The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-03-05
MOHAMMED'S TEACHING
xxP0UxDED M ONE OF HIS FOL
LOWERS OF MODERN DAYS.
1Euhammad A. r.. webb, the Yankee Mo-
hsnmedsn, Opens His Campaign
In New York City.

~ 49,
che teachings OF Mohimmedanism and
the study Of the Koran. The article read
es follows:
At the home OF Colonel David b. Sickles.
ut 40 west One hundred and nineteenth
street, Muhammad Alexander Russell
Webb raised last night the green stand
ord OF Islam, drew the sword or TIE
Prophet Of Mecca. and shouted the bat
tie cry OF Moslems everywhere, God Is
Great. and Mohamnred is. His 'rophet"
He did all this in the most breezy. busi-
ness-Iike way in the world. lie was
dressed in an evening suit. and his hands
hung from his trousers pockets by the
thumbs. His carefully combed whiskers
we're spread out In curling righteousness
,pon his shirt front. and his dark lair
ras reached straight back from his fore
head His voice was business-nke. and
his speech abounded with the accents
which persons from ives. of the Allie
chanvs put upon their words, and also
with such current slang as isn't IN H.
"you can bet your last dollar"
Il am not exactly missionary SAID
he. II simply came here TO estaollsn
Mohamn edan paper, 10 pupiish DOORS
that will educate Americans into knowl-
edge OF Islam as 1t is. and TO organize
circles for the study OF the Koran ana
Of Islam in general" He soon got upon
the subject Of polygamy. For said he.
that Is the idea uppermost In the mlnds
OF Americans when Mohammedanism is
mentioned. Our idea of polygamy is got
from the Mormons. We think that IL
means for q man TO marry as many wives
as he pieases, and that naturally MIS-
us with disgust.
al
"You must remember, In the nrst place.
that Mohammed found the Arabs marry
ing as many wives as they chose' ne
cut down the number so that they could
marry one. two. three or four wives, ac-
cording to circumstances ] am not fool
fish enough to suppose that polygamy
could be engrafted upon our system OF
civilization. But you must know that
prostitution does not exist in purely MO-
hammedan countries. In India, where
the English are, the Christian Engllsh
Government sets aside on its official In
dian budget each year a certain sum for
providing prostitutes for the army. l
did not believe this when first heard IT,
but looked into it and found that 1t was
true.
.'Tbe harem IS not an institution Great
ed by Mohammed, nor Is the custom OF
keeping the women in seclusion a part
should dress modestly, and this precept
has been carried to the extreme through
the adopting of an Indian custom. In
an Oriental city ] lectured before about
fifty Mohammedan woman. They were
separated from me by screen and l
could not see them. i lectured upon
the customs of English and American
society about women. They could all
speak and understand English. AS l
heard afterward. they were terrified and
scandalized by what 1 told them about
the way our women went about the
streets. The Mohammedan women are
well content, and regard their Western
sisters with fully as much pity ana
horror as their Western sisters have Tor
them. And, furthermore, I know that
their rights are as well protected as are
the rights of our women.
another thing Is that no genuine Mo-
hammedans drink strong liquors. The
drinkers Of wine and whisky among them
are the Europeanized Mohammedalls,
who wear the European dress. The great
objection have to the Christian system
is that II is loose. 1t teaches its follow
ers TO pray without eeasing The result
&c that they pray Internationally or not
nj ALI. Now the Mohammedan must pray
Eve times a day, at sunrise. at noon,
between 4 and o'clock, just at sunset
and at bedtime. He must pray at each
OF these times, and in this way he IS at
least five times during the day reminded
OF his religion. Each time he prays
ne must make his additions. and thus
the virtue of cleanliness goes hand IN
hand with prayer.
'Islam means resignation to Cod
There are no priests as such In Islam.
The imam who leads the prayers may be
a butcher or a baker or tailor. There is
no class of priests. and therefore there
Is no inducement for q man to cling to
error.
THE great central idea Of Islam is
brotherhood. All men stand upon a level.
The rich merchant, the nobeman, the
beggar are brothers. Mohammed taught
and practised this most earnestly. And
I have never known of a Moslem being
lnhuman or cruel TO a brother Moslem.
They say that Islam is the religion Of
the sword This is a strange reproach
for Christianity to bring 10 Islam. What
religion has as bloody record as Chris
tianity? When Omar and his army en-
tered Jerusalem in the religious war not
a drop Of blood was shed. When the
Crusaders entered 1t 10000 men, women
and children were put to the sword. Even
In their bloodiest wars the Mohammedans
spared the old men and the women and
the children"
Muhammad Webb then reviewed the
events of the Prophets ife, and his re-
ligious wars, TO show that he had been
Think" said he. Gin the
Eighth century Moslem Spain was the
home OF the arts and sciences, the highest
type of civilization In the world. while
Christian Europe was plunged in igno-
rance and in blood and was overrun with
monks who thought ii a sin to be clean.
II do not pretend 20 say that the Mo-
hammedans in general carry out the pre-
cepts OF Mohammed as he wished. Neither
DO the Christians carry out the precepts
OF Jesus. in the Philippine Islands the
Christians are the most ignorant and
superstitious people ever Jaw. Yet they
pass as Christians. You must not Judge
Islam by the Niohammedans you see
about the streets Of Bagdad, or Bombay,
or Cairo. Judge II by the educated and
Intelligent and enlightened followers it
has. Judge IL by the teachings Of the
Koran. Pead the Bible. then read the
Koran. And if any fair-minded man does
not say that the Koran Is the better book.
IL, eat it"
DR.. NJ. S. Gabriel. Christianized Turk.
editor OF the New York Turkish journal,
Haik. urged upon Muhammad Webbs
attention that Islam contained but one
truth. that God is one. while Jesus taught
many truths. islam" he said. SIS a
good enough religion for the semi -barba-
tous Arabs. but a poor substitute for
- 80
The Rev. A. B. Eliot. retired Pres
eyterian clergyman. said that he thought
islam was borrowed from Judaism and
from Christianity. and contained nothing
worthy OF attention ''WeH
AL Join you. Mr.. Webb" continued DIR.
Eliot. IF you'll turn your crusade in the
direction Of more modest evening dress
Tor women
In the sarna iseiia tha Gun co..a.ao..s