Page:The young Moslem looks at life (1937).djvu/181

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senseless differences, and began to work together for the good of our country. Then the Jews, and these Assyrian Christians here" pointing to the assistant stationmaster and his friends who were standing close by "and the Moslems could make a great country out of this ancient land of Iraq. But as it is I see no chance."

"Are there many Moslems who have joined your Anti-God Society?" I asked.

"Not very many," he answered, "for the idea is new to us Moslems; we are a very conservative people. But we are spreading our atheistic ideas, and the number is growing slowly."

This from Iraq. But even India can tell something of the same story of disillusionment on the part of youth as they observe the futility of a religion that is lived on a basis of selfish concern for only the religious group or community to which the individual belongs. There is jealousy among the religions over special privileges; each is busy seeking to save itself and unaware of the great areas of human need which wait for unselfish service. Two things have produced this disillusionment in Iraq and India first, Western education and the impact of Western materialistic and industrial civilization; and second, the insidious influence of anti-religious Russia.

Turkey also tells the same story in her own way. One Turkish writer in the paper Uyanish says:

We cannot accept any more the despotism of this world or of the next world, or that of a softa [the old Moslem