Middle East Media and Book Reviews Online Volume 1, Issue 1 | Page 38

2/2/2016 Middle East Media and Book Reviews Online Ottoman vali slapped him, thereby initiating a revolution by this assault on the dignity of Sheikh Yahya (page 31).” The 1920 revolt, which is the center of Wardi’s narrative, was also engendered by an insult. “The instigating event involved the British Army captain Lyle and his insult of Sayyid Alwan al-Yasri by throwing Alwan out of his office one day in late 1919 (page 89).” In another instance it was claimed that “British officers allowed their dogs into the tent of Bedouins (page 82)”, the dog being considered unclean and not permitted into the homes of a pious Muslim. During the Egyptian campaign in what is now Saudi Arabia in 1816, the Egyptian soldiers believed that their officers routinely drank alcohol, which caused them to sympathize with the Wahhabis they had been sent to subdue. All these stories have a similar thread, of dishonor and non-Islamic behavior justifying rebellion. The question is not raised to what extent the story may have been embellished after the fact to justify the rebellion or whether it actually took place. For instance the British colonial officers and their advisors in Iraq consisted of men like T.E Lawrence and women like Gertrude Bell, who even if they are today considered arch-colonialists, were particularly knowledgeable and respectful of the customs of the people they dealt with. Is it reasonable to assume that British officers routinely brought their dogs into the tents of Bedouin leaders they met? The authors of this volume don’t examine the degree of accuracy in Wardi’s text, allowing it to speak for itself. This is commendable, but it leaves it for other scholars to inquire about. The central portion of this book, as with Wardi’s original text, is the 1920 Arab revolt. Likely the editor felt that the 1920 rebellion has parallels with today’s Iraq and that much could be learned from it. “The 1920 Revolt began in Ramadi and spread throughout Iraq in opposition to the British mandate system imposed on Iraq (page 80).” The editor notes that “starting in 2003 insurgents used Tel Afar as staging points for attacks against US forces that led to Operation Black Typhoon (page 95).” Likewise Tel Afar had been a center of the 1920 revolt. The problem is that the 1920 has always been confusing to understand in almost every narrative of it. Perhaps this is because no full length modern text has struggled to provide a good account of it either for an academic or a popular audience. Unfortunately Iraq in Turmoil also does not provide a clear account that keeps tracks of the various interests and groups. Nevertheless Iraq in Turmoil is an important contribution and one that sheds light on a very important scholarly work by an Iraqi who was intimate with the events that he mentioned. Middle East Media and Book Reviews Online http://localhost/membr/review.php?id=20 2/2