New Britain herald., 1919-01-25
MOhammed'S Tomb i'll Danger.
Turk Commander in Medina
Threatens to Blow it Up.
civilian T. Ellis Copyright Dis

(Wllllam L. Ellis copyright lis
patch to New Y orI< Herald.)
Besieged in Medina and threatening
to blow up the tomb of Mohammed
and the entire haram, or holy place Of
, pilgrimage, Fakri Pacha, Turkish
commander there has issued his def
to the world.
He has declared he will go into the
sacred mosque and Kill himself be-
fore he will surrender.
This melOdramatiC news has just
| come out of the city of Medina, in the
| desert of Arabia, where the pro-
| phet is buried, to certain officials in
| Paris. It illustrates the far reach
ing sources of information at the
disposal of representatives Of the
powers in the peace conference
Too, it shows the last act of one Of
| the romantic phases Of the war
drama phase about which the western
world has heard nothing.
Nevertheless the threat of Fakri
l'acha means more to the Moslem
population of Persia. India and Egypt
than did any one Of the great battles
on the western front for if he COM
mltS this browning act of sacrilege
against the resting place of the
prophet and against the city that is
second only to Mecca in holiness and
into which pious Mohammedans de-
clare no Christian foot ever set the
MOSIem world forever will be alien
ated from Turkey and the last shadow
Of the Sultans claim to be com
mander of the faithful will disappear.
Turks Keep Control of Medina.
The MOslem masses constitute y
factor that never has been long ont
Of the minds of the peacemakers in
the council.
For three years. or more pronerlv
speaking, since the Grand Sheriff of
Mecca rose against the Turks and as
sumed the title of King Of the Hedias
and joined the Allies. there have been
no Moslem pilgrimages to Medina,
although the way to Mecca has con-
tinuously remained open.
The reason is that the Turks, after
being driven out of Mecca, were able
to retain possession of Medina, owing
! to their control of the Hedjaz rail-
| road. This line, however, repeatedly
was cut by the forces under the one
time Sheriff of Medina.
.Then the Turks took their warfare
even into the city and drove out of
Medina the entire local population.
numbering about 10000.
1t was believed that on1v ahont
four hundred were left alive but the
lifting of the veil from Asia Minor has
revealed that some of them were de-
ported. However, for the last aieb-
cen months the railroad has been
continuously cut.
The distant Turkish garrison IN
Medina therefore, was able To raceive
no supplies, either food or ammuni-
ton. Indeed. the siege of Medina
has been the longest of the great
war
Wiped Out Armenian Town
ON the desert side the Arab +roons
under the leadership of the two Ola
es sons of Hussein, Sheriff of Mecca
and King of the Hediaz. have blocked
the way to Medina so effectively that
no support could come to tho TURKS
there from the fanatical wabahis
! who were willing to support thon, in
the present case.
! Only the sanctity of Medina which
prevents devOut MosIems dirac+ino
, any weapon against its holy places
! has kept the Arabs from CARVING il
. by assault.
Fakri Pacha, Turkish commander,
in Medina, is notorious as the man
who wiped out the Armenian +o,,-,,
of Zeitan, in Asia Minor. about do
cade ago. OF his original foroo -
! about $4,000 men in Medina 40
scurvy has claimed more than +hird
Today he has not more than 7Anoo
troops under him. They subsist al
most exclusively on dates Al, 49,