New Britain herald., 1915-09-20
SENUSSI IN REVOLT
 FOR INDEPENDENCE
Never Took Kindly to Ascendency
 Of the Turks, Their Masters

Correspondence of the Associated Press.>
 Constantin nople, August 5.-Aside
 from the more important theaters of
 warfare, interest has been aroused
 here in a reported uprising of the
 Senussi, the Arabic order of Moham-
 medans in Northern Africa, with the
 hope of establishing an independent
 State in the Italian Province of Fri poll.
 It is little over fifty years ago that the man who was better known as the Sheik-Senussi went into the
 hinterland of Tripoli to promote
 schismatic Mohammedanism of which
 he himself was the author. The re-
 ligious circles at Mecca and Medina,
 to whom the reformer in question had
 stated his views on the Moslem re-
 ligion, had not taken kindly to them.
 Senussi was an Arab to the core, and
 as such resented the ascendency of the Turks in the temporal affairs of a faith of which an Arab, Mohammed,
 was the prophet.
 In the hinterland of Tripoli, Senussi encountered conditions that were fa Vorable to the spread of a religious reform movement. The Arabs, Ber- bers and Negroes of the arid stretches in what was then still a Turkish sa- trapy, gathered about Senussi and lis- tened to whatever new truths he had to announce. In very little time, Senussi had become Shiek- -Senussi and Menzel-ul-Keir his capital of the Senussi temple in that city Shiek. Senussi caused the following words to be painted:
 Turks and Christians; I will des- troy them both in a single day.
 That legend is said to be still wis., ible, and it is certain that it's spirit is still a force among the Senussi- the term identifying fully eighty per cent of all Mohammedans in Tripoli, Tunis, Algeria, Eastern Morocco, and the Sudan. Contrary to popular be- lief the word Senussi is not a tribal name, but the designation of a sort of secret order. With the death of the first Sheik senussi his reform lost much of it's militancy. The founder of the cult, if such it may be termed, never aspired to temporal power, but his successor, the present Sheik-Senussi proved to be more of a politician, some even say statesman, than a religious leader, with the re- suit that the Senussism became a po- litical rather than a spiritual force
 It seems, however, according to in- formation obtained here, that the or der of the Senuss: is far from having abandoned altogether the percepts and example of it's founder. No North African Mussulman will direct ly admit that he is a Senussi, but that he belongs to the order may be Iii, prayer in the mosque. While at regular follower of Mohammed, dur ing the parts of his prayer delivered arms to hang motionless at his sides the Senussi crosses his arms over his breast and grips with his right hand thumb and index fingers rest on the pulse.
 Would Continue War.
 The present sheik of the senussi was not pleased with the Ottoman government, when, with the treaty of Lausanne, Tripoli was ceded to Italy, the former deputy of Tripoli 70 the Ottoman parliament the Sheik announced that he had severed his with the supreme cali phate, and that he would continue he war with the Italians on his own account. The deputy in question, has since be- come the sheik's ablest lieutenant, with being an excellent organizer and 1 leader of troops. Baruni is also l known as a hater of Italians without ] equal, even in Tripoli.
 That the Senussi would have ever l broken with the Ottoman government, had it not been for the of their country by the ] Italians, is not thought likely here. 1 The order had for many years en- joyed absolute liberty of conscience, ] and under this policy much of the ! former fanaticism had vanished. But l recent information on this subject, l direct from North America, l shows that the Senussi intend estab- l fishing, if possible, an independent 1 5enussi state in Tripoli, doing this in l with the other Moslem l aggregates who are said to be ready l to do away with overlordships by 1 European powers
 Whether so ambitious a plan can 1 be carried out is som ething to which 1 the future must supply the answer. ] w nat the resources or the oenuSS1 are ] is something on which even the best [ informed men in Constantinople lack l all accurate news. But it is fairly 1 certain that the military means of 1 the order are greater than has been 1 notwithstanding that the l Ottoman government, which has had ] it's hands full with looking after it's | own army supplies, has not sent single cartridge into Tripoli, since the [ war with Italy.
 The stronghold of the Senussi mili- tary forces is said to be Dschebel l C1harian and from there Baruni has