The blight of Asia : $b An account of the systematic extermination of Christian populations by Mohammedans and of the culpability of certain great powers; with the true story of the burning of SmyrnaHorton, George
History
The blight of Asia : $b An account of the systematic extermination of Christian populations by Mohammedans and of the culpability of certain great powers; with the true story of the burning of Smyrna
Horton, George
Christians -- Turkey; Fires -- Turkey -- İzmir; Greeks -- Turkey; Turkey; İzmir (Turkey) -- History
The peculiar state of mind which has enabled the Turk to commit outrages
on humanity that have shocked and insulted the entire race have been
due to three things: his own nature, the teachings of the Koran and the
example of the Prophet. This is what Gladstone means when he speaks of
the “combination of his nature and his religion.”
This is better understood when we take into consideration that other
branches of the Mohammedans have made great contributions to the progress
and culture of the world. The Arabs have distinguished themselves in
architecture, science, poetry, art and letters. It is the opinion of that
distinguished churchman, Canon William Barry, expressed in an article in
_The Nineteenth Century and After_ for August, 1919, that other Moslems
should repudiate the Turk and his outrages. Canon Barry says:
“Wise Moslems, instead of being stirred up in defense of a
system condemned by history and experience, should be led to
perceive in the Turk, not any ‘Bulwark of Islam,’ but a stain
upon their civilization, a lapse from the glory of their
illustrious Caliphs, a scandal and a weakness not to be
endured any more.”
In support of this, one has only to hark back to the splendid days of
Bagdad and Cordova.
In the days of Haroun al Raschid, Bagdad was renowned as the greatest
city in the world, a center of refinement, learning and art. This monarch
is described as having gathered about him a brilliant company of poets,
jurists, learned men and wits. That civilization has left behind one
classic which has immortalized it—even though it naively treats of a
monarch who had a new wife every night whose head he cut off in the
morning.
But here we have the same old story: Bagdad fell into insignificance
after it came under the sway of the Turks; and at the time of its final
capture in 1638 by the Sultan Murad IV, that monarch massacred most of
its inhabitants, contrary to the terms of capitulation.
The Moors have left behind them in Spain monuments of architecture
which are to this day a delight to the world; we have only to cite
the Mosque—now the Cathedral—at Cordova, and the Alhambra of Grenada.
The famous Algebra of Omar Khayyám was written in Arabic and many
contributions to science and literature have first appeared in that
language. The Arab of Africa is described by travelers as the noblest
specimen, physically, of the human race, and even the casual tourist who
has touched at Algiers, has confirmed this fact by observation of the men
in its streets. The difference, mentally, between the Arab and the Turk,
is thus depicted by Buckhardt:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account