TO MECCA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11509, 4 October 1915, Page 1

TO MECCA.

! WAR INTERRUPTS PILGRIMAGES. J POSITION IN INDIA. > CALCUTTA, August 14. , As has already been pointed out, [ the war has introduced certain compli- . cations into the relig.ou; and political i atmosphere of India. These complica--5 tions affect the Hindu indirectly, but they affect the Mohammadan directly. ; The Sultan of Purltey has been so long ) b.' tradition the Commander of the . fall'ful" to him, and Constantinople >1 has been so lons the centre of his political affections, as Mecca is of his . religious instincts, that his loyalty to ■ the Brifcsh Empire is being severely t tested by the Allies' invasion of the Dardanelles. It is universally and i frankly admitted that Turkey has brought her present punishment upon her ell by turning against her oldest friend among the Powers of Europe, ■, but while the thoughtful Mohammadan is oblged t-o yield an intellectual assent to this proposition, his sympathy for the Turks, as professors of hi.i own religion, is so intense as almost to cancel arguments based upon reason and self-interest. A PERILOUS JOURNEY. The present struggle is now being brought before him in a new way. For many years Indian Mohammadans have made the pilgrimage to Mecca in British ship-? sailing from Bombay to Medina, in the Red Soa. But, the Hedjaz, or Arabian Holy Land, being now an enemy country, the Indian Mohammadan can no longer travel thither by sea I His only means of access to Mecca is a I most arduous land journey to the Per- : siau Gulf, which is now entirely in ; British hands. It is probable that the | r gours of this route will prevent most i Mohammadans from making the at--1 tempt, but the of India ' is naturally extremely anxious that- ; none of its subjects shall turn their | steps toward; Mecca so long as the 1 -.vr.r lasts. In the first place the coun- ■■ is so unsettled that their return, . : xys problematical, even at the best; ,-j imes, v.ou'd now be gravely uncerI tain. Secondly, it is extremely d.iSj euk to gauga the political effect of j the pilgrimage under present condi- | tions. It is conceivable that such pil- { grims nvght, on their return to Ind'a, I 'introduce an .undesirable element into i th < Mamie body politic, as was tho I ea.se wi;h repatriated Sikhs in the Puuj jab last year. J A NAWAB'S STAND. ! For these and other reasons the auj tbor.tios are reluctant- that any Ind an | Mohammadans should make the pil- | grimagc, and this view has just been J expounded with great force and au- | thority by the Nawab of Jaora, a native State in the north of India. There is no reason why the Nawab should not have taken this line spontaneously, but in v ew of the well-known cpin- ! ion or the Government of India, there is; notli ng highly improbable in the conjecture that his utterance in this connection was not etirely uninspired. The Nawab called a special meeting | of Mohammadan officials and citizens i of his State recently, and dealt with I the whole subject with great elaborate- ! ne.ss and tact, lie reminded them of | their common obligations to the Brit- } ?sh Empire, and pointed out that, owj in'! entirely to the fault of Turkey, j tlio Hodjaa was in a highly disturbed I state, lie fort lied his arguments with ! abundant quotations from the Koran.. culminating in the saying, ''lt is the 1 duty of all io go to Kaada (Mecca) j once at leas-t for pilgrimage, provided : only that they have means to do so." That- is. commented tho Nawab. '• :f f ( vL:> passage !k sru> and they hare ample 1(3-;i with them."'' Tiie.se eondi- j ; ,>nv ili. not. in- pointed out, prevail oil I ti<- Mecca route to-dry. j ! The up .hot •« aj; as rellov.-s:—As | your ruier. - ' Msid. the Xawab. it is | my duty io request you, my subjects, j | to go II a i (pi'p'imnge) until tho j present cri.-is is; over, and iHere u [ oneo in ore in Eaupe, aud I am ; sure thai, iii ac'-ordtuu-c v, ith whai T! i'-.-.x t"'i' w.iii a:;d the <|Uoi ru oie from ■ K"r-m. ah my >.ardars, p".- If "Kit: 1.'.-.M' !!-.lrnt!u;: of ;■>; tij on iL.! n::ii! a Mere iavourabia tin.:.- com ■>-. A-:. 1 ' loo!; I-' 1 Thc?;> of you ■ I:?; o* r;or o'liK-al 'v.;- lu ;iisu 'v, j'f >TI >1; t t!)*!, 1 ./ i '. I;X I>!Y !: I C-'TiT, i•l'.-,,-. ;»s:d aiuou.- of ils.^ . ; i k -r.iVem _,..'l\_ en iiyj