Page 59 - Protestant Missionary Activity in the Arabian Gulf

44

estine in 1947-49. There were riots in the streets of Bah­

rain and Iraq in 1947 and the mission property in Basrah and

Amarah had to he guarded hy soldiers on several occasions to

keep it safe from the mohs. 111 Although the intervention of

the United States on the Arab side in 1956 caused some tem­

porary improvement in U.S.-Arab relationships, 1947 should
te perhaps he regarded as the major turning point from which
I
U.S. popularity and prestige never really recovered, Nation-

alist resentment of the British presence in Egypt culminated

in the revolution of 1952.. The pro-British King Farouk

was deposed and a fierce military struggle ensued between
■
the Arab armies on the one hand and the armies of Great Britain,

France and Israel on the other. Two years later the king of

Iraq was overthrown and plans were drawn up for the formation
'■
i
of a United Arab Republic including Egypt, Syria and Iraq.
£ Throughout the Middle East, militant Arab nationalists we re

calling for an end to foreign involvement in the political

and economic affairs of the Arab countries and a redistribu­

tion of wealth within Arab society itself.

Interestingly enough the Mission was not initially

singled out for attack in the general wave of xenophobia.

There are, of course, several reasons why this should have

been so. In the first place, the .Mission had always striven

to maintain political neutrality and had not used military

or diplomatic support from the United States or Great Britain

Secondly the Mission had
to force its position on the Arabs♦

hy its long-standing involvement in the Gulf become a local

j