The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-07-25
CLAIMED BY ISLAM
Interesting Figures on the Diff
erent Religious Groups.
Claimed by the Islam Review that the
Statistics that Have been Published
are Unfair to Mussulmans---They
Are Larger in Numbers Than Gen.
orally Believed.


review of Islamism, commenting Oh
the subject, says, that, though W,
do not know, within hundred million
the number of living human being
populating the globe we are expecte,
to believe that there are $50. $3.50, 53
Roman Catholics and 145, 237, 90
protestants. The number of Mussul
mans is estimated at 176, S34, 372, ''no
one more, not one less. - According
these figures for what they are worth
it is interesting to know, declares The
Moslem paper, (which is the religion
possessing most adherenIs. /" 1t con
tinues:
Toward the middle of the nine
teenth century Schopenhauer wal
authority for the statement thai
Buddhism was in the lead the great
pessimist was misled by the idea thai
the religion of Nirvana. which teaches
annihilation as the supreme goal Of
human activity, had the largest mum
Der of followers on our planet. Renar
and Louis Renard accepted this view,
and it was computed that the Buddh
lists numbered between 500, 900, 600 and
600, 900, 900, all the Chinese and Japan
ese being recorded as Buddhists. A
close investigation has demonstrated
how false these figures were. 1t has
been discovered that the Chinese
practice several religions at the same
time They have very few priests,
the. cult of ancestors and the state re-
ligion.. requiring none. Yet they re-
ceiver with respect the priests OF
Taoism 1.-THE cult established by Tao
Tsen and those of Buddhism. These
priests come to the funeral to sing,
andsthe ceremony lookssmore.imposing
on that account but this is all. Budd-
hism is dominant only in Thibet and
the northern provinces of Mongolia,
and the true Buddhists hardly numbe
100, 900, OOO."
Regarding the statistics of Christian
believers, Islam says:
"If we classify as Christians all the
Europeans who practice no other re-
ligion, we may reach 900, 600, 600.
Excluding the small sects, like the
Armenians, the Jscobites, the ed threr.
large groups iG 81 U fGtGi Ms The Ro-
man Catholics, about 24O, 900, 600; the
professionals, 40, 600, 900 to 100, 900, 900
the Greek Catholics, - 100, 600, 0OO.
Professionalism progresses more rapidly
than the other religions, but it pre-
dominates only in northern Europe
and northern America; oriental
Europe. and Russian Asia belong to
the Greek church. The Latin people
of Europe and of South America. are
Roman Catholics. Professionals and
Roman Catholics strive with each
other in their efforts to conquer adher-
ents from the outside. Their missions
cost a large amount of money and
bring but meager results. From
1882 to 1890, for instance, the 'Societe
de la Propagation. de la Fol- .and the
Association de la Santi Enhance
spent 23S, 900, 000f; the British missions
spent 1874, 900, 600 from 1860 to 1884.
They. have converted few African
savages, several outcast Cinnamon and
Levantines in quest Of protector. "
.. The Moslem review goes on to state
that the statistics do not show the
enormous loss: of ancient religions
through incredibly or Indifference. If
practicing... Christians only should be
counted, not one-half of sthem would
remain. :. :. 1t adds:
"Islam can place more reliance in
its believers most of them practice
their. religion. and..very few are con-
verted. together creeds There sare
probsbly.S.ssome.~s..ss9, 700, 900 ..Mussul-
mans. In Africa alone we count
1Os, 600, 600 disciples of the prophet;
we...6nd 81, 900, 600 lin Malayia. The
largest group is in India, numbering
go. 600, 600; then comes China, with
30, 600, 900. A similar number is to be
found in the ssOttoman empire. in the
Russian dominion, lin French Africa,
in Algeria, on the Niger and in the
Congo. The ..Mussulman propaganda
is the most active and energetic of
all. on account of its religious frater-
mites, ..and lit is the only religion
which. extends Its sphere of action
through numerous. conversions. So $50.
-. =. "The.religion of India, Hinduism,
formerly called Brahmanism, .-- has
800, 600, 600 followers; Shintoism, the
national cult of Japan, is practiced by
20, 000, 600 people. Then come the
cults of kthe vanquished which have
survived to the nations practicing
them; Judaism, Parseeism, and the
Vandalism of the ancient Persians.
These small minorities play an impor-
tant part in our social economy.
UprooUed from the native soil. they
have acquired financial power, and
their religious solidarity is probably
stronger than the solidarity of all
others.
Islam concludes by stating that the
enumeration would not be complete
without including 100, 600, 600 of
adopts of less progressive religions.
Among them are the Fetichists, the
Amimists, and the Polytheists, most
of whom are confined to Africa, and
who are very likely, maintains the
Moslem Journal, to be converted to
Islamism. "Once converted, it does