File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [‎409v] (823/898)

10 and 8, and two boys of about 3. The young girl was brought to the Hedjaz as a
pupil in Arabic and religion by an Arab woman, who, on arrival here, treated her
as a slave. She escaped last year, with the assistance of her brother, but was over
taken by her “ owner ” and some Hedjaz police on the road to Jeddah, and dragged
back into slavery. The case then came to the notice of the Netherlands consul. The
greatest circumspection had to be used, as it would be easy, as precedents havep^
shown, for a slave in whom a foreign consulate was interested, to be made to y
disappear. Once sure of his facts, the Netherlands consul applied to the Foreign
Secretary, Sheikh Fuad, for the girl’s release. Finding the facts to be as stated,
Sheikh Fuad did not deny the girl’s right to freedom; but he had the impertinence
to convey to the consul the £ owner’s demand that she should receive a refund of
all the money spent on the girl in the Hedjaz, including the expense of her
recapture. The demand was withdrawn m face of the Netherlands consul s
indignant refusal, and the girl was released.
The other cases reveal evidence of a widespread practice of entrusting
Javanese children to people in Mecca, nominally for instruction in religion. How
far the people who bring them to the Hedjaz are acting in good faith will doubtless
be established when the "six or eight concerned in the cases which have come to light
are brought to trial in Java. As to the evil intentions of the guardians, there is,
however, plenty of evidence. The two little girls were received as presents (this
seems to be the technical term in such transactions) by the Shaibi family, the
Hereditary Keepers of the Key of the Sacred Mosque at Mecca, and so holy that the
money they make by simply holding out their hands almost puts them beyond the
necessity of swindling. The enslavement of these children only became known
because their owner was so tickled at having a rare kind of slave that he boasted of
it openly. The main facts having been established, complaint was made to King
Hussein by the Netherlands consulate. The King professed to be most grateful for
having the matter brought to notice, secured the girls’ release, and promised to
punish the Shaibi. It seems that this particular form of villainy is common enough
to have its rules : Shaibi has protested that he quite realised his obligations towards
the girls; he could not dream of selling girls received as “presents,” he would only
“use ” them himself. It is unlikely that he wall be punished, for King Hussein
would hardly dare to offend so important a family (after all, Mohamet had to
compromise with people like the Shaibi), and besides, the King probably sympathises
with him. All we can be certain of is that if the representative of a European
Power finds a subject of that Power being kept in slavery in the Hedjaz and draws
the Hedjaz Government's attention to the case, the Hedjaz Government will, more
or less reluctantly, secure the release of the “ slave ” and, if the keeper or the
seller is a foreigner, hand such keeper or seller over to his consulate. The Hedjaz
Government apparently admits no obligation to prevent foreign subjects from being
enslaved in the Hedjaz. Indeed, King Hussein says openly that it is the business of
foreign Powers to prevent the slave traffic, though he knows quite wmll that, even if
His Majesty’s ships could block the Red Sea completely against the passage of slave
dhows, many foreign subjects would still be brought into the Hedjaz and enslaved
there. The Javanese cases are startling because it is customary to think of slavery
as limited to the African races, but the enslavement of young Africans who are left
defenceless in the Hedjaz through the death of their parents or guardians or from
some other cause, is common. As to expecting the Hedjaz to recognise that slavery
as an institution is wrong, that seems vain. The Hedjaz will voluntarily give up
slavery when it willingly ceases to rob pilgrims. Every Hedjazi who can afford it
keeps slaves; the King’s palace is crowded with slaves; and the holy shrine itself
is guarded by poor wretches, who are not only slaves, but have been emasculated to
make them fitter guardians of a place which may be visited by women.
It will be remembered that, a year or so ago, an Arab, who, after taking about
seventy lessons in flying, was able to take a turn by himself, was decorated and cited
in the “ Kiblah ’’ as an ornament to his race; and that the next time he flew
he smashed his machine to pieces. Recently the “Kiblah ” announced that two
Arabs had learned to pilot an aeroplane, thereby proving the particular aptitude of
the Arab race for flying. The “ Kiblah ” did not mention what the Russian pilots
know to their cost, that the two Arabs had had between them nearly 700 lessons
before they succeeded in flying a yard alone. Their talents are rusting now, as one
of them had hardly had time to pin on his decoration when he smashed to pieces the
only machine they are allowed to touch.