"In this golden age that is to come, he predicts, I am told, a peculiar
place for Egypt--is that so?"
"Yes, sir. He holds that in the commonwealth of the world, Egypt, by
reason of her geographical position, will become the interpreter and
peacemaker between the East and the West--that that's what she has lived
so long for."
"Yet it didn't occur to you that this was sedition in its most seductive
form, and that the man who promulgated it was probably the most
dangerous of the demagogues--the worst of the Egyptians who prate about
the natives governing themselves and the English being usurping
foreigners?"
"No, sir, that didn't occur to me at all, because I felt that a Moslem
people had a right to their own ideals, and also because I thought----"
"Well? Well?"
"That the man who imagines that the soul of a nation can be governed by
the sword--whoever he is, King, Kaiser, or--or Czar--is the worst of
tyrants."
The old autocrat flinched visibly. The scene was becoming tragic to
him. For forty years he had been fighting his enemies, and he had
beaten them, and now suddenly his own son was standing up as his foe.
After a moment of silence he rose and said, with stony gravity--
"Very well! Having heard your views on Ishmael Ameer, and incidentally
on myself and all I have hitherto attempted to do in Egypt, it only
remains to me to tell you what I intend to do now. You know that this
man is coming on to Cairo?"
Gordon bowed.
"You are probably aware that it is intended that he shall preach at El
Azhar?"
"I didn't know that, sir, but I'm not surprised to hear it."
"Well, El Azhar has to be closed before he arrives."
"Closed?"
"That is what I said--closed, shut up, and its students and professors
turned into the streets."
"But there are sixteen thousand of them--from all parts of the
Mohammedan world, sir."
"That's why! The press as a medium of disaffection was bad enough, but
El Azhar is worse. It is a hotbed of rebellion, and a word spoken there
goes, as by wireless telegraphy, all over Egypt. It is a secret
society, and as such it must be stopped."
"But have you reflected----"
"Do I do anything without reflection?"
"Closed, you say? The University? The mosque of mosques? It is
impossible! You are trifling with me."
"Have you taken leave of your senses, sir?"
"I beg your pardon, Father. I only wish to prevent you from doing
something you will never cease to regret. It's dangerous work to touch
the religious beliefs of an Eastern people--you know that, sir, better
than I do. And if you shut up their University, their holy of holies,
you shake the foundations of their society. It's like shutting up St.
Peter's in Rome or St. Paul's in London."
"Both events have happened," said the old man, resuming his seat.
"Father, I beg of you to beware. Trust me, I know these people. No
Christian nation nowadays believes in Christianity as these Moslems
believe in Islam. We don't care enough for our faith to fight for it.
But these dusky millions will die for their religion. And then there's
Ishmael Ameer--you must see for yourself what manner of man he
is--careless alike of comfort or fame; a fanatic if you like, but he has
only to call to the people and they'll follow him. All the wealth and
well-being you have bestowed on them will go to the winds, and they'll
follow him to a man."