The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-08-19
THE FALSE PROPHET OF THE SOU
DAN,

DAN.
Mohammed Achmet, the false prophet
of the Soudan, is the product at once of
an intense religious fanaticism and an
oppressive system of government. His
aim is thus religious and political, while
his religious pretensionS are probably as
sumed only as means to gain politi-
cal end. He has posed as a savior of the
people at time when Moslem fanaticism
has become greatly revived, and when
the country was ripe for an Instruction.
The worst element of a discontinued and
naturally turbulent population have
gathered around him. Circumstances
have favored him in the SOudan much as
they have favored Arab Pasha in Egypt.
He is now at the head of a revolution
which for the Egyptian Soudan is as
great, if not greater, than that which is
running Egypt itself, What connection
he may have, if any, with the party of
revolution in Egypt, it is difficult TO say.
After again and again defeating the
troops sent against him, he is at last com
plete master of the situation. Egypt
has, for the present at least, lost her
hardly-won possessions in the Soudan,
which, if they ever belong to her again,
or if they are ever again opened to COM
merce, or to any civilizing and religious
influence, must be reconquered with a
large army and much expenditure of life
and money. ltmay be interesting, there
fore, briefly to note some of the causes
which have led to this revolution, and to
trace the career of its victorious leader.
The Soudan is general term applied
to that vast and vaguely defined region
of Central Africa wing between the equa-
tor on the south and the Great Desert on
the north, and stretching from east to
west nearly across the continent. The
Egyptian Soudan is generally supposed
to begin at Assouan, or the first cataract
of the Nile on the North, but perhaps
might more properly be said to com
mence at the point where the Nile makes
its great westward bend 1t extends to
the Great Lakes on the south, and from
Abyssinia on the east to and inclusive
of Darfur and the provinces of the Bahr
FL Guazal on the west. This extensive
region, many times larger than Egypt
itself, was not conquered by the Egyp-
tians all at once, but has been annexed
piece by piece, and at no time can it be
said to have been thoroughly subdued or
fully occupied. The Egyptian Govern
ment at Cairo was continually short of
funds, and the Soudan, in company with
the remainder of Egypt, was the victim
of many abuses. The Government as
sumed the monopoly of almost every
thing on the White Nile, even to the sale
of seven poor parrots, one of which was
blind and another lame. Contracts were
sublet to the farmers of taxes. Each
agent made handsome profit for him
self, so that when the taxes, which COW
cred every conceivable means of indus
try down to the wheel which raised the
water from the Nile, were paid by the
labOrer, they were many times larger
than the original exhorbitant apportion-
ment, and we even heard of cases on the
White Nile where the same taxes were col
lected two and three times over by differ
ent officials. Such being the methods
of the Government, made doubly
obnoxious by the corrupt officials who
carried them out, it is not to be won
dered at that there was very general
spirit of discomfort; but never had there
appeared leader who for any length of
time could maintain successful opposi-
ton to the Egyptian Government till Mo
hammed Achmet proclaimed himself the
Mundi, or successor of the Great
Prophet, the expected teacher and savior
of the people. This claim was suggested
by the general belief existing among the
Moslems that toward the end of the
world successor and eXpounder of the
Prophet, and a fuller revealer of the
will of God, was to appear. This be-
lief is founded on various passages and
limitations in the Koran, like the fol-
lowing: "Say unto those of Mecca:
This is my way: | invite you unto God
by an evident demonstration both | and
he who followeth me-" The popular
superstition prescribes certain signs and
evidences by which this prophet is to be
identified, some of which Mohammed
Achmet is said to have shown, while he
has failed in others. Several such pre-
tenders have already appeared, one in
the vicinity of Tunis, another in South
ern Arabia, but none of them have sue
ceeded like Mohammed Achmet.
This man was born in the region of
Dongola, on the western bank of the
Nile, where it makes its great bend. He
was a poor man, a carpenter and boat
builder by trade. He first came into no
toriety on the large island of Abbas, sit
uated about 200 miles south of Khartoum.
Here, after the fashion of the fakirs and
holy men, he withdrew from society and
devoted himself to prayer and media
ton. He soon had a large following,
and proclaimed himself the expected
prophet and deliverer of the people. He
wrotc ;e>ters all over the country an
nouncing himself and his mission. He
was recognized at once as a leader.
While many of the more intelligent Mos
lens repudiated him, others, moved both
by religious and political motives, and
who, above all, hoped that he would