The Project Gutenberg EBook of Martyred Armenia, by Fa'iz El-Ghusein

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: Martyred Armenia

Author: Fa'iz El-Ghusein

Release Date: December 1, 2006 [EBook #19986]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MARTYRED ARMENIA ***

Produced by Taavi Kalju and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

MARTYRED
ARMENIA

BY
FA'IZ EL-GHUSEIN
BEDOUIN NOTABLE OF DAMASCUS

Translated from the Original Arabic
All Rights of Translation Reserved

NEW YORK
GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
MCMXVIII

FOREWORD

I am a Bedouin, a son of one of the Heads of the tribe of El-Sulut, who
dwell in El-Lejat, in the Hauran territory. Like other sons of tribal
Chiefs, I entered the Tribal School at Constantinople, and subsequently
the Royal College. On the completion of my education, I was attached to
the staff of the Vali of Syria (or Damascus), on which I remained for a
long while. I was then Kaimakam of Mamouret-el-Aziz (Kharpout), holding
this post for three and a half years, after which I practised as a
lawyer at Damascus, my partners being Shukri Bey El-Asli and
Abdul-Wahhab Bey El-Inglizi. I next became a member of the General
Assembly at that place, representing Hauran, and later a member of the
Committee of that Assembly. On the outbreak of the war, I was ordered to
resume my previous career, that is, the duties of Kaimakam, but I did
not comply, as I found the practice of the law more advantageous in many
ways and more tranquil.

I was denounced by an informer as being a delegate of a Society
constituted in the Lebanon with the object of achieving the independence
of the Arab people, under the protection of England and France, and of
inciting the tribes against the Turkish Government. On receipt of this
denunciation, I was arrested by the Government, thrown into prison, and
subsequently sent in chains, with a company of police and gendarmes, to
Aaliya, where persons accused of political offences were tried. I was
acquitted, but as the Government disregarded the decisions given in such
cases, and was resolved on the removal and destruction of all
enlightened Arabs--wha