CLERGY OF ISLAM.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 June 1924, Page 4

CLERGY OF ISLAM.

(By it British .Uoalem.i

The abolition ut the Caliphate by the Turks has awakened an interest m Ike eoiistilution of the -Uohamedan religion and has made people wonder what. .M.otiamediuusm really ts.

Jo most, people lit this country the worn Islam mis a mysterious— uiiiiosl

an awe-nispiiiiig—sound, and aiihudgn they talk glibly enough of "Alohauiedans” (often more incorrectly oi "Mahometans”), they have only the loggiest notion of what that sect niitv be.

I, myself, who have lived for twelve years in Kgypt and Turkey and and am of the -Moslem faith, am sometimes almost tempted to call myself a

"Mohaiiiedan” in order to make my meaning clear. It is easier to explain (in the space at my disposal) what Islam is not rather than what il is—though 1 shall also attempt the latter briefly. To begin with, then, Islam is not antiChristian in the sense oi considering Christians outside tho pale. dust as Chrstiaiis believe their faith tu he a newer dispensation following on an older 'Jewish) faith which they incept, hut its a thing of the past, so do we .Moslems consider our laith to he a dispensation following on the Jewish and the Christian. We do not deny Lliri-t—in fact, we refer to Him in all reverence a- "Keidna I'sa" tour l.ord Jesus) hut we do not believe him in l.e God. We consider God ("Allah” in Arabic) too great and above man in infinite magnitude to be eonliiiiniled with any being—be he prophet, messenger, or what you will. And we equally do not consider .Mainlined to have been anything but a mere man, subject to sin and death like us all. And in the Koran (which to ii- is as a newer New Testament) there are abundant references to -Mnhameil being nothing hill a man. Thera are no priests in Islam and no saterdolal functions of any kind, mi sacraments —in fact nothing' hut the general duties ot kindness, justice charity, and love and fear of an Almighty God. The imam of a mosque who reads the prayers only docs so as a kind of convenient c, just as a stroke oar is one of the crew hut a man who gives the time to the others. A .Moslem has the duties ol prayer ("Salat"' live limes a day. the pilgrimage to .Mecca om-e in his lifetime il he is aide to undertake the "lladj.” the giving to the poor of oue-liirthieth of his annual income, the fast ol Hamadhan "llainazan" ill Turkey), ami the I’rofesisoti of the Faith. "Kshcdou i'U la ilalm Kl Allah wa eshedon <"i .Mohamcil abdouhoii wa rcsMilouhou” Cl hear witness that there i' no God hut God. and I bear witness lhat .Mohanied i, lli' servant anil messenger.") Those are the essentials of Islam, together with a life based on the precctps ot the Koran. Therefore a .Moslem has no lie;. '■ ol e.tiv Khali! or imam in the sense that, say. a Unman Catholic does need I’ope ami priest. A .Moslem (if it lines not sound irreverent to pul it that way) deals direct with hi' God anil needs no human intermediary to plead his cause or transmit to him blessings and sacraments. The ulema of I lain are not clergy at all: tiiev are oillv men wise and learned in the study ol the Koran and tra litlon. and it will therefore be seen that I'iam i~ an almost pcrleitly do lie er.die religion, ami in no way hotile in Christl'liilom as a whole in fail. I hole Is tar less ol a gap lie tween a .Moslem ami a I'nitarian than between the hitler and a I’oinan Cal’v-