New Britain herald., 1922-12-16
Many Misconceptions Are Prevalent About This Faith-Add Confusion to Discussions of Moslem Problems.

a Washington, Dec. 16.--Ncar East
 politics are inextricably bound up with ,sreligion in ways 1t is hard for us to sNconceive. And some prevalent mis- conceptions about the Mohammedan
 faith seem to add confusion to many .discussons about Moslem problems.
 s "A caliph without temporal power
 is more radical departure in the .Islam world than the Western mind srat first can grasp says bulletin 9sfrom the Washington. D. C., head .,duarters of the National Geographic ssociety.
 'The easiest way to dispel some of ssthese illusions is by pointing to several striking likenesscs between z the worlds two newest among the ssmajor religions. The term 'Moham- senickname. Both names were given, With contemptuous intent. by enemies
 2. of the religions.
 q Both Religions Ni,ixnan,cd.
 "The term Christian was quickly a adopted by followers of the Nazarene. X The term 'Mohammedan never has fsbeen adopted by the followers of the
 Prophet. He sbught to avoid the semployment of his own name by sup rplying one--the name. of Islam--by (which he hoped Mohammedanism ,swould be known. He further sought Eto make this word, meaning resigna- s@.tion, imply the five cardinal points of vthe new faith. The first of these e{points was the brief creed. There is mo God but Allah. aIfd Mohammed is
 @his prophet The other four en- Coined prayer. giving of aims. the fast ssof Ramodan and pilgrimage to Mecca. V "Another significant parallel be- 'stween Christianity and Mohammedan- ism is that both are the religions of Amillions of people of races alien to {, that of their founders. Christ was a. @Jew; Mohammed was an Arab. It ais the Mohammedanism modified by the Turkish temperament and na-
 tionality that has clashed with ..Western civilization in recent cen turies.
 ~- Islam Not Religious Unit.
 Most misleading of all the illusions hsabout Mohamm edanism. however, is s-the tacjt assumption that the Noham-
 medan world is religious unit. Seen
 a long way off the sects and groups t9IduG away. III IEditIy tiiN'N otS s'N
 great branches of Mohammedanisrn the Sunnites and the Shiitcs. Among aSboth these branches, and also outside them, there are sharply drawn c'eav- ages.
 Recent caliphs, who have been the ES Ssilltans Of Turkey, have claimed I spiritual supremacy over the Mohan-
 medan world of some ! 3oo,0o0, 900 { souls. But in actual fact the Sultan 5 of Turkey had little more spiritual as- ! cendency over the Mohammedans out
 side Turkey than the King of England has over the tEpiscopalians in the
 United States Jn ghet theres would be no urgent Near East problem at !, this moment had his leadership been
 recognized on the other side Of the Bosphorus in Asia Minor.
 S CaIiphs Have Always Ruled. ss very important difference be- Tween the Western mind and the Mo < ha a,nmedan viewpoint has, hitherto, ,..,,nrec,uded spiritual ascendancy Of athe slatter which would cut across all
 lines of temporal power and include es ev,a, warning nations. The Moham- ssmedan has no priests. Islam is the ssmost pragmatic of all religions. < z. .Feretofore if caliph did not rule he wasn't caliph. A spiritual ruler up ss91tn s9 now has been incomprehensible to nthe Moslem mind. Naturally, then, ps caliphs have sought to rule by the q sword. r Ideas are potent factors in geog- raphy Not only does the Mohamme- .dan conceive it difficult to pray Thy . Kingdom Come and then fight for ss different kind of kingdom, but, m 2. peace time, his religion and his law X TO hand in hand. Mohammed was law giver not only in the Mosaic but
 also in the Justinian sense. There
 are as many codes of law among Mo- . as there are sects; and as {. ,, many kinds of lawyers as there are codes. Among the Sunnites, the or ! thodox major division of Islam, there s are four schools of law: Hanafite would as soon engage Malakite lawyer as q Presbyterian congregation would be likely to employ Unitarian