Slanders On Muslims In History

Nestorian Riots and the British Deep State Efforts

Nestorians had rioted twice against the Ottoman Empire, in 1843 and 1846, but they were suppressed. During WWI, they clashed with the Kurdish tribes in Southeast Anatolia and East Anatolia. The Ottoman archives mention the rivalry between Protestant British and American missionaries and Orthodox Russians to win over the Nestorians during these years³⁹⁷ and that the problems between Nestorians and Kurds escalated due to these supposedly missionary activities.³⁹⁸ Indeed, after having lived together peacefully, tensions began to arise between these two communities which later turned into bloody clashes when the British deep state came onto the scene and started its activities in the region under the guise of missionary activities in the 19th century.³⁹⁹

During the Kurdish-Nestorian clashes in 1843, British missionaries led by George Percy Badger used clothes, food, and money to curry favor with the Nestorians while the Nestorian Patriarch sought refuge in the British Consulate.⁴⁰⁰ This is an indication of how the members of the British deep state considered Nestorians as an ideal means to help them gain a foothold in the region. As soon as British missionaries like Dr. William Henry Browne gained the trust of the people in the region, they immediately said that the problem concerned internal policy⁴⁰¹ and took a stance against the Ottoman Empire.

John George Taylor, the Consul of Britain in Erzurum at the time, began his letter to Earl of Clarendon in 1868, with the following statements: 'Please find attached two reports which include my observations and the experiences about the country and the people. This data is based on my six years of duty in the country'. The attachment of the letter included, in addition to the demographic details of Nestorians, the following comment:

Nestorians are the second largest Christian community after Armenians. They are not important because they are rich or smart. It is because they live on a mountainous terrain close to Iranian border and can be fighters when necessary. It is also because in practice they are almost independent… They always complain about Kurds and Turks and they are so pitiful, they are willing to accept rule of foreigners at the cost of their faiths and lands.⁴⁰²

In other words, the members of the British deep state once again applied its usual tactics, tried to show Nestorians as an 'oppressed people', when they have been living in peace for centuries, and saw them as pawns that could be used with the pretense of 'protection'. (Nestorianism and Nestorians are above his remarks). They didn't hesitate to clearly voice their thoughts.