THE EAST

Hokitika Guardian, 25 January 1929, Page 2

THE EAST

REMAINS THE EAST

(By SIR E. DENISON ROSS, Director of the London School of Oriental Studies.

Will the East, defy the compass, as it were, and obliterating its immemorial characteristics of thought and custom, one day become West? The revolutions in dress and mode of living which have been brought about recently in Afghanistan by King Amaiiullah, in Turkey by Mustnpha KemaF Pasha, and also in Persia are 110 doubt westernising the East externally. But will the wearing of perfectly creased trousers and bowler bats and gowns fresh from London and Paris really change the Eastern mind?

1 do not for a moment think so. It must be understood that the main object of the westernisation of Afghanistan, Turkey, and Persia is the establishment of constitutional government, which will .secure to them equality'of opportunity with the Western world. Mustaplia Kemal does not wish the West to come and run his country for him, hut. he knows that the resources o ,f Us country are enormous and that in order to develop them Turkey must become better acquainted with Western methods, hie wishes lurks to remain Turks, but he wants to remove those idiosyncrasies which have in the past hampered free intercourse between Tuikey and the West. The latest step in this direction is his desire for a common weekly feastday in his country. The Muslims’ Sundav is Friday and the Jews keep Saturday; this.is very inconvenient from a business point of view, so it is now proposed that everybody shall observe tlie same day as Christians. Needless to say, the merchants warmly welcome this arrangement. With regard to clothes, westernisation began with the abolition of tlie lex for the reason that it was a particularly characteristic relic oi the had old days of the Ottoman Empire. There were many who did not like to part with it, because one of the prescriptions of the Faith is that during obeisance in prayer the forehead must touch- the ground, and the .ez ' vas eminently suitable Tor wear at such a time. To-day the very piously inclined compromise by wearing a cap with a peak at the side or at the hack. Mustaplia Kcmal’s special objection to the fez was that it was not characteristically Turkish; and as a matter of fact, I believe that it, had its origin in Austria. , . While taking from the West whatever he thinks is best in its institutions. Mustnpha Kemal is determined to preserve the national identity■ o‘ Turkey. His purpose 111 availing himself of Western examples is to give the Turks a new standard oH life—not to make the East West. Some of the changes he has wjU are tremendously important, and the fact that he has been able to make them is astonishing. He was laced with this: that the Muslim law was based on tlie xoian n> interpreted by M*"""' t, ; co1 "-;- an s Recognising the absolute mutability of this system he has jot attempted to tamper with it, ln f eA ' he has introduced the Swiss code almost, in its entirety. This is extremely important, foi affects the status of women enormously It has emancipated then and >Jdered them no longer subject to primitive divorce laws of Islam- ’ Re has hurled another bombshell m the cause of' progress by alteung J Turkish alphabet. The Turk..!. * bet was Arabia ser.pt, with ti c ad dition of a few conventional lett. . that did not occur in Arabic. This alphabet was a ' c - . j lUl ‘ ~r P 1• j, throii'di the lnod-Ir.-nnin"- oi Turkish re' l ’"’-’" inmnf this alpliabet-diine.. Uk»■ wW „il l altn s e t berdisappea | »bt | t„ Turkish has J™ will tve’anv"ell'cet..n Turkish art. but it will he extremely mteiestnv whether it brings its influence to he. on architecture in Turkey. Whatever happens, Turkey s mosques will, I am fairly convinced, nee disappear in favour of Western eatbedrals. , . r At the present time there is a . . growing tendency among the people 0 Turkey to admire their ni-eli.teet.ii.il and other antiquities-a ml i • ■ strange fact that this is due to the increasing interest shown in those antiquities by European archaeologists ayd explorers. The westewjising movement 1 Afghanistan is similar to that which is going on in Turkey. King Amanu lab is a very enlightened man, with dch nito ideas about progress; but as m Turkey, so in Afghanistan, the westernisation is only outwaid. The aim of Amamillah is the same as that of Mustnpha Ko.nal-to eliminate i-mm his country those conditions and things which prevent its taking its part in world rpogress.