The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1882-07-20
The Origin Of the Trouble in Egypt.

| The causes which have brought
abont the trouble in Egypt, al
though generally pretty clearly un.
derstood, will bear brief reca-
pitulation just now. Egypt is de
tendency of Turkey, and as such
forms part and parcel of the Otto
man Empire. To both Great Brit
ain and France the empire is al
most hopelessly in debt, ~ To Sc
cure part of this Indebtedness, it
was mutually agreed that an An
glo- -Frence commission should take
charge of the finances of Egypt, and
after deducting therefrom So, ,00O, 900
annually-$3, 10000 of which for
Great Britain, the balance for
France-should turn the surplus
over to the national need. The
presence of the British and French
comptrollers, as well as the scores
of their compatriots who have in
some way or another worked them
selves into positions Of permanence
in Egypt, has increased the mate
hatred for the christian by the
Moslem to a frenzy which culmi-
mated in the late rioting at Cairo
and Alexandria. Arabi Bey, min
lister of war, is the public embodi-
ment of the popular feeling, and is
doing his utmost to free his country
from all connection with the chris
tian. The Sultan and his agent in
Egypt, the Khedive, are, however, so
completely under the control of
their creditors as to make it very
difficult for them to act in accor-
dance with Arab. Hence another
feature of the difficulty. Europe is
steadfast in her demands for order
and security to the christian of life
and property in Egypt These de-
mands will be enforced.
Meanwhile, another complication,
which first manifested itself in 1850,
in the person of the elder son of one
Sidi Mohammed Es-Sennoussi. 1t
concerns the Moslem rather than
the christian. In tho sacred writ
ings of Islam occurs the following
"On the first month of
Moharrem, in the year of the Hegiri
1900 (November u, 1882, will ap-
pear Ell Mehdi, or the Messiah. He
will be exactly forty years Of age;
of noble bearing; one arm will be
longer than the other; his fathers
name will be Mohammed, his moth
er's Fatina; and he will be hidden
for time prior to his manifesto
ton" The person who fulfills the
of this prophecy is the
Sennoussi referred to.
Sennoussi declares God has con-
fided to him three duties;
l. To propagate the most austere
principles of Islam.
.. To wage war against the con-
tamination Of Islam by contact
with the christian.
3. To punish the Turkish gov
ernment for adopting European cos,
tunes and copying European insti
tutions.
No fewer that 700 Zaovia, or sub
ordinate places of worship, have been
established in Egypt and Arabia for
the preaching of these teachings;
and emissaries from aennoussi have
expounded them personally to the
Shirkul-Islam and the Ulemas Of
Constantinople--the chief and
priests of the Moslem faith. That
these teachings have been greedily
imbibed by the irreconcilable Arab
Bey admits of no doubt. He has
already gone 40 far as to call him
self FL Medhi, although he does
not fulfill the requirements made by
the sacred writings in connection
with the Messiah.
In dealing with the affairs of the
Turkish empire we are apt to make
insufficient allowance for this great
intestine connection going on
among the faithful" Turkish rule
in Stamboul, for aught that Europe
is concerned, may hang on as tena-
ciously az did byzantine rule in the
Constantinople of 400 years ago.
1t will be an internal strife of the
nature of the one now being waged
within its borders, quite as much
as to any aggressive action on the
yart of Europe, that the collapse of
the Ottoman Empire VIII be due.
Still its present resistance to the de-
crees of Europe will not tend to
ward lengthening the days ofits pill
grimage. With foes inside as well
as outside its fold, Islam is in a
very unhappy condition just now.