Geopolitics Quarterly

Geopolitics Quarterly

Responses to the Announcement of King Hussein of the Hejaz for the Caliphate in British and French Mandated Territories, 1924

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Rabiatul Adawiyah Abdullah
Abu Hanifah Haris
Zulkanain Abdul Rahman
Department of History, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
10.22034/igq.2024.466183.1916
Abstract
This article discusses the responses to the announcement of King Hussein of the Hejaz for the caliphate in the French and British-mandated territories, which include Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine in 1924. This study uses a qualitative research method by analyzing the primary and secondary sources. This article finds that the announcement of King Hussein’s caliphate in Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine has provoked various reactions with strong support among the Arab populations in these regions. The findings also show that this support to restore the caliphate for the Arabs and the Quraysh was raised for proclaiming King Hussein as caliph. The most significant reaction of all, however, was in the French-mandated territories of Syria and Lebanon. This matter has caused an uneasy reaction from the French colonial to undermine support for King Hussein. His reign was short-lived. He lost his Hashemite kingdom and the caliphate in the same year, when the Saudi ruler, Ibn Saud immediately attacked his declaration as illegitimate and launched a military campaign in Hejaz. King Hussein went into exile to Cyprus, where he lived until he died in 1931.
Keywords
Arab Caliphate
Syria
Lebanon
Palestine
Western Colonials
Subjects
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Geopolitics Quarterly
Volume 21, Issue 2
Summer 2025
Pages 148-170

  • Receive Date 13 July 2024
  • Revise Date 24 October 2024
  • Accept Date 13 November 2024