ABSTRACT
From that time, although the desire for an Amir had steadily grown, the difficulty of settling on any single candidate had remained. One section of the ex-Turkish officials, practically all Sunnis of Baghdad, afraid of being swamped by the Shi'a majority, was imbued with the idea that a Sunni Turk, as found in the person of Prince Burhan ed-Din,3 might better serve their interests than a local candidate or a Hashlmi known to be on comparatively friendly terms with the Shi'is. 4 Opposing them, however, was an even larger element of ex-Turkish officials, both civil and military, concentrated largely in Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkiik, who encouraged the belief, substantiated by persistent propaganda arising across the frontiers, that the return of the Turks was but a question of time.
