Chapter 43

MISSION WORK AMONG MOSLEMS.

Mission work indirectly and slowly spreads among Moslem. The Koran forbids Christians to preach to Moslems, and no Christian dared discuss questions of religion with Moslems before the time of missionaries. To attempt to show Christ's superiority of Mohammed was forbidden. If a Moslem should say, "Mohammed was a greater prophet than Christ. Ours is the true religion. You are infidels." The Christian with a timid, downward look would reply "Yes sir, you are right." But the answer to this assertion to-day is a firm "No sir." The Christian now sees truth clearly and feels it his duty to uphold it. There is now free discussion of religious questions. A Christian discusses with Moslem priest if he chooses. And sometimes they call at the homes of Moslems and read the Bible to them. The Christian feels it his duty to discuss with any one who approaches him, as he possesses light which that one needs. There is in one city an evangelical church in which all of its members are Mohammedan converts, while many other churches have a few. The spirit of these converts is that of martyrs. The Koran teaches that any Mohammedan who denounces the faith deserves death, and that one who kills the deserter has done a noble deed. Some of these converts have suffered martyrdom and one who was killed after great torture, prayed as his last words: "O Jesus we thank Thee that Thou hast made us worthy to be Thy martyrs. Our supplication is that our blood may become as seed to Thy church." No doubt God will answer this prayer in due time. The seed is sown; the leaven is mingled and will in time, no doubt, leaven the 9,000,000 Mohammedans.

The writer, a representative of the evangelical missions, wishes to express his deep gratitude to the American Board who started mission work in Persia, and to the Presbyterian Church, which, in 1871, assumed the responsibility of the work and has since so nobly carried it on.