p. 13 | Mohammedanism in Cairo by Mrs. Jay J. Nethery

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 15, 1908

Mohammedanism in Cairo

By Mrs. Jay J. Nethery

MRS. JAY J. NETHERY

Of all the Mohammedan cities of the world, Cairo is now growing the fastest. It is thronged during the season with tourists, and those who stay at the large hotels, and drive over the asphalt streets of the European quarters, are apt to think that it is almost wholly European, and fast becoming a Christian city; but this is not so. It is a city of the Egyptians, and not one tenth of its inhabitants are Christians. This can easily be comprehended by one taking a general view of the city from the hill of the citadel, from which one may see, dotted here and there, hundreds of round-stone towers with galleries running around them, and under each is a mosque, which is a Mohammedan church. Every one has its worshipers, and upon every tower, several times a day, may be heard the shrill voice of the priest calling out for the people to pray.

The Mohammedans have just finished celebrating their Lent, or Ramadan, and during the month of their fast not one devout believer will taste food or water from sunrise to sunset, and it is said that the more devout ones will not even swallow their saliva.

Their religion is more of the lips than of the heart. The name of God is heard on every hand with no meaning. The water-carrier, who goes about with a goat’s skin upon his back, jingles his brass cups, and cries out as an advertisement, “May God recompense me;” and those who drink utter the same.

The largest university of the Mohammedan world is in Cairo. This university has existed for more than a thousand years, and nearly ten thousand students are now in that institution studying the Koran.

Indeed, the amount of time these people spend on their Koran is a cause of wonder. It is their primer, and also their college text-book.

As soon as a baby is born, the call to prayer is shouted in its ear, and when it begins to speak, it is taught short sentences of praises to God and Mohammed.

When a boy reaches five or six years of age, he starts to the mosque school, and there he squats down, cross-legged, and sways to and fro as he yells aloud the texts of the Koran.

There are now more than two hundred thousand pupils in the Egyptian schools, the majority of whom are under thirteen years of age; and from a recent census it was found that many of them could recite nearly all their text-book, while forty-five hundred had memorized the

whole from beginning to end. When we remember that the Koran contains one hundred divisions, and about eighty thousand words, we can more fully comprehend what this means.

There are many other interesting things about the Mohammedan world, but I think these few facts are quite sufficient to help us to realize in some degree what a hold Mohammedanism has upon these people, rich and poor, and what an effort it will take to win any of them to Christ.

This is surely a needy field, and we are praying, and looking forward to the time when more laborers will be sent to help in proclaiming the message to the Egyptian people.

Cairo, Egypt.