The Sultan and His PeopleOscanyan, C. (Christopher)
History
The Sultan and His People
Oscanyan, C. (Christopher)
Turkey -- Description and travel; Turkey -- Social life and customs
Even a Turk designates his nationality by his religion; for if you
ask him, Of what nation are you? his answer will invariably be,
El-hamd-ullah Mussulmanem, or Thank God I am a Mussulman.
Indeed, religion in the East is so pre-eminent, that a declaration of
faith is equal to an allegiance of fealty, and the Mohammedan formula
of La-Illah-Illallah, etc., is the only oath of naturalization,
which, if once pronounced, fully entitles the individual to all the
privileges and immunities of Turkish citizenship.
Neither is there a community of sentiment among the Christians
themselves--who, all abhorring Islamism, hate none the less each
other through their religious differences.
An Armenian, native of Angora--whose inhabitants are reputed for their
religious bigotry--and a Roman Catholic by persuasion, had occasion to
visit Trieste on some commercial business. On his arrival there, he was
asked by the officer of the quarantine what nation he belonged to! His
unsophistical and prompt answer was "Catholic." The officer, somewhat
puzzled at this novel nationality, reminded him that they were also all
Catholics there, but called themselves Austrians or Italians--now, what
is your nation? thereupon our worthy friend unflinchingly reiterated
that he was a Catholic; nothing else but a Catholic; for they now
had, through the interference of the French Ambassador, a Patriarch
of their own, and were recognized as a nation! meaning a community.
If a Greek mendicant happen to call at your door, and you ask his
co-religionist who it is, his answer will surely be Christianos or
a Christian; but if the applicant for charity should chance to be of
any other creed, his only title would be ztiyanos, or beggar.
Apart from the religious fanaticism, which is universal, the people,
uncontaminated by a depraved and corrupted court--unlike the enervated
and luxurious Osmanlis of the metropolis, are simple-minded, brave,
robust, temperate, intelligent, active and industrious.
The Mussulmans formerly taught that apostasy should be punished with
death; but now a new system of instruction, on this and other points,
proceeding from supreme authority, is as readily received by the
credulous multitude.
Their bravery has been attested by the late massacre of Sinope,
when one and all preferred death to an ignominious surrender. The
events of the recent war have established the fact, that there are
no better soldiers than the Turks.
We have the testimony of a distinguished American who
"Stood
Among them, but not of them."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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