Friendship Between Moslems and Jews Urged at London Anglo-palestinian Club

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency Mail Service)

The relation of Moslems to Jews was the subject of a lecture by Count Leon Ostorog, the author of several important learned works on Mohammedan law and at present honorary lecturer in Mohammedan law in the University of London, who before the war occupied a very high position in the Turkish official world, being in 1913 adviser to the Sublime Porte with the rank of Minister Plenipotentiary, delivered before the Anglo-Palestinian Club on “Jews and Moslems.”

Sir Syndham Deedes, former Chief Secretary to the Palestine Government, was in the chair. Among the audience were Dame Millicent Fawcett, Mme. Titulesco, wife of the Roumanian Minister, Prince Contacuzene, Sir Thomas Arnold, Professor of Arabic at the London School of Oriental Studies, Dr. Majid, Chairman of the Islamic Society, and several high Turkish and Arabic notables.

Sir Wyndham Deedes in introducing the lecturer dwelt on the importance of good relations between Jews and Moslems, especially between the Zionists and the Arabs of Palestine and in the Near East. He said that he was firmly convinced that the Zionists in Palestine were not out to supplant or repress the Arabs but to create a commonwealth which would permit a free and parallel development of the best in both Jewish and Moslem cultures. Speaking of the difficulties of the Jewish minority in Turkey at present, he said that he hoped that the Turkish Government would continue the tolerant and praiseworthy policy of previous Turkish Governments towards the Jews.

Count Ostorog began by emphasizing that it was the Ottoman Empire which had received the largest number of Jews who had fled from the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 onward, and they were treated with the greatest tolerance by the Turks. All hostile feeling such as there might be between Moslems and Jews was due to misunderstanding, mischievous propaganda and perhaps, most of all, the great obstacle presented by the difficulty of acquiring a knowledge of Moslem laws and traditions which were all in the original Arabic and had not been translated hitherto. Anyone who would take the trouble to learn Arabic or Turkish would find that Mohammedan law from the days of Mahomet onwards had always emphasized equality between Moslems and Jews in common with all other non-Moslems. Mohammedan law taught tolerance in respect of other beliefs and the Jews had always been held in the highest respect by Moslems for their rectitude, learning and noble spirit. Count Ostorog concluded by pointing out the common origin of Hebrew and Arabic which was coming to be recognized by all leading authorities at the present time; common culture and common language denoted common origin between Jews and Arabs. He urged the Jews to learn Arabic and to arrange that Arabic and Mohammedan law be taught in their schools as this was the best and only way of making the Arabs appreciate the Jews and to make the Jews appreciate the qualities of Moslem culture. That was the only way to establish mutual good will between the two races.