The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-06-07
TWENTIETH CEN:
TURY EGYPT


More than thousand years old, deep
ly incrusted with reverential tradi-
ton, holding to the ancient faith OF
the Prophet of Arabia, El-Azhar COM
mands the respect of every true be-
lever in Islam. Men come here from
Morocco on the west and India on the
east, from Russia on the north and
the Sulu islands at the south, to
drink in the faith and prepare them
selves to become teachers and holy
men in the mosques of their distant
homes. What Mecca is to the devo-
ton of Islam, El-Azhar is to it's mill
tant spirit. From this university Is
lam hopes to accomplish the intel
lectual conquest of the world
The absurdity of these hopes and
the fact that the religion of Moham-
med is moribund, is proved beyond
the question of doubt to the occi-
dental who visits El-Azhur. The uni
versity was once a really great insti-
tuition Of learning. Eight or nine hun
dred years ago it was the center of
that profound Arabic culture which
gave to Europe the ground work of
nearly all it's present day science and
engineering skill Today, in the bril-
Of tho 00tb onnt.,r,y u,ho,,
science has scaled to heights before
undreamt of, El-Azhur knows moth
ing of the great advance
It's curriculum consists of the Ko-
ran. the Sacred Traditions and the
Sacred Law of Islam. These three
branches of learning are expounded
to more than 10000 earnest students.
gathered from the four corners of the
Moslem world. Early this year the
with the active partici-
patton of the khedive, attempted to
institute some educational reforms in
the university. 1t was proposed to
add mathematics and rudimentary
science to the course of study. The
Ulema, the holy men who rule the
objected to the innovation,
but the influence of the khedive
caused them to give a reluctant con-
sent
Didn't Remove Shoes.
But the English reformers of the
Moslem faith had reckOned without
heir hosts. The 10000 students of
El-AZhur promptly went on a strike
Dicketed the sacred precincts of the
mosque and declared a boycott on
'scab" holy men and divinity stu
tents. The government resolved to
compel obedience to its will, and
thousands of the striking students
we're arrested. So far did the author
ties go that Moslem soldiers and pO-
icemen actually invaded the mosque
without removing their shoes. an un-
and horrible PROCLAMATION
If the Sacred Law
Then rose the faithful, young and
I'D. educated and ignorant. The gov
,rnment had transgressed the law.
The khedive had been duped by the
nfidel dogs of Christian English. The
Students were right. Students har-
tngued the people from street cor
lers. They declared that they came
o El-Azhar to learn the Faith of Is
am that they might teach and preach
II the mosques. They were to be
holy men, they did not need to know
science. They were not to be mere
Jerks and counter-jumpers, what did
hey need with arithmetic? They
wore they would not receive any
he infidel Christians contaminated
earning. And all of this in sublime
ignorance of the fact that all Europe
Knows of mathematics it learned from
he Arab scholars of that very uni
rersity, nearly thousand years ago.
The students won. The government
saw that it's efforts to reform the
sacred university would result in
nothing but trouble and that it might
fanatical agitation
against the Christians. Thus ended
the great students strike and the
curriculum at the seat of learning
and culture of Islam again is restrict
ed to the Koran, the Hadith of Sa-
cred Traditions, and the Sheriat or
Sacred Law True, the compromise
by the government provided
for an elective course in other
branches of learning. but it would
be worth a students life to defy the
will of his fellows and take it.
Entirely UnimpOrtant.
Lord Cromer, the British pro-con-
sui who ruled over Egypt for quar-
ter of century. once asked the head