1921 King Faisal on being King of an Artificial Nation- Iraq

King Faisal, who was imposed by the British as King of an artificial nation – Iraq, in 1921 – wrote of his unloving subjects:

“There is still – and I say this with a heart full of sorrow – no Iraqi people, but unimaginable masses of human beings devoid of any patriotic idea, imbued with religious traditions and absurdities, connected by no common tie, giving ear to evil, prone to anarchy, and perpetually ready to rise against any government whatsoever.”

Source: Memorendum written by King Faisal, March 1933 cited in Hanna Batatu “The Old Social Classes and the Revolutioner”.