ABSTRACT
One mandate, Palestine, was declared the Jewish national home, leaving in doubt the future of its Arab inhabitants. These were the roots of Arab bitterness, put down almost a century ago. The American missionaries hoped to convert Arab youths to Protestantism through exposure to the Arabic Bible; this caused them to cherish their heritage of Arabic literature and history. The earliest Muslim strain within Arab nationalism was a campaign during the 1890s, popularized by a writer named Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi, to revive the Arab caliphate, preferably in Mecca. Even under Sultan Abdulhamid, most Arabs upheld the status quo. Many served in his army or civil administration. Early Ottoman rule benefited them by promoting local security and trade between their merchants and those of Anatolia and the Balkans. The Orthodox Christians were especially apt to do so. This led to a higher standard of Arabic reading and writing among Syrian Orthodox youths, many of whom went into journalism, law, or teaching.
