The Permanent, Mandates Commission of the League of Nations has decided to recommend in its report to the Council of the League of Nations, which the J.T.A. representative here has seen to-day, that the British proposal for emancipating Iraq from the British Mandate and recognising it as an independent State and admitting it to membership of the League of Nations should be approved.
The recognition of Iraq’s independence is made subject, however, to certain conditions in respect of the protection of the minorities living in Iraq, and the report of the Mandates Commission sets out these conditions and safeguards. These include the acceptance by Iraq of the special minorities treaties as accepted by several States, which are bound by these treaties, and in addition, the acceptance by Iraq of the special provisions which the League of Nations Council, in agreement with Iraq, will think necessary as a temporary or permanent measure in order to ensure the effective protection of the minorities.
THE POSITION OF THE JEWISH MINORITY IN IRAQ
I do not wish to give the impression that the Christian and Yezidi minorities are at present completely satisfied with the policy of the Iraqi Government, although this is certainly the case where the Jewish Community is concerned, as has been pointed out in His Majesty’s Government’s observations on the Rassam petition, Sir Francis Humphrys, the High Commissioner for Iraq, said when he appeared as the British accredited representative before the Mandates Commission when it was considering the British proposal for the emancipation of Iraq at its meeting held in June 1931. It will be remembered, he went on, that in the British Government’s special report, it has been frankly stated that cases have occurred where individual Iraqi officials have proved themselves unworthy of their responsibility. There is no doubt that, during the period between September 1929 and the date when the special report was drafted, there were instances of unwise action on the part of certain Iraqi officials, but these actions have to a certain extent been due to the apprehensions raised by what I can only describe as the unfortunate activities of certain outside elements.
Moslem, Christian and Jew have lived happily side by side in this country for centuries, Sir Francis claimed. I have with me a map and full particulars of the distribution of the Assyrian settlements from which it can be seen at a glance how impracticable ### scheme would be, even if it were not politically undesirable.
The question came up in the House of Commons the following month, when Dr. Drummond Shiels, then Under -Secretary of State for the Colonies, speaking in reply to Sir Samuel Hoare, now Secretary of State for India, who had raised the matter by suggesting that both the British and Iraq Governments should make declarations before the League of Nations that there should be no discrimination against the three minority communities, Kurds, Assyrians and Yezids, pointed out that there is another minority in Iraq – “the Jews, who number about 88,000 people, and are spread all over the country”.
They appear to be contented and happy, Dr. Shiels said, and they are fully recognised by the Arabs and general population wherever they live. I think that it is of some significance that, whereas in countries where the Jews are badly treated there is a great desire to go to Palestine, there has been no evidence at all of any desire among the Jews of Iraq to go from Iraq to Palestine. That is another illustration of the obvious tolerance of the Iraq people.
In the Iraq Constitution, provisions exist, he added, for complete freedom of conscience, the establishment of schools, where the various communities can instruct pupils in their own language, for equality of status in every respect, and for the maintenance of the whole Ottoman regime of spiritual council to deal with matters as to personal status amongst Jews and Christians. That in itself is one of the best answers to the apprehensions which some feel, he said, because there is undoubtedly in this territory a collection of different races and religions which is found in no other parts of the East. This is undoubtedly true, because Moslems, Christians and Jews have lived together there peaceably for centuries.
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