BRITAIN TURNS BLIND EYE TO SLAVERY REPORTS based on Sunday Times report
A blind eye is being turned by the British Government on reports of slavery in Arab shiekdoms enjoying British military protection or aid, according to Dr. Mohamed Awad, the recently appointed U.N. Special Rapporteur on Slavery who started his delicate fact-gathering mission in London last week. But his charges were inlignantly denied in official circles. The ebullient Anglophile doctor, former Egyptian Minister for Education, does not expect much help from British official sources. "With such important oil interests involved, they do not want to hurt feelings," said Dr. Awad, but he is reluctant to identify countries where he expects to find most evidSnce of slavery.
He has been having seesions with informants at the Wictoria H.Q. of the 125-year-old Anti-Slavery Society...Col. Patrick Montgomery, the Society's secretaryeeespeaks of a'conspiracy of silence! smong Sritish circles who could help in the investization. "Diplomats and Army officers are afraid of losing their jobs and business men their markets if they talk," he asserted. One of the more lurid reports of slavery which Dr. Awad is likely to probe..e..econcerns the Sultan of Muscat, Britain's "client" in Oman, Mr, Faris Glubb, son of Glubb Pasha, former leader of Jordan's Arab Legion, and secretary of the Rights of Oman, has alleged that the Sultan maintains a palace of Arabian Nights splendour and that his slave retinue rose between 1961 and 1963...from 400 to 700, incluting 200 girls and women for his harem, the rest being retainers or manual labourers,.
A Foreign Office spokesmen on June 20th...described the «llegations as “quite ridiculous", He added: "This is an independent state and if we are condoning anything, so are a number of other countries who have dealings with it.“ There is a certain amount of traditional Arab-type ‘slavery but the Sultan himself is entirely opposed to a slave trade. He is believed himself to have a small number of slaves as a personal bodyguard. He has one wife - not even two like many Muslims." (Ed, note: this is hardly surprising if the report about 200 women in his harem is correct), A Colonial Office spokesman said there was "ho substance" in charges that Slavery was practised in the South Arabian Federation or in Aden.
It is in Saudi Arabia that Dr. Awad may find evidence of the most widespread slavery. Although Prince Feisal decreed slavery illégal when he became Prime Minister in 1962, estimates at the time suggested a total of nearly 250,000 claves kin the country, many of them well cared for and eoontent.