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| Arabia |
| Old But Still Wise Advice to Put Christians in Charge of Moslem Countries |
| 2004-05-11 |
| From an article published in Harpers in 1856. Every one asks, with a sort of simultaneous desire for information on the subject, âWhen will Islam fall?â and, without attempting to be a prophet, the writer having passed a number of months among the Oriental nations, and in close companionship with Turks and Christians of every form and name, has thought it possible that some rambling notes on their manners and customs, as well as their religious ways of thinking and acting, might be interesting. The bigotry of the Muslims is not unlike that of other religions. They adhere to their fanatical views just so long as it suits their purposes, but no longer. .... A Muslim will submit to death at any time rather than say that Mohammed is not a prophet of God; but the same man will readily eat pork or drink wine, if he can do it without the knowledge of his friends. .... But let no one imagine, on this account, that the hold of the Mohammedan religion on their intellects is any less strong. .... ... my dragoman, who was an intelligent Muslim, familiar with the Koran and the traditions, would ride by my side and talk for hours on the subject of his creed, and when at length, provoked by some extreme absurdity, I would say to him, âBut see now, for a moment, how absurd that is!â he would rein his horse back, fall in behind very respectfully, telling me that he could not debate with me; that was forbidden him; and a little while after we would resume our conversation. I had a servant with me for some months in the East, an intelligent Nubian, and the most faithful fellow in the world. Knowledge of religion he had none. He did not connect an idea with the word âAllah.â Still he washed himself and prayed at stated intervals each day because his master had so taught him. A Prussian baroness wished to buy him of me, and made him many brilliant offers to leave my service and enter hers. She was about going home to Europe, and wished to take him along. Her offers were sorely tempting. Her pay was more than five times as much as he had ever received, and his master had freed him, so that he was at liberty to go. But he refused. The reason which he gave me was sufficient: âI was afraid I should be made a Christian.â He had been educated in a horror of this idea. It was a part of his very life, and he would die rather than undergo the intense shame he should feel if he called himself a Nazarene. .... The children are still brought up in the strictest abhorrence of Christians. This is owing to the fact that their mothers are allowed the care of them until they arrive at reasonable age to go abroad with their parents; and the customs of the East keep women far from the influences that have already so much changed the men. They do not see Frank [European] gold, the grand converting power. They do not understand the power of Frank steamers and railways, and the superiority of all the manufactures of the Christian nations. In the seclusion of the harem they know nothing of the advance of knowledge and power in the world, which their lords and masters, wrapped in Turkish stolidity, can not fail to appreciate, and they therefore teach their children, as they were taught, to hate and despise the believers in Jesus. It is the women and children, therefore, who insult the Christian in the East. In walking through the streets of Cairo it was a common occurrence to meet a woman who would thrust her veil aside to spit on the ground before me by way of curse; and once, in the very heart of the city, I was walking by the side of an American lady who was riding on a donkey, when a boy spat in her face as coolly as if it were the ground. The young whelp has to thank his mother for an awful thrashing that I gave him, which he will remember till he dies; and which I administered in the presence of hundreds of Muslims, who looked on in silence, if not with approval. ... There are two ways in which Turkey may be Christianized, and neither of these is by simple preaching and teaching. The one way is by the contact of Western nations, Western manners, and Western gold. Depend upon it, gold is the great civilizer. Gold will introduce the new on the wrecks of the old. The first effect of this Western influence will be infidelity, and when the nation is infidel it may be Christianized. ..... But there is another and a swifter process, which all observers of the East are hoping and working for. It is coming â it must come â it will come. The difficult labor of bolstering up the present effete government will soon be too expensive to the Western nations, and Europe will find it necessary to divide the dominions of the Sultan, and the haughty Turk will have a Christian for his lord and master, and Christians for governors, magistrates, and police-officers. ..... When that time comes the religion of the False Prophet will vanish in a single generation. The children of Muslims, familiarized to Christian ideas, will laugh at their fathersâ beards when they see them going through the absurdities of their worship; and fast young men, associating with Christians, and learning Christian manners and customs, will grow up to lord it over the lonely and deserted harems of the last of the Turks. .... |
| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |
| #3 I must applaud Harpers for publishing really old articles even if they are politically incorrect. |
| Posted by: ruprecht 2004-05-11 12:30:18 PM |
| #2 Yeah, that was in 1856. Look at how well it worked out in Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Aden, Pakistan, etc. Yup, contact with Christian governors and magistrates led to really led to Christianization, right. Some western customs DID penetrate in some places, notably Turkey - which interestingly enough, WAS NOT ruled by Christians. Hmmmm. OTOH western customs penetrated least in places like Saudi and Afghan, which were not ruled by christians. A complex picture to be sure. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-05-11 9:49:20 AM |
| #1 "..... When that time comes the religion of the False Prophet will vanish in a single generation. The children of Muslims, familiarized to Christian ideas, will laugh at their fathersâ beards when they see them going through the absurdities of their worship; and fast young men, associating with Christians, and learning Christian manners and customs, will grow up to lord it over the lonely and deserted harems of the last of the Turks. ...." Its been a 150 years since this was written. There does not appear to be any sign that the fateful generation has arrived. The Muslims were archaic and hopelessly behind times 150 years ago, but alas, they have made so much progress now. Let's see, they have .. er.. well they have ..no ...er.. . Well, their greatest acheivement and progress in the last 150 years has been to allow us to turn on the oil spigot - black gold - the "great civilizer." |
| Posted by: Carlos 2004-05-11 9:35:28 AM |