THE TIDE OF ISLAM.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1248, 6 October 1911, Page 6

THE TIDE OF ISLAM.

INTERESTING LECTURE BY A GREAT EXPLORER.

WIIAT IS HAPPENING IN AFRICA.

Islam swept over Europe from tho Mediterranean to France, but tlio tide wna eventually driven back by tha valour of tho Wost (says the "Sydney Morning Herald"). Then Mohammedanism over-ran Asia, hut was foiled and enervated by the riches of tho East. Then tho restless lido of Moslem fanaticism turned its faeo southward and devastated northern Africa, until blocked by the. mighty Sahara. Jiut to-day Islam is again steadily pursuing southward and threatening to coniliier Africa. Tho ono obstacle in tho path of tho invaders is tho fierce fighter that Kipling calls tho Fuzzy Wuzzy. In tho heart of Africa is a region as big as Australia, inhabited by 200 tribos, totalling .lii million Fuzzy Wuzzics. Against these lierco lighters tho onslaught of Islam heats in vain. This is the fourth, great check to restless, fanatic Mam. Hut Britain has cried peace in Africa, The Mohammedan, having tailed to convert the. tribos of tho plateau by tho sword, is succeeding by iicry fanatical preaching. In ten years' time—if Christianity looks on apathetically this barrier will be removed, and 35 million fanatics newly converted to Mohammedanism will reinforce tho Hood tide of Islam. Then once more—and perhaps successfully—tha Crescent will challenge, tho Cross. This is the position in darkest Africa, and already prophetic voices are sounding tho tocsin, calling upon Christianity to a twentieth century crusade. One of tho prophets, better qualified than any other living man to speak on the subject is Dr. Karl W. Kumm, tho distinguished explorer, who, on September 25, beforo a gathering of students and visitors at the Sydnny University, outlined tho position of the negro, the Mohammedan, and tho Christian in Africa. A 700 Years' Conflict. Dr. Kumm pictured in graphic style tho 700 years' conilict between Mohammedanism and Christianity, how tho tide of Islam swept westward to France, where Charles Martcl slemmcd it, and how tho Poles coming to tho assistance of Western Europe at the siogo of Vienna, turned the tide back towards Asia. Had Vienna fallen, there would have been no Napoleon, no Occident, no England. It was tho valour of their forefathers in Central Europe that hurled back tho flood tide of Islam. Then Islam swamped Asia, over-running Asia Minor, Persia. India, and even China, and down to tho East Indies, until the whole continent seemed given over to Mohammedanism. But the wealth of the east acted as a narcotic. The poverty-stricken Arabs suddenly emerging on tho riches of India, fell asleep in luxury. Wealth was over a drag on religious enthusiasm. Next Islam laekled Africa. Tho library of Alexandria was burned. In tho seventh and eighth century Tunis and Tripoli, with their wonderful marble palaces and cities, were overthrown. So were Algiers and Morocco. Thero wore 25 million people in Egypt and 10 millions in Tripoli in the time of Constantino. After a thousand years of Mohammedanism, not ono in ten "remained. Thoro were 1000 bishoprics in Northern Africa, then camo the Mohammedan invasion, and tho bosom of war swept away nine-tenths of tho people and all Christianity. Tho idea that Mohammedanism was odvancing in Northern Africa was entirely erroneous. It was all an uphill cul-de-sac. Eventually Islam crossed tho Sahara, and in 10GG— when William Hie Conqueror landed in England—Timbuktu was founded. Devastation fell upon Nubia, where to-day aro the ruins of dozens of Christian churches. Islam established sultanates south, of the Sahara. Here in Northern Nigeria there was an indigenous civilisation which knew the use of gunpowder beforo Europe. But with Islam's advent camo nioro awful atrocities. But the sultanates, established in 1100 to 1500 A.D.. could not conquer the 200 free tribes of the plateau. For 500 years Islam tried to bring these warrior tribes into subjection, but failed. Those were tho finest race of fighters in the world. When Lord Kitchener reconquered the Sudan ho did not fight tho Arabs;, ho fought these Dervishes, the negroes, who wero mowed down by tho Maxims, who could bo killed, but not defeated. Moslem and Pagan. These tribes wero clean-living, musical, virile people, and ficrco fighters; and no race of people multiplied so quickly. Tho white man might supersede tho red maa in America, and tho black man in Australia, but lie could never oust these negroes l from Africa. In spite of plague and pestilence and slavery there were now 201) million people in Africa. England had fought tho slave trade and tho sleeping sickness, and now the population was increasing enormously. England had tho finest pads of Africa and tho finest races of Africans. But having established peace between Moslem and Pagan, tho Moslem was converting tho Pagans, a thing Islam could not do by force of arms. Tribe after tribe was going over to Islam. The result would be that the new converts would become deeply religious and fanatical. The Koran taught that Christians were infidels, and should Ik exterminated. Would the now flood of Islam perpetrate anew tho bloodshed and massacre of the early centuries, when millions wero put to tho sword? In Gordon's time there were seven and a half million pooplo in tho Upper Nile. After 13 years of Islam there were only ono and a, half million. Possibly tho last great war between tho Crescent and the Cross would 1m fought out in Central Africa. It would So on awful conflagration.

From a political, national, business, religious, and common-souse standpoint, the, only thine uossiblo to stem the tide of Islam, said Dr. Kumin, was to Christianiso these Pagan millions.sand establish a chain of missions from the Niger to tho Nile. But tho negro should uot bo Europeanised. There should not bs superimposod on fhem a civilisation that could uot fit them. They should bo treated as in Uganda, It was a lime of crisis in Africa. Unless the missions Christianised theso 35 million Pagans, who could be easily won, tho wliolo of Africa would go. Tho Sudanese must bo saved from the grip of Islam. It was a challenge to Christendom.

Professor David, the chairman, in describing tho lecture as a masterly summary of the situation, said that as thero was nothing in all our civilisation greater than the Christian religion, it was surely their duty to see that those children in Africa should receive its benefits.