The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-08
GERMANY TO GIVE
UP OTHMAN KORAN
Peace Terms Also Require Re-
turn of Okwawa's Skull
to England.
SEIZED IN WAR OF 1870
Ex-Kaiser Guarded Moslem
Document Planning to Be-
come Next Caliph.

4, the end of Section VIII. of the
ueace terms as submitted for German
digestion It is set forth tina. Germany
must restore the Koran of the Caliph
Gilman, taken from Medina, to the King
Of Hedjaz: must deliver the skull of the
sultan owkawa to the British Govern
ment and must restore to France the
days which were taken in 1870 and
narticuiarly certain documents belong
ing then to NJ. Rouher."
The Rouher paprs are In the main cor
dependence which had passed between
Rouher and various sovereigns and
Prime Ministers tof THE south Grman
states just before the Franco russian
war. The book OF Gilman and the skull
Of Okwawa are objects symbolic OF the
light to rule at Medina and in a por-
ton OF British Central Africa.
Rouher was the chief adviser to Ma
poleon III. and the most important
statesman In his Cabinet. He was Min
ster without portfolio, and much OF his
service TO his sovereign consisted Of cor
dependence between him Cand various
PERSONS in the south German states.
Jus. before the end of the Franco-Prus-
sian war all OF the papers which II was
not considered desirable for Prussian
eyes TO see were entrusted to Rouher.
who removed them to his chateau. The
chateau was raided and the papers
seized and they have been in Berlin
ever since. 1t was largely through what
he learned from the papers that Bis
marck was able to coerce some of the
lesser German sovereigns into coming
INTO the German federation, or empire,
10 10
The Gilman Koran of Medina was
taken from the holy Moslem city by
Enver Pasha and a fore, of Turks and
Germans just before the arrival Of the
British, led by Gen. Allenby. 1t will 60
10 the King of the Hedjaz, because he
Is deemed to be the political successor
81 Mohammed the prophet and founder
" the Moslem religion.
The authentic tevt of the Koran Ii
contained in the Medina version and
three copies OF II were made, one being
kept in each of the metropolitan cities of
Kufa, Basra and Damascus They were
written by Zaid Abu Thabit. who had
been amanuensis to the Prophet. and
hree learned scholars of Medina, who
elaborated with him at the order Oh
he Caliph Gilman. kinsman and son-in-
iaw OF Mohammed, who began his cali
phate in the year S44. The Othman
Koran and the copies were ordered writ
len because OF disputes that had arisen
concerning several earlier versions Of the
Koran. When II was complete it was
tecreed official. and all preceding copies
were burned.
Enver Pasha removed 1t from Medina
because at the time he and the Kaiser
had agreed that the Kaiser himself was
10 be the next Caliph and Grand Shereef
o. Medina, and that any book or other
object symbolic Of that Office belonged
n Berlin.
In the same manner with the skull OF
the Sultan Okwawa, which E;nver caused
10 be removed from the territory where
IL was symbolic or rulership to German
East Africa. As it was not SO important
d thing as the Koran of Gilman, II was
retained in East Africa instead OF being
dignhed by transmission to Berlin, the
Kaiser no doubt feeling that ii would
oe quite the right time for him to take
barge of II when he came through
Africa on an inspection trip after he was
supreme and e%alter ruler of all that
part Of the African continent lying be-
'ween the Mediterranean and the Cape
W Good Hope.