The former Caliph and Sultan of Turkey, spiritual head of the entire Moslem world, who is marking time at Nice, has agreed to resume his pontifical duties with temporal powers over Jerusalem, it is learned in London to-day, the Paris edition of the “Chicago Tribune” writes to-day. (A report that the ex-Sultan was being approached in the matter by Shaukat Ali, the Indian Moslem leader, appeared in the J.T.A. Bulletin of the 4th. inst.).
Moulana Shaukat Ali, foremost Moslem leader and head of the Pan-Islamic movement, who is also a delegate to the Round Table Conference, has carefully manoeuvred negotiations over several months, the paper proceeds, and is now returning to London with a formal statement to the British Government.
The formation of a union of 300,000,000 Moslems under the re-established caliphate, it goes on, would be greatly advantageous to Great Britain economically, and would simplify her eastern problem, but the scheme threatens not only to wreck the Indian conference but also to rekindle the smouldering Arab and Jewish question in Palestine.
While Shaukat Ali is travelling between Nice and London, the “Chicago Tribune” continues, the Indian Moslem delegates to the Round Table Conference are sitting uneasily in their chairs, for the other Indians bitterly resent the Moslems turning from Indian nationalism to a Pan-Islamic union, and some good explanation is going to be necessary.
The Aga Khan and other leaders discussed the matter, it says, and decided to keep silent, but Sunday the Aga Khan in a speech denied that the Indian Moslems were loyal to any organisation but the Indian Government.
Rumours of the re-establishment of the Caliphate, it adds have been current for some time, but only to-day has word come that the Caliph is satisfied with the terms since he has previously been holding out to get an agreement to his liking.
Shaukat Ali conferred with the Palestine Arabs on his way to London from India, it writes, and finally got them to agree not to start the British non-co-operation movement before he had a chance to negotiate.
It is now learned he has wired the Grand Mufti that everything is going to be lovely-for the Arabs. It is feared that explaining the plan to the Jews will be difficult, but the Moslems intend to say the establishment of Jerusalem as the temporal seat of the Caliph will not affect the Jewish settlements elsewhere in Palestine.
The Caliph, it concludes, must have a temporal seat like the Pope, according to the Islamic religion, and Jerusalem is the second holiest city. Mecca is the first choice, but King Ign Saud frowns on the idea of having another temporal ruler in his territory, so Jerusalem has been chosen.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
