activities in the Middle East.
  • The movements of Shakib Arslan of the Syria Palestine Islamic League, including his reported visit to Rome in November 1936.
  • The Italian regime in Ethiopia (including its education system) and the effect of Italian propaganda on Ethiopia's Muslim population.
  • Reports of the publication of a manifesto in Libya that claims for Mussolini the title of 'Protector of Islam'.
  • Accounts of speeches and statements given by Mussolini regarding Italy's attitude towards Muslim populations.
  • Reported Italian sympathies amongst the Arab population in Palestine.
  • Reports of Italian-inspired anti-British propaganda in the Dutch East Indies (mainly in Java), and the possibility of counteracting its effect on the local Arab population by sending pro-British Arabic periodicals to influential Arab residents there (also considered is the possibility of sending visitors from the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. to deliver pro-British lectures).
  • Italian propaganda regarding the financial assistance provided by the Italian authorities for Ethiopian Muslims to make the pilgrimage to Mecca.
  • Steps taken by the British authorities in Alexandria to combat anti-British propaganda in Egypt, which include establishing a pro-British magazine named Zahrat el Sharq .

The Arabic language material consists of a copy of the first issue of the aforementioned magazine, Zahrat el Sharq , dated 18 July 1938 and mainly consisting of pro-British propaganda. The French language material consists of several items of correspondence and a copy of a text which translates into English as 'Islam Policy of Italy'.

The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence (folio 2).

Extent and format
1 file (228 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 229; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-229; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

Written in
English, Arabic and French in Latin and Arabic script
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Coll 6/78 'Italian propaganda amongst the Arabs.' [‎217r] (435/461), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2151, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100043461007.0x000026> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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