glories of the culture of Bagdad and Cordova, and the intellectual achievements of the Arab Schoolmen, remember that his history does contain many a glorious page. Let us have done with the mention of crusades and crusaders. We gain little by the comparison of Richard Cœur de Lion with Salah ud Din (Saladin). And let us remember that, if Islam has remained the religion of nations on a lower scale of civilization, its professors have at least succeeded in casting down the barriers of race between fellow believers considerably more than Christians. And remember too that the Indian Moslem is eminently susceptible to the influence of a life of unassuming, genuine love to man, lived in an atmosphere of humble devotion and prayerfulness in God.

Finally, I would say, let us strive to make these our brothers and sisters conscious that we value and live by the great truths common to both religions no less than they. Consider for a moment how much of the Apostles' Creed a Musulman professes. "I believe in God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, who was born of the Virgin Mary, and ascended into heaven, and shall come again; I believe in the communion of saints, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting." Now these foundation truths are in danger of being undermined, not in themselves, but in the minds of many, by the dislocations of modern thought, and the Moslem with his backward culture has far less chance of dealing successfully with these difficulties than the Christian with his heritage of continuous and progressive religious thought. Of this the Moslem is to some degree conscious, and he is bound to become increasingly so. Let him feel that we are striving to preserve this priceless common possession, and we shall the better be able to lead him on to see that those articles of the Christian creed which his prophet ignorantly omitted in reality

supply elements which are needed to adjust religion with scientific thought, and better still those by which he may attain the assurance of forgiveness, the power of sanctification, and the sure hope of eternal life.

XX

REFORM MOVEMENTS IN THE NEAR EAST

"T

REV. JOHN GIFFEN, D. D., CAIRO

HE whole fabric of Islam remains precisely as the prophet left it, neither taken from nor added to-his work alone. As the faith issued from the lips of Mohammed or was embodied in his daily life, even so it lived, and still lives, the religion of more than a hundred and seventy millions of our race. "This day,' as he said at the Farewell Pilgrimage, 'I have perfected your religion unto you;' and for weal or woe, thus perfect and complete, it has ever since remained." Thus closes Sir William Muir's "Mohammed and Islam," and we all bow to his authority on matters of Islam.

Such a system seems to leave no place for reformation. Its author considered it perfect and so his followers have considered it perfect. It has virtually remained without reform during all these centuries at Cairo, the citadel of its strength, at Constantinople the seat of the caliphate, at Damascus from which it rules Syria, as well as in the Mosque of Omar at Jerusalem, and in the cities along the coast of North Africa. But despite its claims and its history, both at Cairo and Constantinople, as well as in all the other regions bordering on the Great Sea, reform is in the air.

Reform in the air is not very tangible, it is hard to see, to touch, to take hold of. As long as the air is still, its effect may not be very perceptible. Its presence can scarcely be known. But the air is always in contact

with the earth. Then whatever elements it may have in it, that are capable of producing changes in the earth, have a chance to do their work. Therefore, if there is reform in the air about Islam, it must be doing something whether we see it or not, or whether Islam itself perceives it or not. Furthermore, permit me to assure you that the Mohammedan atmosphere in these parts is surcharged with reform. Every Moslem breathes it, and breathing it, it must affect his life.

When I began to think of preparing this paper, I wrote to a most intelligent, earnest worker in regard to the subject. He replied that he had thought of the matter, and he had consulted a colleague who has been a missionary in these parts for more than half a century, "and," said he, "we both plead ignorance of anything of great value in Syria of this kind." Still, I am sure, that both these missionaries will agree with me that there is reform in the air.

If in some way the air can be set in motion; if some master of science shall arise who will turn to account the electricity with which it is charged, then there will be results which shall be seen and felt.

The evidence is abundant that the elements of doctrinal and social reform exist in the Islamic atmosphere of Mediterranean lands.

The Pan-Islamic Movement may be mentioned first, though it is far from being the most important as a reform movement. Indeed it may be denied whether it be reform at all. It is supposed to be aggressive. To be aggressive it must also be reformatory. As I understand it, this is a movement to gather the scattered members into one body. In order to do this differences must be eliminated, or at any rate smoothed over so that the members may fit one into another. To do this rites and customs which are found in one sect and not in another

are being left off. Especially is this true of such ceremonies as are in themselves repulsive to twentieth century civilization. I am told on good authority that numerous smaller "Mulids" have been discontinued in Egypt. The "Doseh" was a part of the celebration of the "Mulid en Nebi" itself at Cairo. I remember well witnessing its last performance. That the Sheikh of the Saadiye dervishes should ride on horseback over the prostrate bodies of faithful Moslems was too revolting to the feelings of intelligent men to be tolerated longer. It is true that this particular instance of reform happened before the movement called pan-Islamism was recognized and named, but the spirit that demanded these elisions has eventuated in the movement, and its friends demand that it be carried still farther, that Islam may present a united front, and move on to conquest. The AngloEgyptian control in the Sudan, by its Egyptian army with British officers, making the Arabic language the vehicle of communication, and the Moslem "Jumaa " the weekly rest day instead of Sunday, by its building mosques at public expense and its repressing Christian missions is aiding the pan-Islamic propaganda. This is a fact too well known to need comment. How far the type of Islam thus fostered is reformed remains to be

seen.

The "New Islam" is another evidence that reform is in the air. As it appears to me, the movement which has this name is but an expression for the influence of Western thought and Western life on Islam when the two are brought into close contact. It was the presence of Christian civilization and influence which produced in India the New Islam, as Dr. Weitbrecht showed us in the paper which he presented at the first meeting of this conference at Cairo in 1906. The opening of the Suez Canal, and the events of 1882 in Egypt brought that country