Al-Jahra War: New Historical Perspective

This article discusses the role of the Shiʿa groups of Kuwait, mainly the ʿAjam during the al-Jahra War in 1920. This war is one of crucial incidents to happen in the contemporary history of Kuwait, as during this war, the sheikhdom of Kuwait (or ʾimārat alkuwayt) was threatened by the ʾikhwān army under the leadership of Faisal al-Duwysh, who was considered one of ibn Saud commanders for his army.
This article sheds light on what was written in the literature by Kuwaiti researchers from different point of views about the attitude of the ʿAjam during the war. While some of these views suspect their “loyalty” to Kuwait by describing them as “infidels”, as they did not participate militarily in the war. Others emphasize that the ʿAjam sought the British Protection (or British Citizenship) through British Agency in Kuwait to escape participating militarily in the war. By relying on primary sources, including the local documents of Kuwait, British and American documents, this paper refutes all Kuwaiti secondary sources that have discussed the attitude of the ʿAjam during the war. It provides a new historical analysis of the attitude of the ʿAjam during the war that have never discussed in the historical literature of Kuwait before. It concludes the ʿAjam have not only protected Kuwait town from possible invasion by the ʾikhwān army but also have participated militarily in the battlefield.