It is a known fact that our officer, M. A. Sheikho held many high, official posts during the reign of the Ottoman State. Among the most notable is his appointment as director of the central prison of Damascus Castle and the head of the whole citadel including the section responsible for the arms and provisions for the Turkish army stationed in the castle.
In the meantime, World War I, which started in Europe, spread throughout much of the world, and since the Ottoman State was an ally of Germany, it too was brought into the war. The Empire sent many battalions of soldiers into the battlefields especially on the Egyptian front where the battle for the Suez Canal broke out against Great Britain. It was a time of great hardship for there was drought and crop failure, and plagues of locusts, which led to severe poverty among the people. The situation was worsened by discord among the leaders of the Turkish Empire, who failed to agree on ways to supply their front line troops with all the necessary provisions and ammunition to fight such a terrible war. As a result, through extreme hunger and dire thirst many of the soldiers had no choice but to leave their battle positions and withdraw to a place where they could find shelter, safety and food.
According to the laws in force in the state at that time, those soldiers were considered as deserters, and the punishment for fleeing during the course of military operations was death by firing squad.
While our officer was going about his usual duties of managing the affairs of the castle a column of about seventy men were led to him by the head of the party charged with guarding them and was told that these men had deserted the battlefield and had been sentenced to death by firing squad. The guard added, ‘We have brought them to you for the order to be carried out at the prison as is the usual custom.’
We know that these are only about one-tenth of the deserters, as there are so many who fled that to execute them all would mean wiping out most units of the army. Therefore it was decided to carry out the punishment on just one-tenth of them as a lesson to the others in the hope that it would deter them from deserting, but it was no use.
After our officer had accepted responsibility for the deserters, according to the rules, he asked the men around him how his predecessor in this post dealt with such fugitives. He was told that a platform was put up where the predecessor would sit taking coffee and other refreshments, and relax with a narghile [77]while listening to the incessant crack of bullets as he watched the men fall dead to the ground, motionless and bloodstained.
He did this every day!
At once, our courageous officer took a brave decision but informed no-one about it. He had decided not to execute any of those soldiers though he knew full well what the consequences of such an act might be and what a high price he would have to pay. It would likely cost him his own life, but he said to himself, ‘I’m just a man like any one of them, no more, no less and my life is of no greater value than theirs, so I should sacrifice my life in order to save all of them.’ Then he announced that they would be executed away from the prison, but still within the citadel, and he led them to an area where he provided them with arms, ammunition and military uniforms. He then ordered them back to the battle front after he had listed them as reservist soldiers attached to the permanent army. These lists were sent to the high command with those of the other reservists normally attached to the army.
The matter of deserters did not stop there, for every day, between 60 and 70 men were brought to him to be executed. He acted with them the same way he had acted with the previous ones.
A period of about two months passed during which time the number of those he had saved reached about 4000 men who had been sentenced to death. It goes without saying that such a matter could not be kept indefinitely from the attention of the Ottoman authorities, especially given that many of them were people who envied him for his illustrious position and wished him to be removed so they could replace him.
The dumbfounding news of his deeds eventually reached the highest ranks in al-Sham State [78]and one day, while he was going about his usual tasks, the commander of the Turkish army entered his office in a state of extreme anger, which was most unusual for a man who was normally quite calm. Without offering any greeting he shouted, ‘Aslan!’ (This word means ‘lion’ in Turkish, and it was an apt title for Mohammad Amin because of his unparalleled success in bravely fulfilling all the commissions he had been charged with however difficult they might be). There was no-one to equal him among all the officers, so he had acquired the trust and appreciation of his leaders and his followers alike, and this was the reason for the well deserved epithet.
The commander continued to rant at Officer Sheikho, ‘What did you do? How dare you go against the ruler’s orders! During your entire military service I have stood by you against all opposition from everyone whoever he was, but now, I cannot defend you at all because if I did, it would be as though I were signing my own death warrant, and I’d be executed along with you.’
Until this moment, our officer Mohammad Amin had given no thought to preparing a plan to cover such a furious reaction, but, suddenly, he felt as if volcanoes had erupted in his chest and he flared up in anger, and answered him with unprecedented intensity. It was certainly the first time during his military career that Mohammad Amin’s voice had risen above that of his commander! He shouted in a thunderous tone, ‘If the unbelievers, the enemy, invaded our country and killed and disgraced us, what would you do then? You have another country… each one of you will pack your bags and go back to your own country. While we, who are in our own native land, have no place to go and will remain under the yoke of the invading forces and subjected to punishment and torture. Isn’t that so, Sir…? Commander? What would our fate be then? They will surely destroy our most holy sanctuaries without any human or moral deterrent and by that we will most certainly be subjugated to degradation that you will not, as you will – at that time – pack your bags and leave for your own country, safe and sound, leaving us to face our horrible fate at the hands of the occupying forces.’
At that moment a look of utter astonishment and wonder crossed the commander’s face and he answered him with overwhelming amazement, ‘And what do you mean by these words?’
Officer Sheikho replied, ‘I mean that until now I have returned an army of 4000 soldiers to fight and kill, or be killed. When one soldier is killed, another will take his place and kill an enemy soldier in return. This army constitutes now a striking force capable of repelling the enemy, but you and the authorities were going to have them put to death at your own hands instead of sending them back to kill the enemy. Now they’re fighting Al’lah’s enemy and yours… so why do you want to execute them?’
The commander replied, ‘Because they deserted the battlefield.’ Then he asked, ‘But what do your words have to do with what I asked you about daring to release those who were going to be executed?’
Our officer, Mohammad Amin, answered, ‘I repeat… those men you sent to me to be executed, about 4000 fighters until now (as an aside we add that the figure stated only covers our officer’s tour of duty, so how many more might have been executed under the previous holder of the post?)… if we pardon them, equip them, and send them back to the battlefront, they will constitute an impregnable force that the infidel enemy will find almost impossible to penetrate.
‘Suppose that each of those fighters kills one enemy soldier, this would eradicate an entire army of the enemy, which would cause a basic and decisive change in the course and progress of the military operations in favour of both you and us.
‘Furthermore, if we enquire as to the reasons why those soldiers fled from the field of battle, we shall find that it is not due to cowardice or defeatism, but is motivated by hunger and the lack of whatever they need and deserve as they spend a long time far from their families.
‘They are thrown into the thick of battle without your providing them with the food and other basic things they need. So on what grounds have they been found guilty and sentenced to death? Supply them with what they need and what is required for the progression of the war and you will see that they will more than compensate for the few slack and errant ones among them.’
Thereupon, and faced with this honest and logical reply, the commander pondered on the seriousness and rationality of Officer Sheikho’s words, and he realised the truth of what he had said, then he thought to himself, ‘Surely we are the ones in the wrong and what this lion of a man (Mohammad Amin) has done is really in favour of all of us.’ He then asked him: ‘Can you speak to the ruler as you have just spoken to me?’
Our officer, Mohammad Amin said, ‘Yes… of course…why not?’
The commander said, ‘Let’s go to see him immediately and explain to him the shortcomings that take place without his majesty’s knowledge.’
When in the presence of the ruler, he repeated what he had said to the commander. He spoke frankly and with courage, showing no sign of weakness, and explained in detail all that he had said to the commander.
When the ruler heard the figure (4000 executed) he was shocked and realised the magnitude of this crime because when that number is divided into daily figures (that is, about 60-70 men) it meant nothing for those leaders, but the total of these daily numbers added together over two months or more would produce a great, unjustified loss in their forces. At once, the ruler turned to the commander wanting to know who had issued such a destructive and foolish command.
He answered, saying, ‘Djemal Pasha, Sir, the bloodletter.’ Thereupon, the ruler flared up with rage and said, ‘I’m the ruler here and are you telling me that the orders of Djemal Pasha are still in effect and practised in my state? With immediate effect this command is considered null and void and must never be put into practice again.’
He addressed the decree to the commander and ordered him to nullify the death penalty at once and to issue a circular to advise everyone about it. (It was well known at that time that every ruler disagreed with the politics of the preceding one and tried to belittle him especially as the previous one was Djemal Pasha, the oppressive tyrant, for whom this ruler had no love or appreciation at all.)
Our officer did not stop simply at bringing about the repeal of that unjust law but he addressed the ruler saying,
‘Honourable Pasha… I would like to add that such unjust commands were not confined to the soldiers, but they were also directed at civilian citizens too, for there is a martial law under which many innocent citizens are daily sent to the gallows to be put to death by hanging even for the most trifling reasons and that is in accordance with current military law.’
The ruler asked the commander yet another question,‘Who gave that order?’ And he was told, yet again, that it had been Djemal Pasha.
The ruler issued a further decree that nullified all previous rules covering this situation and he charged our officer, Mohammad Amin with carrying out his wishes.
When our officer left the headquarters, he immediately took a party of security forces and set off to remove all the gallows which had been erected in most public squares in the districts of Damascus city. Thereafter all the gallows throughout al-Sham state as a whole were removed also. By this humane decree, thousands of citizens who would have died on the gallows were also spared: injustice and oppression were done away with, and no other Arab was executed up to the end of the Turkish Empire.
A nightmare of terror and injustice had predominated over the natives of al-Sham state for a period of time, where sadness overwhelmed their families, and the ghost of death hovered above their homes, and was ever present in their sight and within their hearing until our officer performed his magnificent deed and rushed to aid those who had no- one to defend or help them. He trusted in, and relied upon, the Provider of the worlds, and God supported him with a clear victory.
We must remember that all creatures are Al’lah’s dependants and the one who is most beloved by Him is he who does most to help His dependents.