Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1922-12-14
sULTAN's. POWER LIMITED.
Ruler Of Turkey Not Spiritual Head
Of MOhammedan World.

Ruler Of Turkey Not Spiritual Head
Of Mohammedan World. y
Near East politics is inextricably
bound up with reli0on In ways It is
hard for us to conceive. And some
prevalent misconceptions about the
MQhammedan faith seem to add con-
fusion to many discussions about
Moslem problems. .,..
"A caliph without temporal power
is more radical departure in the
Islam world than the Western mind
at first can grasp" says a bulletin
OF the National Geographic society.
"The easiest way to dispel some of
these illusions is by pointing to sew
eral striking ikenesses- between the
worlds two newest among the major
religions. The term 'Mohammedan,'
like the term Christian is a nick
name. Both names were given, with
ccntemptuous intent, by enemies of
the religions. ....
'The term Christian was quickly
adopted by the followers of the Naza-
rene. The term Mohammedan never
has been adopted by the followers of
the prophet. He sought to avoid the
employment Of his own name by sup
plying one-the name of Islam-by
which he hoped Mohammedanism
would be known. He further sought
to make this word, meaning resigna-
ton, imply the five cardinal points
OF the new faith. The first of these
poins was the brief creed. There is
no God but Allah, and Mohammed is
Ills propehet.' The other four en-
joined 1rayer. giving of aims, the
fest OF Ramodan and pilgrimages to
Mecca.
Another significant parallel be-
tween Christianity and Moham-
mechanism Is that both are the
religions Of millions Of people of ra-
tces alien to that Of their founders
Christ was a Jew; Mohammsd vas an
Arab. 1t is the Mohammedanism
modified by the Tnrkih.a tempera-
ont and nationality that has clashed
with the Western civilization in re-
cent Centuries.
Most misleading of all the illu-
sicns about Mohammedanism, how
ever, fs the tacit assumption that the
lMohammedan world Is a religious
unit. Seen long way off the sects
ard groups fade away. In reality
, there are two great branches of Mo-
he emmedanism. the Sunnites and the
Shiites. Among both these branches
and also outside them. there are
sharply drawn cleavages.
Recent caliphs, who have been the
sultans Of Turkey, have claimed
spiritual supremacy over the Mo-
hammedan world OF some 800 ,00O, 900
souls. But in actual foot the sultan
OF Turkey has had little more spirit
ual ascendancy over the Mohamme-l
dams outside Turkey than the king
OF England has had over the Episco-
palians in the United States. In fact
there would be no urgent Near East
problem at this moment had his
leadership been recognized in Asia
Minor.
"A very important difference be-
tween the Western mind and the
Mohammedan viewpoint has, hitherto,
precluded spiritual ascendancy of
the latter which ~caIa cut across 81!
lines Of temporal power and include
even warning nations. The Moham-
| medan has no priests. A spiritual
ruler up to now has been. incompre-
hensible to the Moslem mind. Natu-
rally. then, calfphs have sought to
rule by the sword. s
"The very word caliph has an al
lurement that dates back to child
hood days when you lived among
the fantastic Arabian nights at the
corrt OF the Caliph Harun al Rashid.
lIashfd was a bona fide caliph. and
in you later years a reading of tho
| historical facts about the caliphite
furnish no fewer thrills than the i'm.
mortal tales"
Knnyuo II a.