The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-07-14
Burhan-Eddine, Fav-
orite Son of Abdul
Hamid, ed
for Years by Teuton
Supporters
By F. cUNLIFFE.oWEN.

dSiia, ltic oiaHu fiLicI, oLS Dill IL W.
solute control at Constantinople, it may
safely be assumed that the new Sultan Of
Turkey, who has been proclaimed under
the name of Mohammed VI, is no other
than the prince hitherto known as Mo
manned Durham Eddine, who until the
downfall of Sultan Abdul Hamid was
the latter's favorite son.
Now in his thirty-third year, Durham
Eddine has ever since his boyhood been
groomed by Emperor William for the
eventual occupancy of the Ottoman
throne. Abdul Hamid loved him above
all his other children and made no secret
of his desire to alter the order of success
sion in such manner as to make him his
next heir. He was warmly encouraged
in this project by the German Emperor
and Empress and by their representatives,
official and otherwise, at STEAMBOAT.
But TO change the order of succession
he needed the sanction, not alone of the
Sheik-Ul-1slam, the head of the clergy,
but also of dignitary who from his
point Of view was even still more i'm
porant, namely, the Fetva Emini. For
the latter is the arch interpreter and
expounder Of the sacred scriptures and
of what is even still more important, the
aoIlol Chor,of .,l,ab 60 ho aolo 90
ligious and secular law, both based on
the Koran.
Fetva Emini Has q Life Job.
The Sheik- Ul--Islam holds his Office at
the pleasure Of the Padishah. but the
Fetva Emini is appointed for life and is
much more independent. Sultan Abdul
Hamid owed the possession of his throne
to the deposition of his elder brother,
Murad, by virtue Of fetva signed by the
Fetva Emini and countersigned by the
Sheik-Ul-Islam, depriving Murad of his
As long as Murad lived Abdul HaInid
was in constant dread of the issue of a
fetva declaring that Murad had recovered
his reason and was, therefore, entitled to
resume possession Of the throne In view
of the insecurity of his position he had
not the courage to venture upon anything
so revolutionary as a change in the order
of the succession or even to approach the
Fetva Emini about the matter.
To-day both Sultan Abdul Hamid and
the former Fetva Emini lie in their graves.
There is new Fetva Emini of the name
of Haidar Mollah, who owed his appoint
ment to insidious Teuton influences. In
entire sympathy with the existing regime
at Stamboul, he could be trusted 10 offer
no objection whatsoever TO the candidate
of the Kaiser. A fetva vesting the sue
cession in Burhan-Eddine was all that
was necessary to do the trick. And that
is why it may safely be assumed than
Mohammed VI, the new Sultan of Tur-
key, is no other than Burhan-Eddine,
who both as a boy and as a young man
was, until the beginning of the present
war. frequent guest at Potsdam, treated
by the Emperor and Empress as a MEM
Der Of their family and as an intimate
chum of their sons
First Heir Apparent His Nephew.
When the late Sultan came To the
throne the heir apparent was his nephew,
Crown Prince GoussOuff- Izzediuc, eldest
son of that Sultan Abdul Aziz who was
.'suicided' in 1876. Youssouff- Izzedine
had favored the Young Turk movement
which brought about the overthrow of
Sultan Abdul Hamid, throughout whose
reign he had been kept in more or less
gilded captivity.
The Crown Prince was entirely in sym
patty with Ria Bey and those other
moderate Young Turk leaders who ia
vored the establishment of n cOnstitu-
tional form OF government. But when
they were ouSted by Enver and the name
of Young Turk became, thanks TO him.
synonymous with far greater degree Of