Islamic Africa

ning of the twentieth century, a bird's eye view of the continent would suffice to show that his prophecy had been literally and abundantly fulfilled. So true is this that, while Mecca is the religious head of the Moslem world, Constantinople the political capital, Cairo in Egypt is the center of culture and education. Dr. Zwemer designates Mecca as the heart, Constantinople as the hand, and Cairo as the head of the Moslem empire. At a Moslem conference some years ago the watchword was, "Africa and Asia for Mohammed." The desire of Islam for the possession of the Dark Continent is not without the possibility of realization. The first Moslems to enter Africa were exiles from Mecca when the Prophet was having difficulty in getting the people to recognize his prophetic call. These came into Abyssinia. Egypt was the first section of Africa to come under the control of the Moslems. In the seventh century the armies of Islam extended their efforts to the west. Mohammed himself had been dead fifteen years when an army from Egypt made a successful invasion of Tripoli. Eighteen years later, A. D. 655, the "sectaries and Catholics" invited the Moslems again into that region, preferring to risk allegiance to the Islamic power than undergo longer the illtreatment of the Eomans. An army of ten thousand Arabs under Akbah proceeded along the northern shore as far as the Atlantic Ocean, and there the leader, urging his fiery steed out into the foaming waters, cried: "Great God! I... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.