New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-08-01
HIohammed the Ieon0clast.

Iss frODhet Or lmpOstOr, saint or devil, hero
or AntichEist- was he!
1gaa nave asked that question, and the
reply, is not yet. Godfrey de Bouillon
would have answered without hGsitation,
I and Richard Plantagenet. surnamed CGur
de Lion, would have backed the assertlDn,
"lmpostor, devil. Antichrist." Haroun the
just, who sent Charlemaane the first clock
ever seen in Europe, and Yussuf Salah I'D
Doen, who outgeneralled the Lion Heart,
would have answered with even less hest
tation, Prophet, saint, andshero." Which
party was righn and if neither, which was
nearest right! Which of the two knew
most about Mohammed! Which was most
Iseapable of judging on any question of char
acter and evidence. and which possessed
the most collateral 1earning and powers of
| comparison!
These questions are by no means harl to
| answer. We know that the mental accom-
plishments of Godfrey de Bouillon and
Rehard Plantagenet were confined to a
Gent to enable them to Sign their names
after fashion, while of the Arabic I'm
guage and Of the contents Qf the Koran IT.
self they ware both in blissfulN ieuosance.
Had any one offered to present either with
copy Of the book i the original Arabic
or in the perfect French TRANSLATION, it is
most probable hat Godfrey and Richard
WOulu AoVO oCtCU III U1O 9kA010 way lQCO
the fire would have gone The book, and with
it the donor, had the latter bean available.
Had either possessed thepOwer to extermi-
nate every M0slem living ~ here is not a
shadow of doubt that be would have ordered
the execution at once imagining no was
doing God service in Furnishing "blssphem-
e ;o, In what ,;t the +. sin : blasphethy con
Godfrey and Richard might have been puz.
zled to explain to the satisfaction OF, a dis.
interested party. The argument, had such
a thing as argument been possible, would
infallibIy have ended, like lie renowned
discussion between Captain Fluellen and
Captain MacMorris. in ah attempt by one
party to cut of the other party's head.
When we come to examine Haroun and
Yussuf We find men of different stamp.
Without being less a soldier, each was
much more of general, and each was the |
most enlightened prince of his own time.
ALI the learned men of the East focked to |
- cougts.pt both. and in those, DAYS the |
East almost mopolized the learni6g Of the |
wood: Besides this, each prince was we'll |
ned, and in fact had committed che ereater
part of the Koran bodily to memory. "A
every Arab of rank does ct the present dav. |
These men. thoroughly uooueinted with |
Mohammed'S book-a book historically car.
oain a. being tho cork of his single mind.
unassisted ~ others-eelled Mohammed. |
- their DESCENDANTS do to thio time'
prophet, saint and hero" It becomes.
thu, to us Of u present time, . natter Of
lnqniry whether thaoB men may not posi-
BY be right, and Godfrey and Richard pos
sibly wrong, For 3 good my centuries
We have be0n going on the crusadiDg the 4
Dry AZ regdkds Islam, and Ut is about time |
thst those of us who are open. to reason |
slapped to ask wlAther We are d6ite jasti.
led In our claseifcation of "Jews, Hurks
md infidels" as objecttof ~, to be prayed
for once year. sAn0tber doubt may oven
oise as to whether Ne asa justified in call
ne 4oslem an '4nfdel" 1nder aBy cir 7
'umstances; but thiA doubt will nrise at q
alter stage Of the inquiry. TO form iudg-
ne1t - Mohammod We mus read his book, |
AlAorsn. To that alone he appealed,
4hen aeked to work niaAcoes q . sign ef |
10 miseion; to the the Arabs point iD-day |
2 atending miracle, defying the world to \
le0dtee its equal.
Weare. told b Ill Arabs that sle Koran
th0mest perfect Wetry in the Arabic Ian
nek4; end yet, vh6n We come = orna it -
rensYated into Eealish, VIC fri i dali and
edaoes. 1t 10 di66e1lt thing for q Euoo- Y
80 70 read through the whole Koean il al
raa4atlo2 He SOON @Ieali1es it to be dit
efeng troo what d. imaginedaEA Vesyl
oo04y no Aoeemed Of 6odine theooiAylooR
q }uscious d1scsipeiaoe Of tae soaoll2
Ato4a1meaan pae0dise;" ~ he shoul1 l
ID Iaaeut -hoak!s ana the trepel hfay t. ,
$50 Atbeeakt nv1Rs Ct vim, md III tAaN l.
tio1s Of the different heovens usaally at. i
Pib1ted 70 the prophet He 6nds not =
'ord OF al this. Instead, there 10 bound