Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-07-14
BEHIND THE SCENES.
The Religious Element That Figures
In the Egyptian Question-The Mos
lem Messiah TO appear During the
Present Year

II
In the Egyptian Question-The Mos
lem Messiah to appear During the
Present Year.
COnstantinOple Correspondence New York Herald
The sultan is perfectly aware that it
l. IN his spiritual rather than in his
temporal power that his real strength
lies. And 1t is precisely in his quality
as khalf of the Moslem world that
Abdul Hamid is now menaced.
Among the sacred writings of FL
Islam is found the following prophecy:
ION the first month of Moharrem,
IN the year of the Hagra, 1900 (Novem-
Der II, 1892, will appear the Ell Mehdi.
CT Messiah. He will be exactly 10
years of age and Of noble bearing.
One arm will be longer than the other;
his fathers name will be Mohammed,
his mothers Fatina, and he will be
hidden for time prior to his mani
festation."
The sacred parsonage who fulfills all
the requirements o his prophecy is
the older son of the famous Sid Mo-
manned Es-Senoussi, whose doctrines
advocate return to the most aus
tere principles of the faith, ~ cru
sade-or rather q crescent -ade 80
against the contamination of Islam by
Christian contract, and ~ the censure
OF the Turkish government for adopt
ing European institutions. These doc
trines were received with enthusiasm
In north and central Africa as early as
1850, and have since been steadily
gaining more adherents; and to-day
there are over 700 zaovia, or subordi-
nate places of worship, where the SEN
oussl doctrines are expounded. These
zaovla are scattered about in every
place between Morocco and Mecca. At
Mecca the Senoussi sectarians have
struck up sort of offensive and defen-
sive alliance with the famous Waha
bees or Unitarians of Ell Ishsm. Lieut..
Gill, of the Royal Engineers, recently
passed through Constantinople on his
way home from England, after an un-
successful attempt to penetrate the IN
terror from Tripoli. Lieut.. ellis. pas
sage, like that of Gerhard Rohlfs,
Vachtigare AMI Duveyrier, was barred
by Senoussi agents.
CRESCENT AND CROSS.
Senoussi emissaries are now busying
themselves in Stamboul with discus
sions with the Sheik Eli Islam and the
Ulemas upon intricate theological
points, the practical outcome of which
Is that "the Moslem's object must be
to combat Christian ideas and Christ
ian innovations, and must employ all
possible means to check further Christ
ian advances into the Darel-lslam.
The presence Of the English and French
fleets at Alexandria; the declaration
of the four Uiems. who at Cairo in
formed Dervisch Pasha that had it not
been for Arab Pasha, Egypt would
have been annexed by Europeans; and
finally the firm refusal of the Sultan to
consent to European conference reg
ulating the internal affairs of his en-
pire has given an intensity to the SEN
oussi discussions that may at any mo-
ment assume startling proportions.
Abdul Hamid is fully alive the the dan
ger that menaces him, and to ignore,
or even to neglect, the state of opinion
in North Africa and Arabia, of which
Senoussi agents are the opponents,
might cost Abdul Hamid the khal
lfate. The Ottoman Khalifate is also
menaced from another quarter. Dur
ing the past five or six years several
powerful chiefs in Syria and Hedjaz
have been trying to form coalitions for
the purf ose of throwing off the SUI
premecy of the Sultan and revivihg
the old Arab Khalfat. In the event Of
such a scheme succeeding the Grand
Schereef of Mecca, who is of course
descendant OF the Prophet, would prob
ably be chosen khalif. Two years ago
Abdul Muttalib, who had been Grand
Schereef during the Yedda massacre
in 1853, which led to his deposition.
persuaded the Sultan that his relative
and rival, the then Grand Schereef
Hussein, was dangerous pretcnder
and would soon openly declare him
self Khalif. Whether Hussein really
harbored such designs it Is impossible
to know.