The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-08-05
Arab and the Caliph.
Yours trui.

time in the cable dispatches to the
rumor that Arab is not unprepared
for an act of high revolt against the
House of Gilman. 1t is whispered
among the Constantinople Pachas
that the Arabian adventurer has
threatened to depose Abdul Hamid
and to proclaim the Shereef of Mecca
as Caliph. 1t seems almost incredl-
BILE that this menace should have
taken the form of an ultimatuD to
be enforced if the Sultan shouldYen-
ture to accept the invitation ff the
Powers and send troops to the Nile.
1t is probable, however, thata secret
dread of an Arabian rival has been
one of the motives which has shaped
Abdul Hamid's diplomatic intrlgues
with Arab. The Egyptian negotla-
tions have given him mOmentary
prominence in Europe, and his Vani-
ty is touched. Naturally he would
like to regain the power which his
house once exercised on the Nile. If
he could suppress the revolt, cut off
the heads of Arab and the Colo
nels, depose Tewfik as an English
sovereign, and proclaim Hahn as
Khedive with the secret aid of France
and the acquiescence of Europe, he
would assert his authority in the
Ottoman Empire, even if he should
not succeedin pillaging the Egyptian
treasury. Why then, has he persis-
tently refused to intervene in Cairo
with strong hand? His hesitation
and tlmorousness cannot be ade.
quately explained unless the contin-
gencies of Holy War and a revolt
against the Sovereign Of the Otto
mans are taken into account.
The Sultan, who is at once the SOW
ereIgn of 100000 subjects and in
some sences of the word Pope of the
Moslem world, knows that both the
sovereignty and the sanctity of the
House of Gilman are lightly esteem
ed at Mecca. The Arab has never
accepted the tradition of the armed
caste which has dominated the Mos
lem Empire. 1t is only the Turk
that believes that with Gilman Is.
lam must fall. The followers of Ma
hOmet who within the generation
following his death conquered Ara.
bia, Syria, Egypt and Persia were
of Arabian stock, and it was not I'M
til the Mussulman world comprised
large section of Asia, the whole
northern coast of Africa and south
ern Spain that the Arabian Caliphs
prepared the way for their own over
throw in hiring the Turks from the
Tartar district to ito their lighting for
them. But the tradition that sover-
eighty should revert to the old line
of Koreish has been cherished in
Mecca. The Mehdi, or Messianic
teacher, whose advent the pious Mus
sulmans of the deserts are confidently
in the darkest hour of their religion,
is an Arab, not a Turk. The date of
his appearance is not prefgured in
definite prophecies, although No
vember of the present year has been
named by certain schools; but there
is a general agreement among belley-
ers in the outlying Mussulman world,
which is not swayed by Ottoman ill.,
tiuence, that Mecca is the quarter
whence he will come, and that his
mission may involve the overflow of
the House of Othman.
Now it would be idle to assume
from his proclamations to the Egypt
ians or from his letter to Mr.. Glad
stone that Arab has either the dis
position or the recources which so
hazardous an appeal to fanaticism
would require. 1t would be even
more futile to follow the far reaching
range of possibilities which Mussul-
man revival under Arabian auspices
would involve. The consequences
would be momentous even if the
Egyptian rebel should shrink from
proclaiming an Arab Caliph as a ri.
val to the sovereign of the Ottomans,
and yet venture to summon all faith.
Iul Mussulmans to Holy War
against the intidels foreigner. II
cannot be questioned that the Sui.
tan's influence over the Mahometan
world would be seriously impaired
and that the position of England In
Mussulman India as well as in
Egypt, and that of France along the
whole coast of Northern Africa
would be rendered far more hazard.
Gus than at present. Unintelligible
as the evidences of the so.called Pan.
lslamic movement have been, there
is reason to believe that owing to the