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Show Great Britain Creating Peril for Her Empire Future of Near East Made Difficult by Playing Fast and Loose With Mohammedanism Fate of Nations at Stake. By WILLIAM T. ELLIS. (Copyright, 1919, by the New York Herald Company All Rights Reserved.) (Copyright, Canada, by the New York Herald Company.) DAjSIASCUS, Oct. 20. What Bismarck Bis-marck called "the imponderables of statecraft" are likely to determine deter-mine the destiny of the Near East. Reduced to practical terms, that means whether folk shall get along peaceably peace-ably as neighbors or whether they shall line up for the greatest religious war of history, has now become an issue. That issue Is not to be decided by peace conferees con-ferees In Paris or Downing street diplomatists, diplo-matists, but by the -mood of men who never heard of Downing street and to whom Paris is as unreal as is Bagdad to two unusual1 factors the presence of Emir Feisal, a direct descendant of the prophet, and the visit of the American commission. In the courtyard of the mosque were assembled perhaps 5000 men, in red fezes or Arab headdress. They were going through the regular evening prayers, kneeling all the time, and occasionally prostrating themselves in rhythmic unison. The scene was brilliantly lighted by electricity. High and low, pasha and hamal, knelt side by side, in the democracy democ-racy of Islam. In front, a group of elderly elder-ly ulemas, or priests, as they would be called in a church, intoned prayers and portions of the Koran, the congregation of men responding. All faced toward Mecca. At the center and front a small square -platform or divan had been erected and are fraternizing in a common pursuit of political unity and independence. They point to the remarkable achievements in Egypt, where Moslems preach in Christian Chris-tian pulpits and Christians speak in Mohammedan Mo-hammedan mosques, and where the cross and the crescent have been joined in national na-tional banners. Even the Sultan of Turkey, the Caliph of all Islam, outspokenly takes this position, posi-tion, as do the members of his cabinet. He told me with repetition and insistence, "Before God, there is no difference between be-tween a Moslem and a Christian." The abortive effort of the Kaiser to create a "holy war" has been regarded among Christians as the last gasp of obscurantist religious intolerance. Playing With Sharp Tools. Nevertheless, ominous possibilities are developing. Great Britain has followed a pro-Moslem policy in the Orient. Her Indian Moslems have had a decisive voice in her affairs out here. Ever and anon they are heard from, with respect to Mohammedan interests, such as the dignities dig-nities of the caliph, and the sanctity of Moslem shrines. So long has she acceded ac-ceded to the wishes of her Moslem population popu-lation that it would be difficult for Great Britain now to adopt a sterner policy. Whoever takes up the religious issue in politics is playing with edged tools. Great Britain is finding it so. At the Egyptian insurrection the Moslems and the Christians Chris-tians made common cause against her. El Azhar. the central Institution of learning learn-ing in the Moslem world, became the stronghold of anti-British propaganda. How fast and far the news runs from this intellectual seat of the Moslem faith has already been illustrated in widely separated parts of the British dominions. There are many levelheaded British officers of-ficers who bitterly repent the dav when Great "Britain began to juggle with the scimitar of the prophet. Now Emir Fefsal, whom British officials of-ficials out here have treated rather cavalierly, cav-alierly, is showing signs of utilizing the strength, because of which he was named to h's present post. He is turning to the Moslems. If Britain means to desert him for the sake of the French, then he has apparently made up his mind to repudiate both the French and the British, and rely upon his native strength. As the most popular leader in present-day present-day Islam. Felsal complains bitterly that the French are raising the religious Issue, and Inciting the Maronites a trains t the Syrian Moslems. If a test of strength must be joined it will fare ill with all Chr'stlans. Should a clash come In this new day. and all the smoldering fires of religious bitterness be fanned to flame, the consequences will be too d're to contemnlate. Such a struggle would not be confined to Syria, but would embroil the entire Moslem world. the boulevardlers. I The scimitars of Islam are up in the air, skilfully juggled by Great Britain. I At the moment there is danger that they will come crashing down to cut others than the performer. Everybody knows that the religion of Mohammed is the principal factor in all that storm center of earth which lies between be-tween the Adriatic sea and the Bay of Bengal a stretch of territory that includes in-cludes the Balkans, Turkey, Persia and northern India. The population is preponderating pre-ponderating Moslem. Some parts are more fanatical than others. All. however, listen to their spiritual rulers before they heed their political monarchs. In Arabian Nights Land. That the affairs.of Persia are really settled set-tled in the remote, desert shrine city of Kerbela is known to every one familiar with the orient. Quiet or unrest in northern north-ern India, in Arabia, in Egypt, could be determined in Mecca or Constantinople. The uiema in the mosque wields more authority au-thority over the concerted movements of the people than the government official in the scai. What the west knows as "religious "re-ligious liberty" is unknown in this corner of the earth. First and final of all the factors entering into a man's life, his business, his politics, his social affairs, is his religion. Kaiser Wilhelm knew this when he placed his main reliance in his eastern campaign upon the "jehad," or 'holy war." He depended more upon the sword of the prophet than upon the rifles of his Prussians or the big guns of his artillery. ar-tillery. His plane in Turkey collapsed because he never was able to create a real "holy war." All Moslems would not go with him. "Hadji William," as he was called, failed to appeal to the more thoughtful leaders of Islam although how nearly the Persian. Indian, Egyptian and Arabian Moslems were to casting their lot In with the green flag of Islam is known best to the few who say least about it. A true "holy war" would release the full furv of all Moslems against all Christians Chris-tians and Jews and other "unbelievers," and there would be slaughter beyond computation. com-putation. The death of several hundred thousand Armenians was only incidentally a fruit of the kaiser's abortive "holy war"; It had political and commercial and social causative factors. That there Is still a possibility, although remote, of a "jehad" is one of the considerations which makes statecraft in the near east rather precarious. A Wonderful Moslem Spectacle. At the close of Ramadan, the Moslem month of fasting. I was in Damascus, and went with the King-Crane commission commis-sion to attend "the night of power" in the "big mosque" the largest mosque in the world, built of a converted Christian church. Guides, in prewar days, used to show an inscription on one of the pillars, which had been overlooked by the Moslems' Mos-lems' when the church was turned into a mosque. "Thy kingdom. O Christ, is an everlasting kingdom." The mosque Is as famous in the world of Islam as the church once was in the Christian world. "The night of power" has various traditions tradi-tions associated with it. Upon this night the Koran was revealed. In final form. All prayers uttered upon this night are certain of answer. So the people throng to the mosques, the women In the galleries gal-leries or behind a screen In the porticos. Children are brought by their mothers for this great festival. This year, in Damascus, Damas-cus, the occasion was made notable by covered with rugs. Here Emir Felsal and his charming young brother, Zaid, with their aides, said their prayers upon choice white rugs. Both are sons of King Hussein Hus-sein of the Hejaz, shereef of Mecca. Except Ex-cept for his headdress, the Emir was in European clothes; the others were in uniform. uni-form. Their presence plainly was prized by the multitude, for unsullied in their veins runs the pure blood of the Prophet Mohammed. Americans at the Mosque. Time was, not long since, when for a Christian to intrude into a Ramadlan celebration would have insured a quick and horrible death. Damascus is one of the holy cities of the faith, and this particular par-ticular mosque Is a pilgrim shrine. On this occasion, however, the members of the American mission and the Herald correspondent were awaited, welcomed and escorted to seats on the raised divan where the Emir was saying his prayers. Thus we were In the center of a sea of Moslem men. There was not a single look of displeasure, even on the faces of the oldest. Instead, we divided the gratified grati-fied interest of the reverent throng with the Emir and his brother. At the close all the worshipers waited until we had passed out through the carpeted lane to the street. This was a revelation of tolerance tol-erance and of the new mood that has come to Islam. After the formal prayers had been said the multitude was augmented until possibly possi-bly ten thousand men sat crosslegged in the courtyard, with a wide fringe standing stand-ing around. These sang the hymns of the occasion In full throated unison one does not ordinarily associate congregational singing with the Moslem faith. From a balcony, men distinguished for their musical voices recited passages from the Koran; there Is nothing In American Amer-ican experience with which to compare this. The voices were soft, ululating and tenacious of the vowels, so that they suggested sug-gested the far spaces of the desert. A venerable hadjl, a workingman and a physician, all extraordinary vocalists, were the three reciters of the evening the multitude giving rapt attention to them. A Picture of Peril. That great spectacle was a picture of the situation in the Near East. Central was the figure of the Moslem leader, the prince of the house more than royal. About him, in a unity overleaping all social, so-cial, economic and political lines, were the men of the faith, obeving the call of their creed, and ready to follow the scion of the prophet anywhere. For the moment mo-ment the mood was tolerant and kindlv, and desirous of becoming so permanently. But the menace was there. The kingly-eyed young man who looked out so Interestingly upon the multitude of worshipers In the big mosque has become a pivotal figure in the Near Eastern crisis. In order to utilize the Moslem interest, in-terest, or as we would say In American politics, to catch the Moslem vote, he was put at the head of the new Svrian government gov-ernment by Great Britain. All his own judgments are tolerant. Repeated!-, he assured me that the day of religious strife has passed and that there Is no thought of erecting a strictly Moslem government at Damascus. I believe he is sincere in this. If the program could he carried out as announced, he wouid go forward, promoting an understanding between Islam Is-lam and Christianity. His sympathies and his training lie in that direction. This is the trend of the times. Throughout Through-out Syria, representatives of both faiths |
