The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-03-18

MARCH IS, 1882.
SATURDAY
Panlslamism AID the C.lipnate.
LFrom the London Times, Jan. 20.

Though the family of Osman had obtain
cd in a more or less legitimate way the title
of Caiiph, the Sultans never attempted, I'M
til quite recently, TO make any political use
of it. and never dreamed of pretending TO
have any temporal or spiritual power over
ihe Whole Mussulman world. In their own
country they were known as 1.-The Padish-
3h,' or "~IIunkiar' literally the 'Manslay-
er'), and among the Arabs they were call
ed The sultan" They kept their more
high-sounding titles of Caliph and Com
mander of the Faithful for religious cer,-
monies, and used in official documents and
on coins such titles as Commander of the
Two Continents and Ruler of the Two Seas
(Black Sea and Archipelago, or The Ser
want of the Holy Places Mecca and Me-
dina. From the beginning of the present
century the Sultans have generally sought
to diminish, or at least keep in the back
ground, the semi-religi"us character of their
sovereignty, in order to introduce more
easily those modern European conceptions
and institutions which were unknown to
the Prophet and the ancient Doctors of the
Law. Abdul AZiZ had less love of Euro
peans and their institutions, and, though
by no means a fervent believer, wished TO
live and die a genuine Turk but he never
thought of increasing his power or extend
ing his territory by Il pOliticO-religiouS pro-
paganda. During his reign there was a re-
VIval OF patriotism among IA certain section
of the young Stamboulees, but it was a pat
riotism of a Turkish, not of a Mahomedan
kind. The project of a united Islam under
the ottoman Caliphs dates from the present
reign, and there is no difficulty in explain
ing why it did not appear sooner. Though
Christendom had been for two centuries
gradually encroaching on Islam, the Chris
tan and the Mahomedan nations had new
er been ranged against each other in open
conflict. Turkey, the greatest of Mahome-
dan Powers, had always had Christian al
lies, or at least sympathy and diI lOmatic
support from Christian States and though
sometimes compelled to cede territory to
her Christian enemies, she had never been
threatened in her national existence. Once,
indeed, in the present century-at the time
of the battle of NaVarinO-She seemed to
have all Europe against her, and there was
consequently Il serious OutburSt OF MuSSul-
man fanaticiSm, Systematically encOura ged
by the sublime Porte; but the political sit
uation soon changed completely, and before
many years had passed the most formidable
enemy of the Empire was the True Believ-
er Mehemet Ali, with his army of Egyptian
MuSSulmans, while the protectOrO of the Sui
tan was the Christian Gar of All the Rus
sias. After this came the period of Anglo
French protection, eliminating in the Cri-
mean war, and continuing for II quarter of a
century afterwards. When France was
crushed i'm 1871 by Germany the protection
of the Western Powers naturally lost much
of its efficacy, and some of the PaShas con-
sidered it prudent to make Il TdpprOchement
with Russia; but none of them ever thought
of seeking support in the Mussulman world,
and the great mass of the people continued
to look to England as the chief protector of
the Empire. 1t was not till the Russian
Government had displayed its real policy
in the Treaty of San Stefano, and the Con-
gress of Berlin had shown that Turkey had
no longer any Christian prOtectOr-it was
not till then that the Turks began to feel
that they had nothing to hope from Christ
endOm, and he ground was thus prepared
for Panislamist theories. How those he
cries acquired a political Significance have
now to briefly to describe.
The events of the war and the final catas-
trophe which brought the Russian army to
the gates of Constantinople produced among
the educated classes not only a feeling OF
hostility to ChristendOm, but also a senti-
ment of indignation against the Sultan and
his dynasty. The soldiers had fought as
braveiy as their ancestors in the glorious
days of Soleyman, and the statesmen of the
time of Abdul Aziz had provided war ma
terial sufficient for the emergency, so that
under proper direction the Russian invad-
ing army should have been easily driven
back beyond the frontier; but instead of this
brilliant result, the country had suffered
such humiliation as it had never before eX-
perienced, and the culprit was not far to
seek. The Sultan and his miserable favor
ties, it was said, had wantonly provoked
the war in order to destroy the Constitution
and re-estabiish autOcracy, and the militia
~ disaster had been brought about by the
intriguers of HildiZ Kiosk. Instead of 60
ing forth to the field of battle, as the Gar
Sllld Ilto SOIlo ISlh OllS -AcNAo tHAA A'ttN
remained hidden in his palace and had sub
ordinated all patriotic considerable s to his
personal safety, fostering the rivalry be-
tween the different Generals so as to pre-
vent the possibility of Il military dictator
ship, and thereby rendering combined mil
itary action impossible. With all authority
and power concentrated i'll the hands OF
such a man, the country could not possibly
recover from the terrible wounds it had re-
ceived, and no trusty bulwark could be ere
ated for Islam against aggressive Chrlsten-
DOM. No mere palliative remedies, it was
thought, would suffice to avert the danger.
Not only must the weak, timid Abdul Ha-
mid be deposed, but the whole of his degen-
crate, corrupt dynasty must be put aside for
ever. His immediate predecessors had been
little better-and in some respects much
worSe-than himSe f, and among the living
members of the ynaSty there was not one
who had any of the great qualities required
for saving the fortunes of Turkey and of Is
lam. But what could be put in the place
of the dynasty of Osman? An Ottoman
Republic was not to be thought of, because
the mass of the Turkish people must have
a personal object of allegiance, and Repub-
lican institutions in ConstantinOple would
fail to obtain any support throughout the
Mussulman world generally. The raising
to the Throne of any Turk was equally in
admissible, because there was none III
would enjoy popular veneration. There
was, hOweVer one family which might full
fiji all the required conditiOns-namely, the
family of the Grand Shereefs of Mecca,
They were the direct descendants of the
Prophet, and had been since his death the
rulers of Mecca and Hedjaz. They had new
er aSpired to great temporal dominion and
had always accepted the sovereignty of the
Caliph, Ommeyad, Abbasside, Fatimide, or
Ottoman who happened to be most power
full in the HedjaZ, but they had ever enjoy
ed the veneratiOn of all true MuSsulmanS,
and their names were made known in all
corners of the earth by the thousands of pill
grims who yearly visit the holy places.
The representative of the family, who was
at that moment Emir of Mecca, was a GER
tain Hussein, a man of large mind and lib
eral views, who had already conceived the
idea of resuscitating the Arab Caliphate and
freeing his race from Turkish domination.
If this man were raised to the Throne of
Constantinople, the old bitter enmity be-
tween the Arab and the Turk, which bad
been increased and intensified by the events