//Ed. note: The French reached an agreement with the new Turkish
government in December 1921, withdrawing from all lands within
current Turkish borders except for Hatay (Antioch). The last
French soldiers left Antep, which had became "Gaziantep" in
February 1921 by proclamation of the Turkish Grand National
Assembly, on 25 December 1921.//
"Today (early 1921) the people of Antep are fighting with great
heroism, as much or even more than was seen in Maraş. Those
cowards who refused to fight the enemy have all slipped away.
The remaining fighters are living in caves or underground.
The enemy would have them believe that the 'Kuva-i Milliye'
(Turkish nationalists) is nowhere to be found but those in Antep
will fight to the end to preserve Moslem land for Moslems,
knowing that all the Moslems of Anatolia are supporting them
spiritually."
We (Sebilü'r Reşad) asked "What is it the French hope to gain from
this war? How much land will they seize?"
"As is known, based on the Treaty of Sevres, the French lay claim
to the land from north of Iskenderun to Antep, Urfa and Mardin,
and including Syria. They plan to occupy that entire area. In order
to reach Urfa, they must take Antep so today that city is the key.
For both the French and for us, Antep is vital vis-a-vis Urfa and
Maraş. If the French are forced to retreat from Antep they will be
finished."
"This defeat will affect the French status in Adana, as well, because
their access to Baghdad will be eliminated. The distance between
Antep and the rail line (to Baghdad) is 5-6 hours. In the event that
the French lose this access, their cause is finished so if the stations at
Kilis and Akçakoyunlu fall into our hands we win. The Anatolian
rail line splits at Müslimiye (near Aleppo), with one branch going to
Iraq and the other to Syria. Müslimiye is in an open area, which
the French cannot hold."
"Once the French pull out of Antep our forces will be free to pursue
them to Osmaniye, Aleppo and even as far away as Beirut. Therefore,
Antep is extremely important in a strategic sense, making it the focal
point of the war right now. There are Arab nationalist forces around
Aleppo, so when our forces are freed up from Antep they could join
with them to open the way to Syria, making it very difficult for the
French to remain there."
The two clergymen from Maraş who have provided this information
to us (Sebilü'r Reşad) are Koşcuzade Hamdi Efendi, who is the head
of the 'Müdafaa-i Hukuk' (Defense of Rights) cell in Antep, and
Ceridizade Mehmed Emin, the head of the 'medrese' (theological
school) in Maraş."
"We hope that all the clergymen who provide guidance to our nation
are like them, because the situation for Moslems in Anatolia today is
a matter of life and death. If we prevail then all Moslems the world
over will benefit. God forbid we should lose because that will signal
the start of captivity and annihilation for Islam.. Consequently, the
entire Moslem world is watching us, which is why England is so
concerned about it. We will explain this further in coming issues of
Sebilü'r Reşad."
//END of PART NINE/FINAL//
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