The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-13
HEBREW ANDHUSSULHAN
federation Toward the Jew i'm Mo-
hammedan Countries.
Though Regarded as InadeIs In u
Grent Degree, the Asfatics Are Not
Prone to Think Evil of the semitic
Races Some of Them Especi-
alIy Honored by the khaIifs.

1t is very difficult, at least for observers
who are outside their community. to I'M
derstand the precise relation between
Jews and Mohammedans. Though the latter
in some places prosecute them horribly,
as. for instance in Morocco. where the
life of Jew, unless he is protected by a
European consul, is hardly OF more value
than that of an animal, they are we i'm
agine, held to be nearer to the ruling
caste IN Mussulman countries, more like
kinsfolk, than they are held in any Chris
| tian country, except perharJ England.
where the distinction of creed and race Ia
very often forgotten. This is due. we i'm
agine, first of all, to the fact that the
Mussulman races which have borne rule
have always been Asiatics, and save rec
ognized in Jews that comfy of Asia which
is at least as strong as the bond which,
when smen OF other colors assail them.
binds the white peoples together FOR de-
fence. Jew and an Armenian are safe
in many Asiatic bazaars where European
If recognized as such, would owe his life
TO some personal or political protection
1t was this comfy perhaps, rather than
traditional history. which induced the
Persian monarchs through SO many ages
to recognize the descendants of David as
Princes Of the Captivity, and leave to
them delegated authority as of princes
over their own people.
There is some thing more. however. in the
relation of Jews to Mohammedans. who.
though regarding themselves as infdels,
and sometimes as specially offensive INF
dels, still find it easier to form relations
with them than with Europeans Moham-
med himself We fancy. never quite knew
whether he thought OF them a sacred
people or as a people specially inimical to
himself. and therefore to God. He certain
ly hoped at one time for their support and
was even inclined to make OF Jerusalem
the keblah. OF sacred point, to which his
followers should turn In prayer. He mix
ed Jewish legends with his own "revela-
TONS" and to this hour the only history
Of the world in which MChemmedans place
any faith is variant upon the history in
the Old Testament. The Khalifs OCCASION
ally raised Jews to posts OF great conf
dence. and in Spain under the Arab or
Moorish dynasties they were allowed to
claim a position almost of equality. They
were somtimes nobles so far as there can
be mobiles under a Massulman dynasty.
they filed the professions, and it Is still
doubtful whether most OF the high civ
ilization OF Granada and Seville might not
"
and freedom from scruple in investigation.
Even now, though the Turk will tolerate
no equal near him, and though the Jew.
who is essentially Arab. is as far divided
in blood from the Turk who is essentially
Mongol as the European is, the Jew
sometimes obtains in Turkey very re-
markable position. He is said to rule in
Salonica, for instance. In way which
would not be tolerated in the case OF any
IN II III
defined influence with the officiaIs-which
does not wholly depend on bribery-great-
ly TO his own commercial advantage
The Mussulman feeling. in fact. toward
the Jew appears to resemble closely that
OF q European man toward a kinsmau who
is regarded as a mauvais sujet to be
avoided and kept down, or, If necessary.
to be given up to the authorities, but.
nevertheless. to be reluctantly aeknowl-
edged to be a kinsman. The feeling toward
him may be as bitter as in any Conti6en-
tai country but Ii is differentiated by
the fact that the contempt is not COM
plete. a curious instance of this has just
come to our knowledge. The present
writer ought to have heard of It long ego.
but there are strange lacunae in the
knowledge of all men. even upon subjects
which intensely interest them 1t is a
proclamation issued by Abhurrahman
Khan, the present Ameer of Afghanistan.
in 1882. addressed to his entire people.
and, we believe. posted up in Herat. In
this singular paper the Ameer treats tie
identity of the Afghan tibes and the chill
dren of Israel as a fact known and admit
ted. narrates the history of the latter up
to the Captivity with fair accuracy, ard
then with one superb jump accounts for
their presence in Afghanist an by an emil
grafton from Arabia to "Ghour," where.
by the mercy of Allah. they were convert
ed to the true faith. n 1t the Ameer
speaks of the Covenant OF God made
with your ancestors" and holds his reo-
pie because Of that Covenant and their
common ancestry bound to abstain from
their incessant and. to, him, most annoy
Ing internal quarrels. 1t is simply i'm
possible that such a proclamation could
have been issued to any people who des-
pissed the lineage attributed to them. and
we may we think, assume 1t to be fact
believe in their lengendary descent from
the children of Israel. are proud rather
than otherwise of the legend.
There il nothing, therefore, Inherently
between the Jews and the
Nussuimans. and we are driven to reflect,
as we have often been driven before,
whether the author of Daniel Deronda"
may not have been better inspired than
some of her critics, whether, that is the
necessary link between the West and the
East 1t is rather an important cues
ion, for West and East are being driven
as by supernatural machinery,
md begin to feel their inability to under
stand each other as an immediate 20
IiticaI and social impeachment. The Jews
as a race understand both, and though
they probably dislike both. having the
gravest of all reasons, still there is
sympathy of dislike as well as OF love. aid
t often gives keen insight. After all. the
Book of Job is probably the one poem in
he world the inner meaning and beauty
II which is as patent to Asiatics as to
We can personally testify
hat Asiatics understand every word OF
3unyans Holy War" and Bunyan was
penetrated through and through with
thoughts which he derived from Hebrews.
We rather wonder. all the more because.
If course. we shall never know. how much
hero is in the Afghan legend of their
descent from the Patriarchs. 1t seems
probable that they simply ina giued IT, as
he Romans, and after them the English
Il Millions time. imagined their descent
rom Troians. the fancy in all cases be-
ng born of a wish for relation to q peo-
lie celebrated in the literature they most
admired. A coed many of us think our
elves of Norman descent on equally fan
iful grounds. Descent through the main
tock OF Israel is most improbable IL
My because the race. once annealed by
he Babylonian captivity. has hown an in
apacity for wholesale conversion TO any
reed hardly to be paraileled in history
he sword has failed as well as the
cimiter to make them either Christians