NOTES O N CURRENT TOPICS 301

natural seme of the original Arabic is the measure of the homage

extorted by the manifest superiority of Christian ethics from the follow-
ers of a system which they perhaps recognise as inferior, though the
circumstances of birth and social training forbid public acknowledg-
ment of the fact. Striking instances of this are found for example in
reference to marriage, to the promises made to the faithful as to the
enjoyments in paradise, and to the precept of jehad or religious war. It
has been argued in these latter days, when the pure ethic of our
Christianity permeates more and more the mass of the world’s general
thought, in opposition, as it seems to us, to the plain sense of the Koran,
that Mohammed advocated monogamy; it is also urged in equally plain
contradiction of unmistakable words that the houris of Paradise are
t o be interpreted figuratively, and once again that there is no such thing
as jekud or religious war inculcated in the Koran. As Christians, of
course, we must welcome such modern interpretation as showing how
necessary even Mohammedans feel it to be to use (though they do not
acknowledge its source) the light which comes from the T r u e Light,
but it seems advisable to restate from time to time facts which are
unfamiliar to a good many readers.”
A Moslem Seeker in Dacca
Kurreem (the gracious) is an elderly man, of humble position, and
keeps a tiny shop. H e is one of those who are growing dissatisfied
both with their prophet and their book. His business not being large
he finds leisure for reading and reflection. It was while so engaged
that one of our evangelists first found him. Since then he has invari-
ably shown himself glad to converse about the things of God. I well
remember how during one of these visits he unwittingly taught me a
lesson of more humble reliance upon God. W e were occupied with
some aspect of religion, when a customer intruded upon our talk.
With singular politeness Kurreem besought the customer to excuse him
that day as he was busy! I was about to remonstrate with my friend,
when he raised his hand, and, on the departure of the customer, said:
“ M y good friend, we are engaged in business much more serious than a
sale. God knows my needs, and should H e think well, H e will send that
man to me again.” There you have an insight into his character. H e
is a seeker after God, and this seeking is with him a matter of deep
concern.
H e has never resented our talk about Christ and not once has any
bitterness entered into his speech as we have considered together the
claims of the Saviour. A t his time of life Kurreem might have been a
bigoted opponent of the Gospel, like hosts of his co-religionists.
Before I left India Kurreem assured me that he had not only read
the Gospels with which we had supplied him, but has derived much
comfort from them. This ismot to say that all his Moslem prejudices
have been removed, but we hear very much less of them than we do of
praise and admiration for the beauty of Christ’s teaching, and for the
noble example of Christ’s life; and he has begged us to pray to God
for him. A Moslem asks prayer of a,Christian!
The Christian.
Islam and Christianity
T h e Rev. H. G. Harding draws attention to the Moslem problem in
the Church Missionary Review, Aug., 1917, and calls it The Battle-
field o f ike Ages. H e said: “The real difficulty is that the Church of
302 T H E MOSLEM W O R L D

Christ does not realize the vital character of the conflict with Islam.
She realizes the danger t e d a y no more than she did in the year 632.
W e think of Islam as one among many old world religions hastening to
inevitable extinction before the advance of knowledge and civilization.
W e think of it as a religion founded and extended solely by the sword,
and with the dwindling of Mohammedan temporal power are content to
believe that all danger to our Faith is past. W e forget that to-day no
error can be, if indeed it ever has been, successfully propagated by physi-
cal force alone. T h e real danger is and always has been the vital enerm
of Islam, and its determined aspiration after universal dominion. Islam
is the “Germany” of world religions.
T o sum up. T w o great religions contend for the world-wide
obedience of mankind, and neither can rest content with anything lcss.
Islam has in the past been strong enough to defeat the Christian
Church in her own strongholds; it is extending to-day at a rate which
is the surest evidence of unimpaired vitality, and the Church is doing but
little to check its progress. Yet the results of missionary effort in
India and elsewhere show that before aggressive spiritual Christanity
Islam can never stand. Upon the ancient battlefield, never utterly
abandoned by the Church, she may yet win a victory that shall wipe
out the memory of past defeats. Here the political supremacy of
Islam is slipping away, new possibilities are opening, and by a bold and
vigorous effort in Palestine now, Christianity might produce spiritual
results which would have a far-reaching effect on the future of the
struggle.”

The Bible in Kermanshah

Writing from his station at Kermanshah, well within the Persian hor-
der, the Rev. F. M. Stead, of the American Presbyterian Mission, gives a
vivid glimpse of the ups and downs of Bible distribution since the war
began : “We have seen three military evacuations and occupations. W c
have Seen Kermanshah turned into a training camp for Kurdish cavalry
and Persian infantry. We have Seen here the concentration of des-
perate and angered tribes, driven from position after position till they
fell back grudgingly t o this district. W e have seen Russians and T u r k s
fighting at our doors. W e have seen burning villages; homeless women
and children; many sick, wounded, dying, dead-a little of the havoc
and horror of war. But through it all we have been able to put the
Word of God into the hands of war-worn men, and our hearts have
been comforted.
When the Russians were in Kermanshah a colporteur ventured on
a trip to the Lurs in the hills of the Pusht-i-Kub. H e had several
narrow escapes of being robbed among those merry-hearted but pre-
datory tribesmen ; his sales were small, but apparently he broke fresh
ground among the descendents of an ancient race, whose speech became
the language of the Zendavesta.
Strangely enough, while the Turkish flag Boated over the city-
from July I , 1916, to March 1 1 , 1g17-the colporteurs were more
successful by x,goo copies than they had ever been before in the same
space of time; and when one of them, the grandson of a wealthy
Jewish merchant, was cast into prison on false charges ( a Persian
device for extorting money), an appeal to the Turkish commander
secured his release. I n November the usual Bible journeys were for-
bidden by the Persian officials on pretence that the men might aid
communication with the Russians. Their efforts were confined to the