EGYPT TO-DAY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20866, 5 November 1929, Page 5

EGYPT TO-DAY.

PROBLEM OF SELF-GOVERNMENT | I NOT YET READY FOR THE TASK. | SIR ALEXANDER MILL'S VIEWS. Mr Alexander Mill, representing the Egypt General Mission, who is at present in Dunedin, has an interesting story to tell about that great and strange country, which has been one of Great Britain’s responsibilities for many years. In conversation with a Daily Times reporter yesterday lie made some observations about modern Egypt that demonstrate how difficult the question of absolute self-government really is there. Mr Mill spoke of Mahmoud Pasha, King Fuad’s Prime Minister, a statesman who has assimilated many Western ideals, and who is doing his utmost to introduce into Egypt some of the methods and practices of modern civilisation in an effort to raise the country to a standard of nationhood which will make the assumption of the powers and responsibilities of self-government possible. Mahmoud, said Mr Mill, rose to his present proud position from the ranks of the peasant classes, mainly as a result of British influence, so that it is not surprising that he is very friendly to the British regime. Mr Mill stated that he was an ardent reformer along social lines. His term of office had been characterised by drastic changes and readjustments. The pity was that his tenure of office was at the present rather insecure. Among the matters that had engaged his attention was the Police Department, which had undergone great revision, and he had also addressed himself to the task of stamping out the drug traffic, or at least reducing it. This was one of the curses of modern Egypt, largely because of the terrible dimensions it had now assumed. Mahmoud’s attention to the question of hospital administration had also resulted in badly needed improvements, and he had undertaken a system of model housing, which it was hoped would prove useful in weaning the Egyptian away from the rude and primitive mud dwellings which stood for homes with thousands of families. An important feature of Egyptian politics to-day is the treaty which ia > now on offer to Egypt by the British Government, and by which that country will be presented with most of the privileges and responsibilities of self-govern-ment. On this point Mr Mill had some interesting remarks to make. He was emphatic in his opinion that Groat Britain could not, for many reasons, afford to relinquish her hold upon Egypt. And the greatest reason he could advance against it was that the Egyptian was not yet ready to shoulder the auiuous task of governing himself. The national temperament and ethics, which were largely the outcome of the Mohammedan religion to which the majority of them subscribed, were such as to make the granting of self-government a very risky experiment. The true Moslem, said Mr Mill, had very little moral responsibility. He was born to Mohammedanism, and that wps generally enough for him. He was not disposed to question the sort of predestination which his religion presented to him. He was destined to live and die, and his whole course of life was determined for him by fate, so that he was not prepared to worry himself about any personal responsibility in the matter. All the onus was thrown back upon his God. It was his fate to do this or to suffer that, and that was sufficient for him. He lived always in the shadow of that strange philosophy. In his personal life it was all-supreme, and it could readily be imagined how difficult it would be for him to divorce it from national life and government. The Egyptians were one of the child peoples of the East, and the time was not yet ripe for them to stand on their own. If Britain withdrew from Egypt now, chaos could be expected in less than a decade.

But there were other reasons why Egypt should not be left altogether to her own devices, said Mr Mill. In the first place she was of far too much importance to the British Empire. There was the Suez Canal to be thought of. It would be a sad day for New Zealand and Australia if the control of that great waterday ever found its way into any but the friendliest of hands. Then again Cairo was to-day coming into great prominence from the point of view of aviation, and ns things were going at present, bade fair at a very early date to bo the flying centre of the world, upon which all trade routes must converge. Cairo in that capacity was far too great an asset to let go, or to endanger by the hasty granting of self-government.

Speaking of Cairo, Mr Mill said that it was rapidly becoming the chief centre of the Mohammedan world, the city to which the Moslems looked for leadership. To-day there were 200 printing presses at work there on the publication and distribution of Mohammedan literature, and the great University of El Azhar was now firmly established, attracting to its halls the young men of the entire Moslem world.- Mr Mill said that the majority of the trouble in Egypt of Into years had had its birth in file young student classes, who were easily able to the masses with propaganda, and he indicated that here was a great opportunity for Britain to attempt to introduce Western ideals and methods to young Egypt. *lt was interesting to note that just recently, by order of King Fund and Mahmoud, the English Bible Lad been included as a test book in the curriculum of the El Azhar University. This was a great advance considering how jealously the Moslems had in the past guarded their religion.

According to Mr Mill, the question of ■women and women’s rights was the most vital problem in Egypt to-day, and upon its satisfactory solution depended the future of the country and of Mohammedanism. Until the Moslem woman was placed upon an equality with the women of western civilisations, and received education in motherhood and child welfare she would be a tremendous drag upon development of Egypt as a nation. Of course, said Mr Mill, in answer to a question as to what "was being done, the position was not nearly so hopeless as it was at one time. There were evidences of an awakening in this direction which should have far-reaching results. For instance, recently there had been held in Cairo a banquet at which men and women journalists did honour to the first lady editor in Egypt who controlled the first women’s magazine in the country. The lady in question was Mile Nabaraoui. Another encouraging sign was the appointment of Mile Mousa to the post of superintendent of girls’ schools. Both these appointments were of the greatest importance since each was the first of its kind, flood work was also being done by various societies in the direction .of having the divorce and niarriago laws revised. All these things could be expected to help Egypt to that greater national life which was essential to self-government.

Mr Mill then went on to speak of the work in which he is particularly interested—the mission field. This branch of endeavour was of the greatest value in the country in view of the character building which was its chief aim. The Egypt General Mission operated largely in and around Cairo, which was now one of the big cities of the world, having a, population of over a million. There the organisation had over .'ill workers. The mission laid a hospital under Hie care of four doctors, and in addition there were two schools, a day establishment and a hoarding school. King Fuad had recently given the educational side

of their work a great Slip by presenting a cheque for £IOO to the schools as a King’s prize. Another branch of the work was the editing and distribution of an Arabic Bible, which was being circulated throughout the whole Moslem world, extending as far' east as China. In this connection it was of interest to note that one of the chief attractions of the Bible to the Egyptian was the story of the Prodigal Son, which needed only to be read to an Egyptian to make him purchase a copy. Another branch of work upon which Mr Mill touched was that of the youth movement of the Y.M.C.A. That organisation was engaged in issuing reprints in Arabic of Western classics. There was a tremendous demand in Egypt for good literature, arising out of the spread of reading among the masses, and it was necessary that something worth while should be provided for the beginners. Their own literature was almost unreadable. Egypt, said Mr Mill, presented a great opportunity for Christian service for women with nursing experience and for all classes of workers with a Christian standard. The nation required precept and example to help it to a higher standard of living. Mr Mill concluded by saying that such leaders in Christian work as Dr John R. Mott and Dr S. Zwomer were confident that Egypt, and in fact all Islam, were on the move to an unknown destination. It was the duty of the Christian Church to extend a helping hand and guide them to a high standard of nationhood.