Of religious fanaticism there was little trace. The Sherif refused in round terms to give a religious twist to his rebellion. His fighting creed was nationality. The tribes knew that the Turks were Muslims, and thought that the Germans were probably true friends of Islam. They knew that the British were Christians, and that the British were their allies. In the circumstances, their religion would not have been of much help to them, and they had put it aside. “Christian fights Christian, so why should not Muhammadans do the same? What we want is a Government which speaks our own language of Arabic and will let us live in peace. Also we hate those Turks.”