Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-01-27
Fears to lose to Capital Of
the
Faith.
Says England Plans to Put
It's Protection Over
the Faithful.
By HENRY WOOD.

of England's intention tn vrest IRON
| COnstantinople the C~aliphate OF the
Mohammedan religion and transfer II
under British protection to cairo.
Whether or not such an intention
actually exists in England's program
no one but the Turks presume to say
| But that, at least, is the interpr.ta-
| ton which has been placed here upon
E%ngland's protectoratC over Egypt and
especially upon its elevation or the
title of the new sovereign from that OF
! khedive to sultan.
While the most is being made by
the Young Turks of this alleged intcn-
ton on the part Of England for the
purpose of stirring up war hatred
against the latter, the serious aspect
of the whole thing is the admission
by the more sober-minded Turks that.
! whether England is really planning on
such a move or not, there can be no
! question hut the loss Of the present
war by Turkey will inevitably entail
with it the loss of the Caliphate. That
! Cairo would then become the logical
seat is also regarded as equally Ger
tain.
With the loss of all it's African pos
sessions and with the loss Of all It's
territory in Europe save the little strip
that still friuges the Bosporus and n
Dardanelles. Turkey is admitted TO
have reached a point where her claims
to the Caliphate or where she couid
| uphold it with any degre OF force or
s%plendOr now hang by a mere thread.
Means Much Loss.
The loss Of the present war will
mean, it is practically conceded, the
loss of Constantinople, and with the
loss of that city of the sultans and OF
- 80. -, lyr -. ,ntlA % Tho
fact that the latter would be obliged
to seek elsewhere a new home. \
small Asiatic nation, such as alone
would remain to Turkey, even though
it contained the sacred cities of Mecca
and Medina, could never house the
callphate.
AS a consequence, just as Germany,
after entering into war with its orig
inal intentions fixed against France
and Russia, found later the necessity
of venting the walls Of wrath against
England, so Turkey, beginning the
present war against its c~entury-old
enemy, Russia, and retaining really
the most friendly feelings toward Eng
land, now finds itself concentrating all
its hatred and all its var spirit and EN-
r against the latter.
Although the young Turks are now
making the most of this alleged inten-
tlon on the part of England to wrest
from Constantinople the glories Of the
caliphate, unfortunately for them, all
Of the elements Of the situation are
admittedly not in their favor. To be-
gin with, the entire Mohammedan
world has not always taken kindly to
the claims of the c%aliphate Of Con-
stantinople as being the rightful sue
cessOr of the supreme authority of
that religion.
Doubt It's Claims.
Especially has this been so of the
Arabian Mohammedans, who cannot
forget that for centuries the success
sion Of the caliphate was not only in
their hands, but that it was actually
located in Egypt, where, in event OF
any future change, it would almost in
evitably have to go. II is not consld-
cred, therefore, that the young Turks,
while finding in England's alleged In
tention fresh occasion for stirring up
their own wrath, will be any too sue
cessful is stirring up the unanimity
of the entire Mohummedan world
for the carrying out Of their religious
wal against her.
In addition, II is not even certain
that even the entire Turkish element
OF the Mohammedan religion would
" uhldN W bAAN nanny ~ AN'
been stated In the foregoing, the trans
fer OF the caliphate to Cairo would be
merely the resumption of a glorious
tradition which for centuries existed
there. Egypt, too, 1t Is admitted. is in
reality the present center of the Mo
hammedan faith, the center of the
propaganda and the one country
whose material basis and prosperity is
such as to insure for the caliphate the
dignity and security hat is fast slip
ping from II at Constantinople.
The one great University Of Islam Is
located in Egypt and it is from there,
and there alone, in the thousands of
''ulema" who pass out every year to
carry the religion to all parts Of the
world, that the propaganda of the
faith has its origin. In addition, Egypt
is declared to be the n Mahom-
medan country that has reached a de-
gree of intellectual development that
will permit the development OF the re-
ligion along the lines necessary 10
meet the changed conditions which
have taken place in the world from
the time when its one means OF propa-
gauda and support was the armed
hordes which swept before them the
nations of the earth.
Great as these advantages. IL Is
openly admitted at Constantinople,
would be for the cahphate, no secret
is also made Of just how much such
n change would mean to England.
The latter has somewhere in the vi
cinity of eighty million Mohammedan
subjects. Were the ealiphate under
her protection. her prestige with this
Mohammedan population would UNI
q~uestionably be assured. Her two
friends n allies, Russia and France,
have also within their dominions n
other 12O, 900, 600 Mohammedan sub
jects. Were England in a position,
through her friendly relations with the
~caliphate, to be able to assure to them
the peace and tranquility Of their Mo-
hammedan dominions, her position in
the political world would be more
firmly established than ever.
And with the shrewdness OF the
Turkish mind, the realization of just
how much this would mean to Eng
land makes IL all the more certain OF
Just how much England would be will
ing to give in return, and for that rea-
son. despite the lashing up Of hatred
by the young Turks against England
for her alleged intentions, quite an
other element at Constantinople Is not
at all i~ndisposed to bargain rather
than inevitably TO lose all through
war. aeU.
W u. Where Vas the "Pull?" a