The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-25
QUEER MOSLEM MONKS
DERvIsH DEvOTEEs WHOSE PER-
FORMANCEs ARE REMARKABLE.
Public Mourners-Reminder
of Camp Meeting.
w. z. Curtis's Damascus Letter in Chicago
RecOrd-Herald.

Being sort OF religious center, Damascus
is filled with fanatics, devotees. theologians
and curious people of all sorts, and here
flourish that odd religious brotherhood who
are divided into two classes or sects known
the whirling and the bowling dervishes.
They are MOslem mOnks-religiOus special
ists-who are under the restraint of vows
10 devote their lives 10 certain pious pur-
poses and to deprive themselves of luxuries.
comforts and other forms of worldly happi-
ness and praise God perpetually in their
peculiar and, what seems to US, outlandish
way. They resemble in some respects GER
tain monks of the Roman Catholic Church,
like the Trappists, for example. who SEN
tence themselves to eternal silence. and
their performances are very different from
those of the shouting Methodists" whom
we have at home. In fact they remind me
of revival and camp-meeting scenes have
witnessed in the United States, where the
emotions of the worshipers have been ex-
cited to condition of ecstacy by means
similar to those used to the same end by
the dervishes of the Moslem faith
It would be scarcely considered consist
ent with spiritual sincerity for a company
of converts in the United States to enter
into contract to give exhibitions of their
religious fervOr for the amusement of the
public. or for the managers of a ''protracted
meeting" to charge strangers an admission
fee in order that they might crafty their
curiosity concerning the behavior of the
redeemed" under the influence of the Holy
Spirit Those things. however, are actually
done by the derV1sheS. They charge an ad
mission fee in many places to unbelievers
who wish to them whrl and hear them
howl" This is explained and justified on
hot sf,F Jr1rF ,t-flN
nothing TO the support of the church, and
that IL is quite proper to take money at
the door as to pass a contribution plate as
we do in our churches. No Turk, no Mo-
hammedan, no man who wears a fez has to
pay for admission only foreigners who are
actuated by curiosity.
1t is the common and the proper thing for
all strangers visiting Mohammedan cities to
witness the religious exercises of the der
wishes and preparations are prade to receive
them Chairs are placed foI their accom-
mediation, for the rest of the congregation
sit Turkish fashion, crOss-legged upon the
floor; and felt slippers are provided for the
1nfidels TO draw over their boots instead
of requiring them to walk about in their
stocking feet. The best places are reserved
for them, and il seems to he expected that
they will come and stare and ask questions
about the extraordinary scenes that are to
be witnessed
IN BUSINESS 1000 YEARS.
The order of Dervish monks dates back a
thousand years. 1t originated with a
famous mystic. who was given to long fasts
and vigils, and who used to see visions and
perform miracles. Some of the leading Der
wishes at this day are supposed to have
similar powers, and when they pass into a
state of ecstacy or hysteria their eyes are
allowed to see what transpres in the Mos
lem heaven and their ears TO hear the whis
pers of the prophets, the patriarchs and
other holy spirits who have gone before.
The DerVishes are also meEdicants, and
live upon such contributions as pious peo-
pie offer them. They abandon all earthly
joys and possessions and by complete sur
render of self merge their souls into God
and live under a spell which renders them
capable of throwing themselves into ecstacy
and becoming obtuse TO all external impress
sions.
differ as to the best methods of praising
God. The dancing, Mevlevi Dervishes,
are named after their founder, Mevlana,
who was a prince of Persia, and in 1245 re-
nounced the world. became a hermit and
wrote a book called The Mesnevi." His
successor is the chief of the order, occupies
high rank in the MOslem church. and. like
the archbishop of Canterbury in England,
crowns the Sultan of Turkey, although the
ceremony consists of girding him with the
sword of Osman instead of placing a coro-
net upon his brow The Mevlevi DervisheS
are bound by very strict vows and their
lives are spent in perpetual alteration. They
go through their peculiar religious exercises
of dancing or whirling which they call
"zikr." twice a week, every Tuesday and
Friday after the midday prayer. Their
physical strength will not permit them TO
do more frequently.
The ceremony consists in revolving gently
upon their toes and at the same time NOV
ing slowly around the mosque, which is
usually built in octagonal form, circle with
In circle, to the music OF flute and tam
BOURNE and mOnotonOus chant, in which
the power and glory of God are extOlled and
the uselessness of an earthly existence is
LII, 11aa inc oVNA NPrhn Cfr-1
accompaniment are performed by monks
who are physically unable to go through
the exercise. 1t is tremendous strain
upon the body as well as upon the Senses
and the dervish monks are always short
lived When the dancing commences, they
extend their arms at full length, the right
above the head. the left below, with one
hand opened Inward, the other opened down.
ward, their eyes closed and their heads bent
sidewise upon their shoulders. Sometimes
they continue to revolVe without cessation
for half an hour. The chief priest or monk
gives the signal to begin and stop. accord
ing to rule which / have not been
able 10 ascertain. After a few moments
OF whirling the muscles become rigid, the
performer loses control of his senses and
becomes partially unconscious, passing into
an epeptic condition, which is the subject
/ desired for the soul then enters the spir-
itual world, becomes one with God" and
the effacement of the corrupt and carnal
nature of the subject is complete in the
presence of the Creator.
LIKE FAITH-CURISTS
At the close OF the exercise the monks
pass out of the mosque in semi-conscious
condition and enter their cells, where they
remain in seclusion until they have re-
covered full consciousness and the ecstasy
has passed away. Preparations for the ex-
ercise are made by fasting and prayer.
The bodies of the devotees are very poorly
nourshed They are vegetarians and take
no stimulants Bread and vegetables are
their bill of fare-no wine. coffee nor tea
or other artificial stimulant is permitted
and they take no medicine when they are
ILL., depending entirely upon prayer, like
the Christian Scientists. Naturally they
are lean. pale. haggard-looking men. with
distorted ideas of all worldly affairs. They
seldom appear outside of their converts.
except to beg or TO attend funerals. at
which they are commonly employed as
/ mOurners.
The Rufal or bowling dervishes. another
| sect. were founded in 1160 by Ahmed Rufal,
an eminent and learned monk who invented
a new form of worship. which is similar in
its effects TO that of the dancing dervishes.
/ The wOrShipers are thrown into state or
ecstasy and spiritual purity by the exercise
of the vocal chords well as or the mus
Giles of the body. Their physical movements
are even more violent than those of the
dancers. and their worship is much more
exciting for strangers II is not unusual Tor
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