Page 124 - Neglected Arabia Vol 2

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NEGLECTED ARABIA 19

'I mined remurks which might be Intended fur pulltlcul as well us fur religious
ir interpretation. The director uf their reading room succeeded in obtaining
it
the needed license to print u little puper edited by himself and containing
contributions by others from the opposition purty. They have circulated
copiesvof this paper and a few other tracts or booklets,containing among
wt other things articles intended to criticise the Bible and the sayings and
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’ : works of our Lord as there recorded. As is usual in such articles in almost
• 1 every instance their selections from the Bible were misstated and misintcr-
I preted with intentions to discredit the Book and to decry the people of the
Book. But they raised their greatest cry of triumph in August when our
colporteur and book-shop keeper went over to their camp. This man, once
a Mohammedan, was baptized in 1920 and had since been a professing
I j Christian. His statement, which is not in all things true, was published in
the little paper and was reprinted in Baghdad papers with appropriate re­ •• \
marks; and we presume it has been used as propaganda in other Moham-
j I medan papers in other lands. The man did not in this statement give any
1 definite reason for his desertion of the Lord and the Bible other than to
el >ay that during these years he had not at any time credited or adopted the
i-1 teachings of Christianity but had been attracted by the character and friend -
bhip of the missionaries; and he now asked the people to receive him as
^1 he returned to the fold of Mohammedanism. There have been several
pl stories giving reasons for his return to Mohammedanism. As far as we :i :
fcl can decide it appears that he had probably for several months been in touch
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Si with the leaders of the opposition while thinking of the oj>en act of joining ]
SI jheir camp and he had for very many months before that Ikx*h a not in fix'-
Si quent ascendant at their religious feast-day gatherings and other rctiginu>
meetings- And during all this time he had been a constant and active at- ^ ,
Uiwlant at our meetings, and as much as we could live with him, had always it ’
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U«ii u professing* Christian, One of bis first acts after going back to the
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i Mohammedans was to sell the furniture of his room and to burn all the !
1 topics of Scriptures and other Christian books which he had. He then set ' I
uut to bring to the religious leader persons who were attendants at our $ i .
j meetings and to report the names of others. He acted as spy upon men "
who visited our reading-room and called them to come away or afterwards
threatened to report them to the religious leaders. He succeeded in per­ !
s vading the religious leader of the Sunni sect of the Mohammedans to pub­
lish and post a proclamation advising all coffee-shops and tea-shops to re­
I fuse serving Christians, and commanded all Mohammedans not to visit our •i
trading room and not to attend our meetings or to associate with the mis-
* lionaries. He picked a quarrel' with the Mohammedan brother of one of
ihc baptized men of our little flock and managed to involve the Christian • i
yul then lodged a complaint in court against him. The complaint was that
the defendant and his brother had cursed the plaintiff and the Mohamme­
dan religion. The judge, apparently discerning that the complaint of curs- \ ■
yig the religion of the prophet was unfounded, dropped that part of the ac­
5 cusation and rushed the case through the court as that of a general quar-
1 itl, fined the defendant and dismissed the case.
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“After this cursory story of events it is hardly necessary to add many
> t (fniarks regarding the state of the work throughout the year. Inquirers, ;* \ *
tac by one, disappeared or discontinued coming to qur class. Only !; 4
Aree inquirers and sometimes a fourth now come to our classes for i i l
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