A Prisoner of the Khaleefa: Twelve Years Captivity at OmdurmanNeufeld, Charles
History
A Prisoner of the Khaleefa: Twelve Years Captivity at Omdurman
Neufeld, Charles
Neufeld, Charles, 1856-1918; Prisoners -- Sudan -- Omdurman; Sudan -- History -- 19th century
Irrespective of the opinions expressed in the first four extracts
given, extract No. 5 makes out a very good case for the Sirdar to write
in large letters at the Soudan Frontier, “No Missionaries Admitted,”
for Father Ohrwalder proves conclusively that they can do no good.
Honestly I believe that for many years to come the only religious
teachers allowed to penetrate into the Soudan should be enlightened
exponents of the Quoran. Consider that for sixteen years the |322|
Soudan has been in the throes—is still in the throes of one of the
greatest religious upheavals known. While this revival of Islam has
been in progress in the Soudan proper, the converts at Uganda and
elsewhere have been snicking each other’s throats to evidence their
zeal for the rival Christian creeds. In the Soudan, missionaries have
openly avowed to thousands their acceptance of the “true faith”—Islam,
the very religion from which they had gone out to convert the Blacks.
I have not the slightest hesitation in saying myself that for some
time to come religious revivalism in the Soudan will, if permitted to
take place, very soon spell REBELLION. Time must be given for the bad
(?) effect produced on the native mind by the conversion of the Soudan
missionaries to die out, and goodness knows the poor country requires
a rest. If missionaries must be sent, then let them be honest traders,
the best missionaries for savage countries. When the Soudan has again
been opened up, and the natives have become a little more civilized
through their contact with trade, and so Europeanized that their simple
faith, “There is one God, and He is God,” is not sufficient for them,
but they must needs snarl and fight over creeds, then and only then
remove the “No Admittance” signboard.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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