Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1896-04-02
FLAG OF PROPHET
GREEN MANNER THAT HAS BEEN
pSFunLED
Believed by mohammcdann 10 Have
Decn Delivered by the Angel
Gabriel to the Prophet.

Dispatches concerning the Mahdist
outbreak In the Soudan state that the
green banner has been unfurled. and
that a holy war has been declared. II
this green flag, the Gag of the pro-
phet,' were really unfurled. II would
perhaps proclaim n crusade In which all
true Mussulmans would be bound 10
take an active part and fight against
Christianity in every part OF the world.
They may be in India, Arabia, Egypt.
or wherever else their scattered race
may have found home; the raising
of the green standard is a call which
none may uis0Dey without, US Tie ao-
ran lays II down, sacrincing all hope OF
IaIauisc. In TINS sense tae Aiaudisss
have no rlsht 10 uIiuri the nag. lor the
enufe Aioil,tIulnedan word does not fol-
low the lead of the fanatics who live
along the shores Of the Upper Nile.
line Heavenly standard Is believed
by Mohummedans TO have been tie
banner OF the Prophet Mohammed. de-
livered to him by the angel Gabriel.
through the medium of Aycshla, as an
indubitable token OF victory over their
enemies. Their theory IL that In case
OF any serious struggle. n religious duty
compels the sultan, in this case the
khalifa, to give orders to the "mulas.'
or Mohammedan clergy. to display the
and proclaim, ''Ai Jehad,' or the holy
war. by exhorting the Moslems to be
faithful to their religion and defend
their kingdom. This Is the prophets
banner" the sheikh-a l-Islam exclaims,
this is the standard of the caliphate;
II is set up before you and displayed
over your heads. o true believers. to
announce to you that your religion Is
threatened, your Caliphate In danger.
and your life, wives, children and prop
erty exposed to be the prey of your
cruel enemiesl Any Moslem. therefore,
who refuses to take his arms and follow
this holy Bairack Is an inhdel. and
must. therefore. suffer condemnation
Such an expedient has always pro-
duced wonderful effects among those
who profess tho Mohammedan religion.
All good Aioslems are considered as be-
ing divorced from their wives. ipso
facto. II they refuse to make haste,
tnke up their arms, follow the banner
of the Caliphate, and fight against the
enemy OF their religion and Kingdom.
The real green flag is In Turkey. II was
formerly laid up in the treasury of the
sultan at Constantinople but Is now
kept In the mosque at Eyoob. where the
new sultans on the day OF their coro-
nation grid on the saber of the Cali
phate. IL is confirmed by trustworthy
historians that the stndard of the Call
phate has been always kept with extra
ordinary care and reverence--that even
the Jnnissaries who were often disre-
spectful TO the sultans. trembled at the
sight OF this holy ensign. Only one in
stance of disrespect to the heavenly
standard Is related in the Turkish an
nails. This happened In 1858. when Has
san Pasha. at the head of n seditious
faction, waged war with with his le-
climate sovereign. The sultan gave or
ders, as usual, to display the banner OF
the Caliphnte with view 10 induce
Hasan Pasha and his partisans to obey
and respect the head of Islam. Hassan
Pasha seems to have been of little
| faith, inasmuch as when he saw the
| sacred banner displayed, he turned his
back TO II and TO the exhor,ing Mullas,
and gave orders to his soldiers to fight
| fiercely and carry the war on to the
| end.
The genuineness OF the green banner
| now preserved at Constantinople has
been questioned. In the first place all
| the biographers of Islomism, both ORR
entails and Occidentals, make no allu-
sion to a green banner used by hoham-
med In his military enugagements. El-
macin mentions only two flags. which
| were constantly carried before Mohnm-
med in the twenty-five campaigns in
which he was personally engaged. One
was black and was called "Al-'Okab," 1.
| e., the "Al-Lewa," l. e., the standard
| par excellence. In the second place, the
| banner used In former times during the
sultan's wars as the standard of the
Caliphate We're of different colors, and
| had different notices inscribed on
them. Several banners of the Caliphate
have been also taken In different wars
! by the Christians. One of these was
/ captured by the king OF Poland In the
| year 1883, and sent to Rome to be pre-
scented to the pope. The centerplece,
wa OF gold brocade upon red ground.
! and Its borders We're OF silver bro
| cade upon a green ground Upon one
| side was embroidered in Arabic the
| Mohammedan formula. "There is but
| one God, and Mohammed is His Apos-
tie" on the other side was the follow
Ing motto In Arabic; ''Have confidence
In God, o faithful. and strengthen your
| faith"
Another standard OF the Caliphate
was captured by the Venetlans In the
year 1885, with seventeen other ban
| ners, three hundred horses, twenty
eight guns. and other spells. The stan
dnrd was, by the order of the Venetian
senate, exposed In the church OF tho
Theatin monks at Venice. ON one side
OF II the following words were inscribed
in Arabic; In the name Of God The
| Most High and Almighty, God the
Lord OF all things, and the honorable
prophets and saints Mohammed,
Abubclir, Omar, Gilman and All" on
the other side was also written in
Arabic: There IL but one God, and
Mohammed is his Apostle o God, our
Lord, Thou are great in Goodness. and
Thou are the Lord Of all nations" 1t
appears, therefore. from these HIS
torical facts. that the green standard
now In the Mosque OF Evoob, at Con-
stantlnople, Is not the same one used
by Mohammed In his military engage
| ments, And this accords with the ira
dition that says that when the prophet
was dying, Avesha, his fayorite wife
tore down the green purdah from the
door OF the death chamber and giving
II TO the assembled chiefs. bade them
make 1t their nag Of future victory.
The Moslems, therefore. call this green
banner "Bairack-unnabi" as helng used
as the standard of the Kingdom and
the religion OF Mohammed.
Notwithstanding all historical facts
with regard 10 the n-genuineness OF
the green banner, the Moslems have al
ways believed. and still bclleve, that
the green banner which they posses Is
the true Iowa." or standard. delivered
to Mohammcd by divine ordinance as
an induhltabie token OF victory. This
strong faith compels them In conscience
10 carry their arms and follow II when
ever they see Il displayed. nay, the
suitaHs Themselves are bound. as good