The Washington herald., 1907-09-22
THE JEHAD
Temperance of the Moslem Messiah Presaees
Universal Mohammedan Uprising.


appearance Of the Moslem Messiah. who
Is to head the great army Of the follow
ers OF the prophet In the holy war.
This holy war, or jehed, so long looked
for by the followers Of the prophet, and
which not even the Turkish Sultan. ia
the hours Of mis- direst necessity. and Of
their greatest danger, have dared to
call forth, IS at length about 10 be pro-
claimed by orders Of the only man who,
according TO Koranic tradition and
prophecy, is qualified TO take such a step.
namely. the Mohammedan Messiah. SEN
oussi el Mahdi, head Of the greatest. most
powerful. and remarkably organized re-
iigious order in the world II has been,
for hundreds OF years. matter Of Mo-
hammedan belief that a revival Of tins
faith OF the prophet would be brought
about by a Messiah who was TO make his
appearance in the booth year Of the He
glTa- that Is, lsS3. His fathers name was
10 be MOhammed. his mothers Fatima
Sid Mohammed el SenOussi fulflls all
these conditions. He attained his major
lty In 1883, and before the death in ihat
year or his father, founder Of the Sen
oussi order was sOlemnly proclaimed by
nm as the true Messiah. or el MahdL
by which appellation he IS now known
throughout the Mohammedan world Il
may ne urged that since Mohammed Ell
Senoussi claims to be the true Mahdi. he
must have regarded the two Sudanese F.
Maids as frauds. This is a mistake.
The Koran distinctly states that several
Mahdis would arise simultaneously with
the chief one but that they would in
the end disappear or submit 10 him Il
has been with the object Of verifying this
prophecy that Mohammed eI Senoussi has F.
during the last quarter Of a century CALI.
ed forth Mahdis inAhe Yemen, in the
MOhammedan provinces Of China. as
well as in the Sudan. That the two
Nahdis on the Nile were in everything
subservant to Mohammed el Senoussi.
is shown by a number Of things In the
first place Gordon's slayer, Mohammed
Achmed 81 Mahdi. and his successor, who
was defe8Fed by Lord Kitchener ST OIE-
durham. both belonged 10 the sid Add
el Kadr 81 Djulanl fraternity. which is
one Of the most direct Affiliations OF
the Senoussi order, and entirely subject
and sUbservient 10 its grand master Then
too, Mohammed Achmed did not claim
20 be the true Mahdi. but merely the
forerunner, the St. John the Baptist OF
the Moslem Messiah. Finally. four Of
the chief leaders OF the Mahdist army II
Omdurman were eX-col0nels Of the khe-
dieval army. who. compromised by the
Arab insuTrection AZ Cairo in ISs2 fed
after their defeat al the battle Of Tel-eI-
/ Kebir across the Libyan desert 70 Jer-
/ boub where. after remaining with q
Senoussi for a couple Of years they pro-
/ ceeded 70 join the Sudanese 1Iahdi AZ
/ Omdurm2n on The Nile
n nh eli al IN ha
/ feasibility Of any concerted movement
or rising Of the Moslems in various
parts OF the world. and al points 50
/ Tar apart as Morocco, on the shores OF
1 the Atlantic and the Mohammedan prov
/ ince Of China. on the shores Of the Pa
cihc, It may be pointed out that the
I most extraordinary feature OF the Order
/ Of the Senoussi is its wonderful organ
I iZation, its solidarity and discipline
/ These while they resemble. are even far
/ superior 10 those Of The Christian or-
/ der OF the Jesuits. i is estimated that
/ the order numbers about 30Jo) coo: that
! is TO say, a third Of the total number
/ Of the faithful The greater portion OF
| these. being more or less subject 10
/ Christian powers. dream Of nothing but
/ the universal empire promised by ths
D
( against the Christian is deeply Migrated
/ in their hearts. and whether latent or
/ eTuptive. the work which goes on n
| connection Herewith is continuous and
/ lasting. They are prepared whenever
I the order comes 10 embark upon a
/ struggle with civilized nations IN a holy
/ war. without truce or mercy. against
/ unbelieyers and against all those who
/ covenant with the inddel. Thou shalt
/ be in the hands Of Sid Mohammed as
I dead body in the hands OF corpse
washer" Such IS the form Of Initiation
/ into the SenoUssi order. and IL iDdi-
Gates the character Of the discipline en-
/ forced. and Of the blind obedience ac-
corded 10 the grand master.
/ The latter has his representatives, and
agents everywhere. not only at the courtz
/ Of NICslem rulers. such as the Khedivs
and the Sultans Of Turkey and Of Morocco.
/ but even in European capitals and IL is
/ known that some fifteen or eighteen years
/ ago a SenOussi emissary was actually
/ able to purloin from the ministry OF for
4 eign affairs OF the Quai dCrsay at Paris
a document Of a compromising charac-
/ ter furnishing evidence of the activity 0t
I the order in AlgierS. The members of the
order. whose names are carefully regis
tered. owe unQUesuOninE obedience. in
[ the first place. TO the mokkadeul that is
/ TO say. the rector Of the community OF the
/ convent district The mOkkadem is in
/ his turn subject 10 the agha or dean. p
whose immediate superior is the bakil or
apostolic project Of the province. The
grand master corresponds with his sub
ordinates by means OF relays OF special
messengers. who, in very confidential
cases. convey verbal messages only. But
Z ma has sill mid 81
muniCatiOn at his command These ara
Of d mysterious character, and have given
/ rise 10 much speculation on the part OF
I European scientists. without anything
/ definite being ascertained about the mat
/ ter. To such perfection are they car
+ ried, however. that the BedOuins Of the
/ pyramids Of Ghizeh, near Cairo. an
nounce5 the massacre Of Col Sir Herbert
Stewards party at Merawi and the fall
| of KhaTtoum. nearly a full week before
/ the official news % 1t reached Cairo By
wire from Dongola. In the same way. the
/ bombardment of Berber the surrender OF.
Toker, and the massacre at Slnkat. were
/ known In the bazaars at Cairo long before
/ the news was received by the Anglo
/ Egyptian authorities in the KhediveaI
capital.
/ The Turkish. Egyptian. TuniSian and
/ Moorish governments have all been most
/ liberal In granting subsidies. lands, and
/ fiscal immunities TO the houses of the
order. the doctrines OF which are Of the
/ most intOleTant character. prohibiting
among other things, the use Of tobacco
/ and Of strong drink. Khedive Abbas, who,
/ in spite Of his European aJion-pos-
( sibly IN consequence thereof-obeys all
! these pTecepts. is not merely a devout.
/ but even a fanatic believer In the tenets
| Of eli SenOussi. His aversion TO the for
LIZ l. Ii