He qouted:A large number of Bin Saud's followers belong to the
Wahabi sect, a form of Mohammedanism which bears, roughly speaking,
the same relationship to orthodox Islam as the most militant form
of Calvinism would have borne to Rome in the fiercest times of
[Europe's] religious wars.
The Wahhabis profess a life of exceeding austerity, and what they
practice themselves they rigorously enforce on others. They hold it
as an article of duty, as well as of faith, to kill all who do not
share their opinions and to make slaves of their wives and
children. Women have been put to death in Wahhabi villages for
simply appearing in the streets.
It is a penal offence to wear a silk garment. Men have been killed
for smoking a cigarette and, as for the crime of alcohol, the most
energetic supporter of the temperance cause in this country falls
far behind them. Austere, intolerant, well-armed, and
blood-thirsty, in their own regions the Wahhabis are a distinct
factor which must be taken into account, and they have been, and
still are, very dangerous to the holy cities of Mecca and
Medina.
