The Affair of the Malay and Javanese Pilgrims during the Hajj Season of 1893AD/1311H “A Documentary Study”

This research provides an analytical study of the exploitation done to the Malay and Javanese pilgrims during the Hajj season of 1893AD/1311H by both the Emir of Makkah, Sherif Awn Al-Rafiq, and the Ottoman governor, Ahmed Rateb Pasha.  The research also focuses on the part played by the British Consulate in Jeddah  in order to protect the interests of its subjects – the Malay and Javanese pilgrims – through the pressure exerted on its ambassador in Constantinople.  He, in turn, pressured the Sublime Porte to issue a general statement in Makkah relieving the injustice faced by the eastern Asian pilgrims, mainly the Malay and Javanese. Due to the efforts of the British Consulate, relations were strained between the British Vice-Consul in Jeddah and the Ottoman governor.  However, the Sublime Porte was able to put an end to the injustice and to pressure the Emir of Makkah into issuing a general statement on July 30, 1893AD/1311H to relieve the injustice facing the pilgrims.  That was followed by another statement by the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II in April 1894AD/1312H, ordering the reduction of the financial burden on the pilgrims and awarding them complete freedom to perform the holy rites during Hajj season.