Iowa Territorial Gazette & Advertiser in Burlington, January 24, 1846

Submitted by Jan Jasion August 2023

This startling piece, which may be the earliest mention of The Báb in Iowa media, comes from the Iowa Territorial Gazette and Advertiser in Burlington, January 24, 1846, p. 4. A transcription is below, or see the original it in context on the page, at https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84037932/1846-01-24/ed-1/seq-2/#date1=1845&index=1&rows=20&words=Mohammedanism&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Iowa&date2=1859&proxtext=Mohammedanism&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1.

Transcription: A new sect has sprung up in Persia, at whose head is a merchant just returned from a pilgrimage to Mecca. Mecca is the city whither all the more zealous of the Mohamedan sect go to do penance. To make such a pilgrimage, is considered the discharge of a most worthy and sacred religious duty. This merchant arrogates to himself the honors of being the successor of the holy prophet who founded the Mohamedan religion. What is instructive to the philosopher in this movement is, that this new sect is persecuted as brutally as was Mohamed on his first start to establish the present religion of the Moslems. These persecutors first burn off the beard of the proselytes to the new faith. This of course is a great disgrace, as the beard is adhered to by the Mohamedans, with as much pertinacity as do the Jews to theirs. Not content with this, they next black the faces, and bore holes through the gristle of their noses, and, inserting a cord, they lead them through the streets, continually making so violent yanks upon these cords, as to cause constant screaches [sic] to be uttered by the persecuted. No doubt the old standards of the Moslem faith say their faith is right but every thing contrary to theirs is wrong, and thus justify the persecution. Such has been the excuse for every persecution that has ever arisen. And what is stranger in the history of the progress of religion, is, that as soon as one sect has risen above the storm of persecution, it forgets its late afflictions, and declares war upon some new sect that may be coming up next in order, and alledges [sic] the same excuse that had been the reason for their late persecution by some sect which had risen before it.