The chronicle=news., 1912-11-18
l77 Million Moslems Ready to DIS
Participate in the Holy War


OF the revolution In Turkoy. annexed
Bosnia and Herzegovina.
| The present war grow out Of the
broken promises OF the Young Turks
who four years ago dcposed Sultan
Abdul liamid and established con-
stitutlon and parliament. They
promised great reforms IN treatment
of Christians. freedom Of religious
worship. good roads and schools. But
instead they iegIslntcd for IN. Turks
alone and cmbitterch the Greeks. Ar
mcnians. i!ulgarians and Albanlnns.
They allowed Turkish troops to play
havoc with the crops OF Christians In
Macedonia and 200 Christians were
beaten on the solcs OF the feet and
tied 10 trees in the scorching sun for
three days. They disqualified Greeks
and Eulgarians and officially created
fund by taxation of all TO eucour-
age converts to Islam from Chris
tianity, They promised To separate re-
ilgion from politics but passed Il law
Furnishing Mosiems for breaking the
fcnsi of flanagan. They boycottcd
Greek commerce. disarmoi the AL
banians. prescribed the teaching OF
any language hut Turkish In the
schools. suppressed educational as
socia,ions aud confistcatCd printing
presses.
The present Balkan trouble began
last August when Turks massacret!
lsG bulgarian Christians In north
Macedonia. Turkey was then at war
with Italy and the Balkan states de-
cidcd II would be n good time to at
tack their hereditary enemy and
Montenegro declared war.
King Ferdinand OF Montenegro In
his proclamation declaring war on
Turkey said the conflict WIS for the
succor OF the Christian population OF
Macedonia from under the heel OF
Mosicm-a holy war for humanity
aud the other states that have Joined
In II have said the same thing and
all have asked the great powers to let
them fight II out.
Is 1t possible that this viii result
IN n grct Mohammcdan Jchah or
holy war against the Christian ma
tons OF the world'
| In this war centuries OF hate are
let loose on each other. The Balkan
christians all dream OF the day when
Constantinoplc. the capital which
bears the name OF the frs, Christian
emperor. and which was once the
capitol OF u Christian worid-cmpirr.
shall he wrcstcd from the Turk and
shall again be II Christian city.
What liz perhaps the greatest
church In the world is now Mos
lem mosque. the church Of st. So
PHO In Cons,an,inoplc. It is the vis-
ibIc center OF III. Moslcm faith In
the world. and In that church Is n
furlcd and frcycd and faded flag. the
Arabic characters with which Its cm-
crali silk Is embroidered. dimmci by
the suns and rains OF nearly thirteen
centuries. That tattered banner Is
the most significant and sinister en-
blcm In the world: II is n religious
symbol and a threat in one. II Is the
green flag OF the prophet Mohammei.
and by unfur!ing It the commander
of the faithful would signal to the
scattered millions of his fanatic fol-
lowers to break loose the holy war.
| II is this fear OF holy war of all
Islam which has given pause to Eu-
rope when thoughts of taking vcn-
goancc for Christians massacred in
Asia Minor and European Turkey
were in the air.
1t was this which nullified the Of
forts OF Gladstone laundering in
English mass meeting against the
great assassin
II Turke- falls and with 1t a large
part of the temporal authority OF the
lsultan. spiritual head of Mohammed-
anism. he may call upon the Moslcms
of the world to take up arms agains.
their Christian rulers. There are ~
million Moslems in the world. Russia
has hordes Of Mussulman subjects:
Great Britain has 3, millions of them
in India and they are already in n
state of unrest. Afghanistan is al
ready urging the holy war. The 81
million Moslems of Africa have
Threatened British rule in Egypt in
the past and the flames of religious
hatred might cause the pot to boil
over. bringing on another Indian mu-
tiny and war II Egypt.
Even the United States. which has
several million Moslem subjects in
the Philippines. might feel the tidal
wave of trouble which would sweep
around the world.
i While the temporal power of the
Sultan has waned. his religious au-
thority has increased and he COM
mands the religious allegiance of
Mohammedans in all parts of the
world.