Evening star., 1924-03-12
IN TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS

If Italy were to Danish the Pope
and announce that henccforth the
Italian parliament would pass on
matters of theology and religion, and
hat Roman Catholics Of all Europe
md Pan-America must look to the
ecclesiastical supergovernment or
italy, it would not cause a more pro-
'ound sensation than has the recent
.ction of the grand assembly of Tur-
key in deposing and banishing the
.aIiph, He was the Mohammedan
.pope,- as well as the former ruler
Of Turkey. He was the voice of God
Il, 900, ,00o, 900 Moslems--aS mighty in
number as the total population Of
North and South America Turkey to-
day has fewer people than Mexico, and
it's ignorant masses have less intelli-
gent voice in it's government than the
former poems of Mexico have in their
,requent revolutions. Turkey to die
tate to all Islam!
X + X
In the old regime the Sultan of
Turkey was also caliph of all the
| Moslems in the world. Following the
world war a Turkish republic was
formed, under the leadership of Mus
tapha Kemal, and the sultan was
deposed, but told that he might con-
tinue his functions as caliph. The
right Of Turkey to interfere with the
caliphate, though abolishing the tenn
poral power of its sultan, Is not con-
ceded by the millions of Moslems out
side of Turkey,
A holy war (jehad) may follow, If
the banished caliph but speaks the
word. Not such fiasco of holy
war as came when the Christian Ger
man kaiser urged 1t upon his ally,
Sultan -Caliph Raschid. i, That failed
because the national spirit had al
ready been stimulated among the
Moslem French of Africa and the
Moslem British of India. They refused
to hear the call of their caliph against
such call would rally all Moslems
against the Young Turk-the usurper.
the unreligious opponent of the sue
cessor of the prophet.
Let the caliph speak, providing he
! is upon soil uncontrolled by any other
ipower but MoSlem, and the faithful.
( though in the act of raising his coffee
to his lips or of transacting the most
! important business, will not sip that
icoffee nor complete that business, but
will ri, Instantly respond to the the voice
iGeorge NJ. Lamsa, native Turk, au-
thor of The Secret of the Near East. "
8 !: X x
The present or deposed Caliph Med
jid will not rally the Moslem world to
fight He is feeble and has no spirit of
warfare. He was living in his elegant
palace in Constantinople-a scholar
! and artist-with no ambition to take
conspicuous part in politics, when less
than two years ago he was notified
that he had been chosen head of the
church. Now he has fed to Switzer-
land taking with him but four wives
and he is dazed by the refusal of that
little country to permit him to stay
unless he chooses one wife and di-
vorces the other. three. He cannot
do that without urffaithfulness to
Mohammedanism. A caliph must have
! four legal wives who shall bear
princes of the realm. He may extenc
his wife list as high as he likes, ant
his MoSlem popularity is measured BY
the size of his harem.
The most costly institution in Tur'
key has long been the sultan-caliph',
.harem. 1t is that extravaganza which
has brought on the present crisis ant
deposition of the caliph-not through
to the great economical burden which
the reduced Turkey could no Longer
carry. To support even the compare
lively limited harem of Caliph Med
jid cost the government between $40,
100000 and $S0,008,0o0 a year, ant
the really luxurious Sultan-Calipi
iSa1im of the last century, averaged
running expenses of 100000, 900 /:
year. 1t is the same there as it is IL
lAmerica-the cost OF high living
which makes the taxpayer vince ant
finally brings the assembly to do thi!
astounding act of banishing the Mos
lem pope out of the Office, with the
strict precaution that he leave thu
,jewelry behind, as the confiscatel
property of the state.
+ F =
What. Of tomorrow? The Moslen
world will refuse allegiance. In qec.
clesiastical matters to the Turkish
assembly (congress). Mustapha Ke'
NAL Is president of the assembly ant
ruler of the republic. The funda-
mental law (constitution) Of the new
republic, organized after. the deatf
j of Sultan Fsaschid, just prior to the
treaty of the armistice, provides:
1 Article 2: Fundamental rights. sucf
an the enactment and disposition oi
tho sheriat (Moslem religious law)
tho making and abrogation OF laws