If we apply these tests to the ex-fisting claimants to the Khalifate, whom do they favour? There is nothing to be said for the Afghan Amir, except that he is a great prince in his own territory. There nothing to be said for the Turkish Abdul except that he was duly chosen Khalif in his time and that in the history of Islam there have been Khalife without the power of Kings. There is nothing at all to be said for the Sultan of Morocco, who is not even an independent prince. Fuad of Egypt will be independent soon and Cairo is a great seat of Moslem learning and tradition. But none of these has a really strong claim compared with that of Prince Hussein of Mecca.
When the Ottoman jurists gave their voice in favour of Sultan Selim the Arabian Ulma rejected their five reasons. They insisted that the one indispensable qualification of a Khalif was that he should belong to the sacred tribe of the Prophet, the Koreysh. Hussein alone is thus qualified. "He is also the ruler and guardian of Mecca and Medina, The Turkieh Sultans always sent a subsidy to the Sherif of Mecca in order to assert their position as the protector of himself and the sacred cities, Now there is no Turkish Soltan and Hussein alone enjoys the prestige of belonging to the Prophet's tribe and ruling in the Prophet's cities. He is an independent prince and he may yet extend his power in Arabia, None of the claimants possesses the sacred relics, for the Turks retain them in Constantinople, none has a nomination from an earlier Khalif, and none is ruler. But Hussein is unquestionably and alone equipped with the two qualifications which have always counted most in the eyes of all good Moslems.
The French say that the elevation of, Hussein would be a British intrigues. They think of him as being under British protection and guid-
For ourselves, our Government would probably have no objection to a strong Arabian Kingdom roled by a Khalif at Mecca or at Bagdad, except that it would certainly not make easier the fulfilment of a Zionist Palestine.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.