martyred grandsons of Mohammed. As in all religions, women are most
zealous and devoted in the performance of these duties, but the
practice of Islam has nothing to satisfy their soul hunger. Their belief
in God is cruel fatalism, and all their rites work no change of heart,
and give no peace of conscience.
The Gospel comes to them with a special appeal, and bringing its own
message. That they should have any message, or be considered at all, is
news to them; they are so used to neglect and disrespect. When two of
us, at the invitation of a lady of rank, attended their Passion Play, we
sat with her on the ground, among a crowd of women, who were pushed
about by ushers with long poles, while the "lords of creation" sat
comfortably above on chairs, and in booths.
So accustomed are Moslem women to being hustled about that they wonder
at Christ's "Forbid them not," which we are apt to apply only to the
children, forgetting that it was spoken for the mothers. It is sometimes
most amusing to see a pompous dignitary crowd his way into the
dispensary of the lady physician, and when made with difficulty to
understand that only women are treated there, retire crestfallen. There
at least women have not only the first, but the only entrance. They are
not surprised at the Syrophenician woman being called "a dog." They are
used to the epithet and employ it themselves. One often hears one
berating her own offspring, as "child of a dog." When driven to
desperation by want, the Persian woman can be as defiant, shameless,
and persistent, as she of old before the unjust judge. Not unfrequently
mobs of women led by a woman, attack the gates of the governors,
demanding bread.
Their often miserable and diseased condition of health makes them feel
how tender is Christ's compassion in His miracles of healing. They also
have often suffered much from quack nostrums, "only to grow worse." In
any crowd of village women, one may see an old hag, bent and "bowed
together--not able to lift herself up," and there is no more pitiful
sight than the old women of Persia. A neighbor, a hundred years old,
always appeals to our charity on the ground of being "an orphan."
Their life and occupations are so identical with those of Bible times,
that they feel at once familiar with the scenes described in the New
Testament. Every morning, a village woman must mix the leaven in her
meal for the daily baking, must sweep her mud floor, and often two of
them sit at the hand mill grinding wheat or salt. Every one who can,
wears a necklace of silver coins, and counts each one precious. The
custom of covering the face "lest a man look upon a woman" is so
inwrought into their earliest training that they are able to draw their
veils _instantly_, whatever they are doing, if a man approaches.
They marvel, as did Christ's disciples, that He talked with a woman,
especially of a foreign race, and that He asked for a drink of water,
for to-day the Persians think a cup defiled if a Christian drink from
it. In a wedding procession in a village, the musicians lead with fife
and drum, and "the virgins" follow in all the finery they can muster. At
times of mourning also, they act just as the Gospels describe. Friends
gather to "weep and bewail." I have seen a roomful of women swaying and
sobbing, while a mother chanted a plaintive refrain: "Alas! alas!"
repeating the beloved name of the dead; often tearing her hair, and
beating her breast. I have often seen blear-eyed women, who said they
had become so by excessive weeping over the death of a child. To such
comes Jesus' message, "Weep not."
Religious observances in Persia are such as give special significance to
Gospel teaching. I had a visitor whose lips were continually mumbling
while she fingered her beads. She told me she was making merit, by
repeating the hundred names of Allah. Often when in their homes, our
hostess will excuse herself, because "it is the hour of prayer," and
going to a corner of the same room, will go through the forms and
gestures of Mohammedan worship. "Vain repetitions" they seem, when we
know the words are Arabic, a language she does not understand; and as in
the midst of her prayers she calls out directions to her servants, one
can see there is no devotion in them.
Fasting is a terrible burden, when, for a month, from dawn to dark, not
a morsel of food, or drop of water, or a whiff of the loved cigarette or
pipe can pass their lips. The people acknowledge that it is the cause
of quarrelling and reviling, so irritable do they become under the
strain, yet they dare not "break their fast" for fear of others.
All who can afford it make the long pilgrimage to Mecca, or in lieu of
that to Kerbela or Meshed; and bear thereafter the holy name of Haji,
Kerbelai, or Meshedi. To them it is a new thought, given by Christ to
the woman of Sychar, that no special location is "the place where men
ought to worship." Of all His words none receive more approval from the
Persian woman than His teachings on marriage and divorce. They often say
to us, "How happy you Christian women are with no fear of divorce!"
Not only Christ's teachings but His character makes an impression, and
His gentleness and purity especially attract them. We are shocked at the
coarse questions: "Can God have a Son? Was Jesus married?" but as they
hear the story of His marvellous life a look of awe sometimes comes into
their faces, as the vision of "the White Christ" dawns upon them.
A Moslem lady said to me, "I cannot read, but one woman in our harem
can, and she reads the Injil (New Testament) to us; we can never get
enough of it." Another, making a call of condolence upon me, said,
"There is only one book that can comfort you; you have told me about it;
now I tell you."
Those who have grown up in the midst of free institutions, under the
protection of law, and in the light of publicity, can really have no
idea of the difficulties to be encountered by the Moslem woman who
becomes a Christian. A man can escape by flight, but this refuge is
denied her. Even if she wish to keep her change of faith secret, it is
impossible to do so, and be true to her new-found Saviour. The whole
warp and woof of her daily life are so bound up with religious
observances, and the least failure to perform them is so jealously
noted, the least endeavor to fulfil the commands of the Gospel with
regard to Sabbath rest, reading the Word, or secret prayer is at once
the object of remark and criticism; often of active opposition. Were it
not so her changed life and character mark her out as walking in a
different path and measuring her conduct by another standard from those
who surround her. She is most happy if, as sometimes happens, her
husband, brother, father, or son is in sympathy with her, and has
perhaps been the means of her enlightenment; or if a sister or friend is
of like faith, and they can strengthen each other. But often she stands
entirely alone in her family and social circle, and must bear much petty
persecution, even if she is not turned out of her home, does not lose
her children, or her life. In such circumstances, if a convert stand
firm, and even win her enemies to accept Jesus, it is a genuine miracle.
Yet it is seen to occur.
Words cannot tell the beauty of some of these transformed faces: the
sweetness plucked from bitterness, the "lily among thorns." The present
help of a living Saviour and the wonderful hopes for the future have
made life an entirely different thing. One such who had borne a heavy
yoke in her youth, had suffered deeply, and with rancor and rebellion in
her heart against him who had blighted her life, has learned to forgive
and pray for the one who so deeply injured her; and her daily household
life is a triumph of grace. During a cholera epidemic, when all around
were panic-stricken, she and her sisters, who have found the like
precious refuge, were perfectly calm, saying, "Why should we fear death?
It can only take us to Jesus, which is far better; as living or dying we
are His."
One old woman walked three miles and back once a week in order to be
instructed in the Gospel, and is never satisfied, always wants to learn
more, and takes great pains to remember texts and prayers. Once after
the others had gone she caught hold of me, saying, "Do you think I walk
all these miles, with my blind eyes, to learn nothing? Come and teach me
some more." Showing some hard barley bread, she said, "No one shall say
I come for food; I have brought my own bread."
Another woman, whose paralytic son had learned to read the Bible, said,
"At first I did not care for it, but little by little I got to love it."
It worked a transformation in that humble home; the son in his first
despair had attempted to poison himself; but he learned to praise God
for the affliction which was the means of acquainting him with his
Saviour. The mother instead of considering the helpless young man a
burden, and complaining of the misfortune, nursed him for years with
such rare patience and tenderness, that we marvelled to see it. The
contrast between her and her neighbors is marked; her face is gentle and
kind, her voice sweet. She is faithful, industrious, and honest; for a
whole summer when a family was absent, she went alone every week to
sweep the house, and not a thing was ever missed, though, in general, we
expect nothing better than pilfering and theft from the women of the
country.
In one city is gathered a little band of believing women, who hold a
weekly prayer meeting, and "it is most touching to hear their simple
requests and pleading for this and that one still outside the fold. When
I was going to B---- they gave me a message for the sisters there. They
had long taken a special interest in the work in that place, and never
failed to remember it at the throne of grace. They had heard several
women there were secret believers, but afraid to confess their faith
openly, so they sent word to them that they themselves were once in the
same state. They feared to confess Christ before men, but He had
promised to be with them, and He had given them grace to come out
boldly, and He had kept His promise to give peace and joy in all times
of trial and difficulty. They then begged their sisters to do as they
had done, to take the plunge, trusting in His power to help them, and
they would find all their fears taken away and courage given instead."
Such, living and dying, was the experience of Almass of Urumia. She had
become a Christian, and her husband also had suffered great persecution
from her own family on this account. Her husband being away, she was
living in her father's house, and her stepmother would not even give her
enough to eat, constantly reviled her, made her life bitter, and did her
best to prevent her praying. Being stricken with consumption, she went
to the hospital, where she rejoiced in Christian companionship and
instruction, but at the last, she was taken to her own home to die. A
young Nestorian doctor, called in to attend her, witnessed her
triumphant death; himself but a nominal Christian, he exclaimed, "Would
that I could die so happy!" Her whole trust was in Jesus, and her only
anxiety that her little daughter should be trained in the same faith.
Almass means diamond, and in the day when the Lord "makes up His jewels"
she will surely be among them.
Far away in the isles of Bahrein,
Down under the depths of the sea,
The Persian diver gathers his shells
For the goodly pearls that shall be.
And what is the price of a goodly pearl?
A merchant man once for one,
'Tis said, sold all he ever possessed,
And counted the deed well done.
And what is the price of a human soul?
The price it is set so high
The Son of God gave all that He had
When He came on earth to buy.
Submerged in the sea of sin are the souls,
Are the souls of Persian girls;
Ah! who will dive to the lowest depths,
To gather these hidden pearls?
They are gems for the crown of the King of kings,
More precious far in His sight
Than the jewels rare of the Shah-în-Shah,--
All His glory and delight.
XIX
THE CONDITION OF MOHAMMEDAN WOMEN IN BALUCHISTAN
In the degraded position of its women is to be seen the worst fruit of
the religion of Islam. I will quote from the Government Report of
British Baluchistan: "Throughout the Province, but especially among the
Afghans and Brahuis, the position of woman is one of extreme
degradation; she is not only a mere household drudge, but she is the
slave of man in all his needs, and her life is one of continual and
abject toil. No sooner is a girl fit for work than her parents send her
to tend cattle and she is compelled to take her part in all the ordinary
household duties. Owing to the system of _walwar_ in vogue among the
Afghans, a girl, as soon as she reaches nubile age, is, for all
practical purposes, put up for auction sale to the highest bidder. The
father discourses on her merits, as a beauty or as a housekeeper, in the
public meeting places, and invites offers from those who are in want of
a wife. Even the more wealthy and more respectable Afghans are not above
this system of thus lauding the human wares which they have for sale.
The betrothal of girls who are not yet born is frequent, and a promise
of a girl thus made is considered particularly binding.
"It is also usual for an award of compensation for blood to be ordered
to be paid in this shape of girls, some of whom are living, while others
are not yet born.
"Similar customs prevail among the Jhalawan Brahuis, but they have not
yet extended to all the Balneh tribes, though there are signs that the
poorer classes are inclined to adopt them. The exchange of girls,
however, among the Baluchis and the framing of conditions, regarding any
offspring which may result from the marriage, indicate that among this
race also, women are regarded in much the same light.
"These details may appear to be beside the mark in discussing the
classification of women as dependents or actual workers, but I relate
them with the object of showing that woman in Baluchistan is regarded as
little more than a chattel. For where such a state of parental feeling
or rather want of feeling is to be found, is it surprising to find that
woman is considered either as a means for increasing man's comforts, in
the greater ease with which they are procured by her toil, or an object
for the gratification of his animal passions?
"A wife in Baluchistan must not only carry water, prepare food, and
attend to all ordinary household duties, but she must take the flocks
out to graze, groom her husband's horse, and assist in the cultivation.
So far is this principle carried out among the Jajars of Zhob, that it
is considered incumbent on a married woman of this tribe to provide
means by her own labor for clothing herself, her husband, and her
children, and she receives no assistance, monetary or otherwise, for
this purpose from her husband, but in addition to all this, the husband
hopes that she may become the mother of girls who will fetch as high a
price as their mother did before them. Hence it happens that among
Afghans, polygamy is only limited by the purchasing power of a man; and
a wife is looked on as a better investment than cattle, for in a country
where drought and scarcity are continually present, the risk of loss of
animals is great, whilst the offspring of a woman, if a girl, will
assuredly fetch a high price." So far the census report.
Slavery, polygamy, and concubinage exist throughout the Kelat state and
Baluchi area. Slavery is of a domestic character, but the slave is often
in a degraded and ignorant condition, and in times of scarcity almost
starved by his owner.
The female slaves often lead the lives of common prostitutes, especially
among the Baluch tribes, where the state of the women generally seems
very degraded.
Regarding polygamy, the average man is unable to afford more than one
wife, but the higher classes often possess from thirty to sixty women,
many of them from the Hazare tribes of Afghanistan, whose women and
children, during the rebellion in the late Amir's reign, were sold over
into Baluchistan and Afghanistan. In nearly every village of any size
one sees the Hazare women, and the chief will talk of buying them as a
farmer at home will speak of purchasing cattle.
Worse than all, one has daily illustrations of the truth that the sins
of the fathers are visited on their families, in the degraded victims of
inherited and acquired disease who come to the missionary doctor for
relief, healing being impossible in many of the cases of these poor
women. Pure selfishness characterizes the men in their relationship with
their wives. All must not and cannot be told in illustration of this,
but what happened a short time ago in our out-patient department of the
Zenana Mission Hospital is an instance.
A young Brahui mother was brought in order to be relieved from suffering
by an operation which would require her to remain in the hospital a
fortnight. When this was proposed, the woman who brought her said at
once, "If she does that her husband will send her away." The poor girl
had to depart untreated, because the husband feared his bodily comforts
might be less if she were not there to minister to them.
May those who see this dark picture of the effect of Islam on womanhood
in the East, do all that is in them to bring the glorious light of the
Gospel of Christ to their suffering sisters.
XX
IN SOUTHERN INDIA
In South India the Mohammedans have been more or less influenced by the
Christian and heathen communities by which they are surrounded. Many of
them, especially those belonging to the trading communities, have
married women of Hindoo birth who have become nominal Mohammedans.
Amongst the higher classes, especially amongst the rich and well-to-do,
polygamy is still common, though there are many men who have only one
wife and few who have more than two. As a rule, in the city of Madras,
each wife will have a small place of her own. It is a rare thing for
several wives to live in the same house. It is, however, extremely
difficult to find out, without undue questioning, who the various
inmates are. Often a house will be quite full of women and children of
all ages, but as a rule the true explanation will be that the head of
the house has many sons, each of whom has brought his wife to live in
his old home, and all live in strict outward obedience to the
mother-in-law. How much depends upon this mother-in-law! When she is a
kindly, peaceable woman, things go fairly smoothly, but terrible things
happen in homes where the mother-in-law is harsh and severe.
In all the homes the purdah is strictly kept, and alas! who can tell
what dark deeds are _occasionally_ done in these secluded homes. Still
education is spreading rapidly, and with it changes must and do come.
Young educated Mohammedans are now wanting educated wives. The principal
Mohammedans in Madras come very much in contact with Europeans and are
considerably influenced by them, and we do not see the Moslem as he
appears in Moslem countries under Moslem rule, but as he appears after
living for generations under the British flag. If he disagrees with
public opinion (which no doubt he often does) he keeps his opinion very
much to himself, and with graceful courtesy agrees to differ.
The purdah system is one that brings with it terrible evils, and yet it
is a system to which those who apparently suffer from it most, cling the
most closely. The secluded women themselves look upon it as an honor,
and a proof of the value set upon them. Even the very poorest people
seclude their wives; while soldiers on the march hang up blankets,
sheets, and even rags to form a little enclosure for their wives at each
halting place. Though individual women will often speak of their many
troubles they rarely mention their isolation, and truly pity those of
other nations who are not taken equal care of. With education this
aspect of affairs will change, and girls who have been educated in
mission schools view things in a very different light and no doubt long
for greater freedom.
The best and only method of helping these poor secluded women is to
spread amongst them the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing else
can really help them, and the great means of doing so is by education.
Educating them to read so that they can read of Him in their seclusion,
and educating them as thoroughly as possible in schools and
house-to-house visitation so that they can understand what they read.
Let me give one illustration of what can be done in this way. Some years
ago I was called in to a small zenana, where the family were of noble
birth but extremely poor; so proud that they would all rather starve
than take money or tell of their troubles. Three little girls read with
me, and very bright and intelligent I found them. The mother was in bad
health and seemed sad, though her husband was always very kind to her.
The girls read regularly and got very fond of their lessons and wished
they could live like English girls. One day I was told that the elder
girl was to be married the next week. She was in great distress, for she
knew nothing of the man who had been chosen for her and feared naturally
that he might be uneducated and ignorant. I was unable to go to the
wedding, and to my great distress the young bride was taken away to a
distant town without my seeing her again. Some months passed and then I
got a letter from a stranger. It was well written and well expressed in
English and I found to my great delight that it was from the husband of
my old pupil. He said he felt he must write to thank me for having
educated his wife to be a friend and companion for him. He had heard
from a friend that some girls of his own class were being educated in
Madras and he had asked for one in marriage. His dread for years had
been to be bound to an ignorant woman and now his fears were dispersed;
his wife was a great pleasure to him and her judgment of great use. He
added, "I can only think that her progress has been due to her study of
the Bible, and I want you to send me a copy that we may study together."
He is dead now and the girl widow is in great distress. She says: "I
have been in the light and am now back in the dark." This shows what can
be done by education to raise a people so degraded as many Mohammedans
are.
The part of South India where the Mohammedans are most independent is
the "Nizam's Dominion," which is under the control of the Nizam of
Hyderabad (subject, of course, to England). Hyderabad is a large walled
city, crowded with rather fierce-looking Mohammedans, and it is only of
late years that English people have been allowed within the walls
without an escort. Even at the present day no English live inside the
walls. Everything inside is purely Mohammedan, and the English live at
Secunderabad, where the English troops are stationed, just a few miles
off.
In Hyderabad, were it not for H. H. the Nizam, many of the Nawabs would
be glad to bring their wives out. Quite a number of the leading nobles
have but one wife and glory in the fact. The Crown Prince (Sahibzada)
has been married lately to a lady of noble family. This was probably the
first Nizam to get married. The Nizam, from the fear of intrigue, fills
his harem with low-class women. Some of the nobles bring their wives out
of purdah as soon as they leave the state on a holiday.
Polygamy is still common, especially among the well-to-do. A ready
purchase of slaves, during the great famine of 1900, as concubines,
proves that this evil still exists. Few men have "many" wives, however.
The effect on home life of this system is evident. The Sahibzada (the
next Nizam) when a boy was taken from the palace, his home, to escape
the evils and temptations of a royal zenana. He lived in a large house
with only his tutor and guardians till his marriage. A thoughtful munshi
who was anxious about his children's morals, deplored a system that made
the mother so ignorant of the outside world and so unable to direct a
young son aright.