The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-02-16
THE IMAM OF MUSCAT.

moved to hear that the Imam of Muscat has
shared the fate of some of his predecessors
and chat his vacant throne will be filled by
his victorious rival Synd Torkis. Probably
the mai jority of readers know no more about
than they care for the history of the Sultans
of Oman or of the Imams of Muscat. Yet
this Government has sent consuls to their
dominions, and the records of the State De-
partment will show treaties of commerce en-
tered into between these United
States and the sovereigns of
Muscat-one of whom, anticipating some
of the characteristic needs of our present
chief ruler, sent to former President gift
of horses and other valuables. Muscat is
the capital of Oman, an important centre of
commerce and stronghold of that reformed
Mabometanism whose followers are called
Wahabees, after their founder, ,Abd-el- Wahab,
an Arab of the last century The death of
the Imam is an incident of the religious war
in which these sectaries have been engaged
for nearly century. Abd-el- Wahab was a
radical reformer and between him and Bas-
hub Crunder Sen, the Hindoo Deist of our
day, there was much in common. He regarded
Mohammed as a great man, but not as an
object of worship, yet higher in the scale
than either Moses or Christ. There was no
such thing as revealed religion; the Koran
was good book, but not q revelation; the
religion of Mohammed was divine religion,
not on account of its revelation, but on ac-
count of it's own excellence. All reverence
to the tomb of Mohammed was thus idolatory.
Religion was to propagated by the sword.
Wine, opium, and tobacco were not to be
tolerated. Each man was to contribute from
one-ffth to one-twentieth of his income for
the propagation of the creed. 1t was held in
the original Wababite code that the spiritual
authority should be withdrawn from the tenn
poral ruler, but Saoud, their first temporal
chief, marrying the daughter of El-Wahab,
the spiritual and temporal powers were united
through Arabia, and their forces obtained
possession of Mecca and Medina, which
they plundered. They obtained posses
sion of nearly all Arabia, except
Oman and Hadramut. The temporal
power of this sect received a rude shock in
1918 by the capture and execution of their
Shiek Abdallah, great grandson of Saoud
They afterwards recovered their power, and
occasioned great anxiety to the British rulers
of India, for their peculiar tenets had per-
meated the Mshommedans of India, and one
of these theories was that their religion
should be extended at all hazards, and by vio-
lent means when others failed.
Oman and its capital Muscat, were always
points which the Wahabees sought to secure
Oman is ruled by a temporal Sultan who,
however, is better known by his ecclesiastical
| dignity 'lDnanl OF lnlduun Oh muScdI- IL was
anciently as important as it is to-day, and
having been taken by Albuquerque in 1907 it
was the headquarters of Portuguese trade
with the Indies. For this its position near
the opening of the Gulf of Persia admirably
suits it. Subsequent to the expulsion of
the Portuguese its piratical deeds were the
terror of sailors in the eastern seas. On the
accession of Said Seid in this century, the
early part of his reign was successfully de-
voted to the Wahahees. Afterwards he ex-
tended his authority over a large section of
Arabia and of Africa. He became known as
Sultsn of Zanzibar, to which he removed his
capital The United States was the first
power to send a consular agent to his do
minions. He was in every sense of the word
an enterprising prince. He died in 1856,
and one of his sons succeeded him as
Sultan of Zanzibar, and another as Imam of
Muscat This sol has had to fight the
Wahabees constantly, and within the past
two years despatch was published announc-
ing his deposition by the successful Waha-
bites. The rumor was not subsequently con
frmed, and it is more than probable he is
the Imam to whom a4usion is now made.
He was prince wanting in the energy and
enterprise of his father, the Imam Said Seid
M Y. World.