Had we been fighting Turkey alone it is quite possible
that the war might have been represented as a Holy War, and a suc- cessful attempt have been made to treat it as a struggle between the Crescent and the Cross. We do not think this is at all likely to happen now, or that there will be the slightest wave of pro-German Mohammedan feeling in India or any other of our possessions. The Government will, however, be wise
to take every precaution against misrepresentations. The most effectual way to do that would be to let it be known throughout Islam that whatever happens we shall not only not take possession of the Holy Places in Arabia, but that, as the greatest of Mohammedan Powers, we bind ourselves to see that the Holy Places are not interfered with by any Christian Power and that they shall remain in Mohammedan bands and open to pilgrimage. A great portion of the inhabitants of Arabia have long desired freedom from Turkish control and exploitation, and they will now be able to achieve that freedom without any risk of being absorbed either by us or any other European Power.
