Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-04-02
AFRICAN MOHAMMEDANIsA.

! AFRICAN MOHANMEDANISA.
Geographical Extent Of Islam on the Grss
Dark Continent.
Nineteenth Century.
First, then, what are the leading fsct
as regards the geographical extent @
Islam in Africa? Tney are very upper
fectly realized, even now, by many o
those who speak and write upon the sub.
Jet. Ever since the copqueror, Akbsr
swept IN one sweep of unbroken conquest
from the Nile to the pillars OF Hercules
and spurred his horse Into tho waves Of
the Atlantic, indignant that he
could carry the Koran no further
in that direction, Islam has KEPT
its grip-for over 1900 years, that is-on
the whole OF the Bsroary States; in other
words, on the whole of the regions which,
in ancient times, served as the only con-
Meeting link betwe Africa and the outer
world, the neld Of Egyptian and Of Pboe-
clan, of Roman and of Vandal civiiizs-
ton; the headquarters of African and the
birthplace of Latin Christianity, IS the
great names Of Ter,ulisn and of Csprisn,
Of Arhobius and Of Augustine, may we'll
rem nd as. Turned southwark by the
bend of the Continent, Islam next crossed
the Great Desert, asserting its sway over
the wild nonsd races, who had never
owned any other control, moral, political
or Relationship Berbers, the Touaricks,
and the Tibbus. Wherever In tolls vast
sxpause, this waterless ocean, three
times as large IS the Mediter-
rsnean, there Is 3 salt mine, spring
of brackish water or . few palm trees,
there are to be found the uncouth fol-
lowers of the Prophet. In the large
GASES of Acerer and Apgades, Tablet
Of Tidekelt, Wargla and Ghadames 8, Bilma
and Tibesti, they are to be found In num-
bsrs, and the great CARAVANS which pass
and repass the desert, twice In each yesr,
from Morocco to Timbuctoo, or from
Tripon to Lake Tchsd, exchanging the
hardware aud cotton SUITS OF England
with tine ground-nuts, or gold dust, OR
ostrich feathers, or slaves OF the Sudan,
are managed by Muslims only, and pass
from none but Muslin to none but Mus
linn countries. ...
Soath Of the Sahara, Islam holds almost
exclusive possession of tle most fertile
aud the most populous region OF Africa,
the enormous stretch of country called
Negrolsnd, or the Soudan, extendins
tom the Niger to the Ni'e, or to speak
more accurately, from the Atlantic to the
Indian ocean, and including the powerful
and organized, or at least, semi
civilized governments OF Futa
J .llon, OF B.nbsrrs, Of
Massena, OF Gando, Of Sokoto, Of Bornu-
OF Bag lirmi, f Wsdi, OF Tarfur, OF
Khordofsn and Of Senuasr. Beyond this
region, toward the Gulf Of Guinea, some
Of the most widely extended and vigorous
and Intelligent negro tribes-trioes whose
prowess we have experienced, whether
fighting on our side or a5ht-
ing against US, in the Asnan,
tee or other wsrs-the Aandin
goes and the Feulahs, the Jollofs and the
Haussss, are, to man almost, Mohsm-
medsu. And even along the coast line,
where various European powers-the
French, the Portuguese, the Du.cb, the
Danes, the English, the S0anlards or the
Germans-ha7e at various times planted
their commercial settlements, and where
they can boast of narrow and supe fetal
fringe Of Christianity and civilization as
the result, the trader missionaries, or
missionary traders OF I,lam-for in
Africa they are generally both in one
ale pushing their entertainments, and
mausge to make many converts, alike
from the Psgsn and the semi Christian
lied natives. Sierra Leone and L,gos,
the tw, chief Engtsh ssttl ments whe
Islam had been till within few years sgo
QuiIe unknown, now assesses large and
furnishing and selt-supporting Muslin
communities.
Nor is this ALL The great eastern horn
OF Africa has been for Centuries psopled
by Mohammedan races. ferocioos- and
fauatical, such as the Snmalis ard
the CALAIS. Far to the south Mohamme-
danism Ia dominant along the whole tx
teot OF the Snsheli coast, in the Arab
Sultsnste of Zanzibar. The followers
of the prophet are settled In con
siderable numbers in Northern Mad
.gascar snd in MoE.moiquet, and
far inland-chl. fly, 1t is sad to cay. as
slave traders-sround all the great lakes,
end alepg sll the upper reaches OF the
Congo; and, southwark OF this again,
they are to be found scattered here
and there, always ANXIOUS to propo
gate their creed, even among the 'uu-
believing Ksf1-s, and, still further
aeld, in Cape Colony. It Is hardly
too much to say that one-half Of the
whole OF Africa is already dominated by
1 lam, while, Of the remaiDipg half. one
quarter is le,vened and another threat
ened by it. Such Is the ANS xing. the por
tentous prohl m which Christianity and
civil z4tion have to face In Airica and TO
which neither of them seems, as yet, half
awake.