The Washington herald., 1907-10-06
It's Thousandth Birthday
OLDEST UNIVERSITY IN THE WORLD ABOUT
TO CELEBRATE IT'S MILLENNIUM

Whereas. to-day it is the Occident that
leads the world in science. culture. and
/ intellectual progress, IN olden times II
was toward the Orient that people lo)k-
/ ed for instruction and enlightenment.
4 The wise men Of Holy Writ came not
/ from the West. but from the East, and
/ it Is to the rising sun rather than % its
/ setting that we are indebted for the birth
Of those successive religions which con
stitute the basis Of our modern civiiZa-
/ tion. The celebration OF the 1G00th an
niversary Of the foundation of the oldest
university still in existence Is under the
! circumstances an event OF far-redching
/ interest, and as many European and
American universities are to be repre-
/ scented at the ceremonies. the latter bid
( fair 10 present a Spectacle without paral
/ lei in the annals Of history Numbers
Of the foreign guests will come from
afar. For this patriarch Of universities
/ is situated on the banks Of the Nile, at
Cairo. II is the celebrated El-Azhar,
/ which occupies much the same relation
/ 10 Islam as oxford does 10 the Church
/ Of England, that is to say, 1t is the head
quarters Of Moslem orthodoxy and the
/ school from which for ten centuries all
/ those teachers have graduated who are
/ responsible for the fact that to-day be-
/ tween 2Jo000,GJ0 and 100000 Of the
/ human race are followers Of the Prophet
/ Their influence extends throughout
Africa and Asia, even 20 the Dutch II
+ dies, and 10 the Philippines, where the
I Mohammedan population now subject
70 the rule Of the United States is suff-
! ciently large and influential TO maintain
/ riwak, OF Settlement Of It's own at
/ the El-Azhar University al Cairo.
1 At first sight il might appear strange
( that there should be any question OF
+ Christian universities participating in
( the celebration Of the millennium Of
/ Moslem seat Of learning. For Islam has
the reputation Of being intOlerant OF
/ other creeds, and Of being opposed I
modern science as incompatible with the
I tenets OF its faith. Both OF these pOpu-
+ lar Impressions are due TO miscOncepticn.
I Men" says the text Of MOhammedan
tradition, are either learners or learned,
and he who belongs 10 neither Of these
f classes IS a reptile, and good tor naught'
I Another religious precept says: Learn
magic, bat DO not practice H. A Gaan
must know everything and remain ig-
norant Of nothing. 50 inseparable, in
/ deed. Is knowledge and learning from
faith IN the estimation OF the MOslem
that in Arabic histories the period be-
for the introduction OF Islam is describ-
cd as "the epoch Of ignorance" OF
/ course. there are some Of the moslem
/ teachers who are inclined TO be reac-
/ uonary. But their attitude has nothing
so very different to some OF the clergy
Of the various Christian churches toward
/ science in the past The majority Of the
/ leaders Of Islam are fully aware that ii
I IS necessary for the interests OF their
/ faith 10 march with the times, and not
1 long ago AT a distribution Of prizes in
+ a government school al Cairo. one Of the
government inspectors. who happened at
/ the same time 10 be a distinguished pro-
/ fessor at the El-Azhar University, de-
/ lvered a notable address in which he
/ insisted that il was q mistake 10 main-
tain that MOhammedanism and progress
+ were irreconcilable He declared that
since the learning Of the West was orig
/ inauy derived from Oriental, and in many
1 instances from Noslem sources, MOham-
medaEs might accept with open arms
/ Western instruction, since the latter
+ constituted, so TO speak. a return OF their
/ own domestic wares. Perhaps the best
/ Illustration Of these principles PROFOUND
ed by the speaker is 70 be found in the
/ fact that the great increase in the de-
mand for government instruction on the
part Of the M0hammedans in Egypt
/ where the state schools nowadays are
/ overcrOwded. have not led 10 any dimin-
/ uti0n OF their religious belief, and 10 con-
! s@1ueut I'll viii on the part OF the Moslem
! clergy and Of the teachers at the FL
Azhar University. II anything, modern
I learning seems 20 augment rather than
/ 10 decrease the devotion Of MOhamme-
dams 10 the faith OF their fathers. The
/ English have found this in India. in
/ connection with all those mOslem princes
and mobiles who have received their edu-
I cation either al the hands Of British in
/ struct0rs IN the Deccan, or else at
/ schools and universities in England. and
many is the native gentleman who, after
| graduating from oxford or from Cam
/ bridge has subsequently made the pill
/ grimaPe 20 Mecca and 10 Medina, con
/ vinced that by so doing be was prOmot-
/ Ing his prospects of eternal salvation.
/ 1t is largely because the teachers at
the great University OF the El-Azhar
/ have become convinced through these
and other means that Mohammedanism
/ Is reconcilable With Western learning:
that. far from condemning. they accord
Z their appreciation 10 the government
schools at Cairo. and look upon them.
and upon European and American
/ schools and universities with good VIII
/ Moreover, the intolerance OF Orthodox
/ Islam has been greatly exaggerated For
what other building devoted to divine
worship has witnessed such scenes as the
ancient Mosque Of Amroo. which is still
more ancient than the El-Azhar, and
where Moslems, led by the Ulema, Chris
tians of every confession led by their
bishops and patTiarchs, and Hebrews
/ following their reCiteTs and rabbi, have
/ frequently assembled TO bow in unison
70 that one God whom they all worship.
/ TO beseech Him for that high Nile. the
failure OF which spelt ruin, famine, and
pestilence to the land7 Moreover. when
Ahmed Ibn Tuloon, one Of Egypts most
famous rulers, felt the approach Of death,
he requested that his cOrelIgionists. with
their Koran, the Christians with their
gospels, and the Jews with their Penta-
teuch and Psalms, should assemble in
the stately mosque that still bears his
name to-day. and which he erected on
the Rams Hill at Cairo $50 called be-
cause, according TO tradition, it was the
scene of Abraham's projected sacrifice
of Isaac), in order TO pray for the well
fare of his soul; nor were there any
more fervent prayers offered up for the
recovery Of the late Queen Victoria than
those that took place in every mosque
of India during her last Illness.
Some notion OF the Importance Of Ell
Aghar NAV ha - 4.