Current History, A Monthly Magazine | Page 9

refuse to join in the general uprising be punished
for conduct so abhorrent? Answer--Yes.
Fourth Question--Mohammedans who live in lands of the enemy may,
under threats against their own lives and the lives of their families, be
forced to fight against the soldiers of the States of Islam. Can such

conduct be punished as forbidden under the Sheriat, and those guilty
thereof be regarded as murderers and punished with the fires of hell?
Answer--Yes.
Fifth Question--Inasmuch as it will be detrimental to the Mohammedan
Caliphate of the Mohammedans who live in Russia, France, England,
Servia, and Montenegro fight against Germany and Austria-Hungary,
which are the saviors of the great Mohammedan Empire, will therefore
those who do so be punished with heavy penalties? Answer--Yes.
BRITAIN'S ANSWER.
[From The London Times, Nov. 6, 1914.]
A supplement to The London Gazette published yesterday morning
contains the following:
NOTICE.
Owing to hostile acts committed by Turkish forces under German
officers, a state of war exists between Great Britain and Turkey as from
today.
Foreign Office, Nov. 5, 1914.
Following this notice is a proclamation extending to the war with
Turkey the Proclamations and Orders in Council now in force relating
to the war, other than the Order in Council of Aug. 4, 1914, with
reference to the departure from British ports of enemy vessels which, at
the outbreak of hostilities, were in such ports or subsequently entered
the same.
The Gazette also contains an Order in Council, dated Nov. 5, annexing
the Island of Cyprus.
The order, after reciting the Convention of June 4, 1878, the Annex
thereto, and the Agreement of Aug. 14, 1878, by which the Sultan of
Turkey assigned the Island of Cyprus to be occupied and administered

by England, and affirming that by reason of the outbreak of hostilities
with Turkey the Convention, Annex, and Agreement have become
annulled, asserts that it has seemed expedient to annex the island. His
Majesty, with the advice of his Privy Council, has therefore ordered:
From and after the date hereof the said island shall be annexed to and
form part of his Majesty's dominions, and the said island is annexed
accordingly.
EGYPT'S NEW SULTAN.
The New Sultan of Egypt, Hussein I., made his State entry on Dec. 20,
1914, into the Abdin Palace, in Cairo. The streets were lined with
troops and the progress of their new ruler was watched by thousands of
enthusiastic spectators. The King of England sent a telegram to the
Sultan, to which his Highness replied thanking his Majesty for the
promised British support. A new Cabinet had already been formed.
Rushdi Pasha retained the position of Prime Minister and the portfolio
of the Interior. Following is King George's telegram to the Sultan:
On the occasion when your Highness enters upon your high office I
desire to convey to your Highness the expression of my most sincere
friendship and the assurance of my unfailing support in safeguarding
the integrity of Egypt and in securing her future well-being and
prosperity.
Your Highness has been called upon to undertake the responsibilities of
your high office at a grave crisis in the national life of Egypt, and I feel
convinced that you will be able, with the co-operation of your Ministers
and the Protectorate of Great Britain, successfully to overcome all the
influences which are seeking to destroy the independence of Egypt and
the wealth, liberty, and happiness of its people.
GEORGE R. AND I.
The Sultan telegraphed the following reply:
To his Majesty the King, London.

I present to your Majesty the expression of my deepest gratitude for the
feelings of friendship with which you see fit to honor me and for the
assurance of your valuable support in safeguarding the integrity and
independence of Egypt.
Conscious of the responsibilities I have just assumed, and resolved to
devote myself, in entire co-operation with the Protectorate, to the
progress and welfare of my people, I am happy to be able to count in
this task on your Majesty's protection and on the assistance of your
Government.
HUSSEIN KAMEL.

Servia and Her Neighbors
The utterances of Servia's statesmen and people since the war began
have not appeared in English. Only accounts of fighting by the nation
from which the great conflagration started have been printed. How
Servia has judged the issues while conducting her struggle against
annihilation, and how the neighboring Balkan States regard her, are
authoritatively presented below.
Premier Pashitch spoke in the Skuptschina, or Servian Parliament, on
Aug. 4, 1914, and made the following declaration given to the press by
the Official Servian Bureau:
Mr. Pashitch laid stress on the fact that the Serajevo affair was used as
pretext for the war, desired long ago by the Austrian Monarchy, which
did not look on Pan-Serbism with a favorable eye, while the aspirations
of