New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-10-21
THE WAR CLOUD.
EASTERN CHRISTIANS ALARMED.


IYRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE rHlSUSN
CoNsTASTINoPIE, Sept. 2S.-The religious aspect
Il tbe commOtOn which now pervades the ottoman
rmnire is deserving of special notice. In Aslaue
TrLov N which this letter shall mainly refer, the
raone are IN state of expectancy One teels there
. II he were walking with iTon-clad shoes In gun
nowder magazine, and the next step may DE iOI-
Iowed by an explosion. l need not enumerate the
.vents of the past few months; the fall OF Abdul
Azlz and his death the accession OF Murad'
and his displacement on account OF INSANITY
the assassination of the Minister'S the lhessalonica
murders; the infammatOry proclamation sent ou'
from COnstantinOple summOnng the Mosehs 10
HOLY War of Islam against the inhdels; tie oco''
, sona outbreaks in the provinces; the uaoo,i'"i
barborities in Bulgaria; the socalled patrlotc loan
.hror,bort rho Empire for war purposes; the imam
eial depression everywhere, ana the universal
nervops anxiety about the future which ul-
settles the pubhc mind, keeps women and children
=; state Of terror stops all business enterprise ana
10 making the life of the Sultans subjects IKE
troubled dream The first point shall speak OF IS
the official appeal of the Sultan's Government 10
Moslen fanaticism. Mdhat Pasha, who is the con-
trailing spirt of the present Turkish Ministry Is
loiood 70 he liberal man. Yet since his entrance
unon high official station tirmans and olhclai poola
nations have been sent throughout the Empire can
inc npon the Moslems TO enlist III the hOIy "ai
;ns+ +ba In6delD The name for this in both
hr,b;c and Turkish is "Jekdd" In all lslamlc MS
tory and literature 1t means MOhammedan war tor
The propagation or defense of the faith Inc very
I'D stirs nm and inhames the old MOsem hatred TO
Cbstians and TO all Christian governments. 1t is an
IsIooic vor-cry and watchwOrd. / have read II IN
1b Turkish official journals, and seen 1t in letters TO
tbeso naners from ConStantinOple Smyrna, Aleppo
and Damascus. The frman telegraphed through
tbe Fm,,ire calling for voluntary contrbu-
tops 70 the war fund called 1t the
d" F6uet .Jekediyt." or Religious War Aid Fund"
and the Turks had the face to ask the nominal
christian sects Of the Empire, the Amenans'
Crooks Catholics, and Professionals to contribute 10
the fund for Fighting against the enemies OF the
State. the Sultan, the country, and the religion
All accounts of the slain in battle spoke OF them as
"roortvrs who had entered Paradise" In one of
the largest cities of the Empire, the Mosem women
ACCOMPANIED the Kedf soldiers to the harbor shout
inc .'Wboever dies in battle dies a martyr; who
aver RETURNS. returns in glory" Sermons have been
rreacbed in the Mosques, poems written, farewell
addresses publicly made to the soldiers, all to the
nprnort that this is Mohammedan war Tor Mo-
bammedan Sultan against the intdel enemies of the
Koran.
This religious aspect became prominent and
o6ious in ConstantinOple that the English paper,
The Lerdnt Herald, which is minion of the Turks,
beconine alarmed at the effect of such demonstra-
tons upon European opinion, protested against the
word Jehadr and it dropped, officially. but 1t
is still used by the MOslems everywhere. The Mos
lem softas ulemas. dervishes, sheikhs and lmams
have been volunteering for the war. wearing the
green trrban. and bearing not the Turkish military
flag but the green standards used in religious pro
SESSIONS. When it is borne in mind that this appeal
Il tba mt xish
pire, from Tunis to Egypt, from Mecca to Bagdad,
and from Damascus to the Danube it will be seen
that the Moslem element in the Turkish Empire is
in state Of the most dangerous and fanatlcI re-
lgious excitement
Ihave lust read letter written from Smyrna by
n correspondent of a Mosem journal, in which he
speaks Of 10000 MOslem volunteers coming to
SMYRNA for the holy war. Among them was an old
man from Magnesia, named Behlawan, with his son
and grandson; also a adof II years going to Monte
negro to avenge the death Of hls father, who was
killed in the former Montenegro war; also Smyr-
Mote woman who brought her two sons and had
them registered among the volunteers. When asked
the reason, she said "When they were born, set
them apart by vow for the redemption OF the faith
and my country" The correspondent then goes on
10 say: "When Mr. Reed, NJ p, proposed in the
British Parliament the expulsion Of the Moslems
his speech reached the Mosems of Smyrna, they
were wrought up to the highest pitch of excitement,
and began with one consent to prepare military
clothing and sent request TO the Government to
purchase at their expense 5000 needle-guns, and
10 appoint officers to drill them. All the alema
and religious noables of the city have joined the
movement which is on the increase. Even the mer-
chants have volunteered. Let the enemies of our
country beware, for the whole Mohammedan world
has become one body, armed and equipped in its
love for religion and country"
This will appear from the present position of the
great reform movement of Midhat Pasha, which is
suggested panacea for the diseases of the Turk
ish body polite. He proposed gravely, in an assem-
bly, of 10 Turkish and Christian notables in Con-
stantinople, the Inauguration of a Constitutional
Government restricting the power of the Sultan,
giving certain representation to the different prov
mces, and substituting for the Mohammedan Siberia
or religion law new code of civil and commercial
law giving absolutely equal rights TO all subjects of
the Sultan, Christian, MOslem, jewish and Pagan.
At the first meeting he merely prOpOunded the re-
form in general terms, but promised
to submit the scheme in detail at
similar assembage, after the SultaIs sanction
had been obtained. The Moslem press everywhere
took the alarm. The holy KOranic law is TO be set
aside Arise, We faithful This cannot be endured,
The Moslem journal Of Constantinope, the Basare',
and the TBunrat of Syria published elaborate
articles to prove the absolute suGiciency Of the
Siberia or Koranc law. The Bassiret says: The
Siberia is Gods law for man. 1t has been proved for
ages. 1t gives equal rights to rich and poor forbds
bribery and defacation il has always been followed
by the Sultans, and even the Europeans have
translated it and followed it. 1t must stand for
ever. God has never given command that His law
is to be adapted to time and place, and changed to