Iraqi exiles to Hengam Island 1920: A documentary study.

Abstract

                                                                                                              This study examines the policy of exile adopted by the British authorities in Iraq in 1920 after reneging on their promises to grant Iraqis the right to self-determination and establish an independent national government, while consolidating the Mandate system and strengthening their control over the country. The British authorities arrested and deported a number of prominent religious and nationalist figures to Henjam Island in the Arabian Gulf to eliminate political opponents and isolate them from their popular support, hoping to suppress the growing nationalist movement. The study relies on official British documents to analyze the motives behind this policy and the mechanisms through which it was implemented. However, these repressive measures failed to achieve their intended objectives. Instead, they intensified popular opposition, strengthened cooperation among nationalist forces, and contributed to the outbreak of the 1920 Iraqi Revolution, which represented a comprehensive expression of Iraqi resistance to British occupation and its coercive policies.