The Columbus journal., 1882-11-08
Turkeys Dilemma.

Inc interest OF the moment CcnteRs
! about the question whether Turkey will
yield to the demand of England, and
agree to punish Arab for his war on
women and children. The Turkish
Government is controlled by two oppos-
ing forces. 1t has its thoroughly po-
litical party, made up of men who know
!! something of the world, who are we'll
read in foreign literature, have studied
history, have mingled with foreigners,
and who know something of the weak
ness of the Turkish Empire. But these
men of politics are hampered in their
discussion of measures by the fact that
they are Moslems and are responsible to
| the MOslem world for their thoughts and
acts. OF the same religious faith as the
purely political party among the Turks,
and yet opposed to its methods in al
most every particular, is the religious
party. This party is composed of men
of great weight in learning, and is sup
ported by the mass of the people. But
the learning of the great men of this
party is learning in the Arabic philoso-
ply of by-gone centuries. These learned
men are occupied with problems of hair
splitting in the Interpretation of the
Koran, and are IS completely out of the
world as if they were in equatorial Afri-
ca. They live in an age long gone by,
and have NJ idea that science has made
any progress since Arabian science led
the world, or that infdels can have any
knowledge or any moral greatness or
any physical power that can cope with
Islam. This party sees Turkey ham,
pered by demands of infidels. Here in
Constantinople, Is in Egypt, the sole
measure that it has to propose Is the ad-
hesiOn of the Turkish Government to
the ancient principle of Islam: 'If q
man is an unsubmitted infidel, kill
him." This religious party has been
enormously strengthened of late by she
adoption by the Government Of the Pan
Islamic theory of recovering strength.
1t is fully capable of thwarting measures
]cOncOcted by the Porte in open council.
1t is undoubtedly the case that the same
party in Egypt, with its massacres and
outrages, has gone far beyond Arab
Pasha's original intention. The Sultan
has thought to use this religious party to
strengthen his position, expecting to be
able to control its fercer tendencies.
But now he finds it a mighty power and
stands before it in a great dilemma.
This ignorant party of action has made
Arab Pasha its hero, and sings aloud
his praises in all our daily papers. If
the Porte decides to condemn Arab 1t
will have to face the whole religious ele-
ment of the country and risk a revolt.
If it does not condemn Arab and his
works, England will move on to the
conquest of Egypt. Then the Porte
must still face the religious doctors, and
answer the question why it allows infidel
England to attack and crush Moslems
who are only guilty of carrying out the
precepts of Islam.
The dilemma is terrible. To punish
Arab is to side with in6del Europe
against the faithful. Not to punish him
is to be forced sooner or later into tho
adoption of the principle of a holy war,
with all its chain Of mighty conse-
quences. The political leaders know
what the end would be. They know
that Turkey has not a gun and not .
cartridge that has not come from Chris
tian workshops. The religious leaders
know no such thing; they do not know
that the difference between Islam and
Christendom on the battlefield is the
difference between the sword and the
Calling gun. So these religious leaders,
with their belief in divine i~nterposition,
in astrological signs, and with their hope
of q glorious era soon to dawn, are
pressing the Government to throw down
the gantlet t all C~hristendom. The
fact is that the little issues in Egypt are
quite obscured by the looming of the
mighty struggle between all Islam and
all C~hristendom, whose occurrence is now
hanging in the balance. The Turkish
Government would hail with double Joy
any break in the agreement Of the Eu-
ropean Powers. Such a break would
not only relieve the Porte of the neces-'
sity of answering for the acts of the
Egyptian fanatics, but would also de-
prive the Constandnople fanatics of the
power TO insist on q miscellaneous at
tack on all Europeans ConstantinopA
Cor. N. y. Tribune.