ern ideas. The
Pan-Islamists, on the other hand, believe that primitive Islam contains
all that is necessary for regeneration, and contend that only Western
methods and material achievements should be adopted by the Moslem world.

The beginnings of self-conscious, systematic Pan-Islamism date from
about the middle of the nineteenth century. The movement crystallizes
about two foci: the new-type religious fraternities like the Sennussiya,
and the propaganda of the group of thinkers headed by Djemal-ed-Din. Let
us first consider the fraternities.

Religious fraternities have existed in Islam for centuries. They all
possess the same general type of organization, being divided into lodges
("Zawias") headed by Masters known as "Mokaddem," who exercise a more or
less extensive authority over the "Khouan" or Brethren. Until the
foundation of the new-type organizations like the Sennussi, however, the
fraternities exerted little practical influence upon mundane affairs.
Their interests were almost wholly religious, of a mystical, devotional
nature, often characterized by great austerities or by fanatical
excesses like those practised by the whirling and howling dervishes.
Such political influence as they did exert was casual and local.
Anything like joint action was impossible, owing to their mutual
rivalries and jealousies. These old-type fraternities still exist in
great numbers, but they are without political importance except as they
have been leavened by the new-type fraternities.

The new-type organizations date from about the middle of the nineteenth
century, the most important in every way being the Sennussiya. Its
founder, Seyid Mahommed ben Sennussi, was born near Mostaganem, Algeria,
about the year 1800. As his title "Seyid" indicates, he was a descendant
of the Prophet, and was thus born to a position of honour and
importance.[32] He early displayed a strong bent for learning and piety,
studying theology at the Moorish University of Fez and afterwards
travelling widely over North Africa preaching a reform of the prevailing
religious abuses. He then made the pilgrimage to Mecca, and there his
reformist zeal was still further quickened by the Wahabi teachers. It
was at that time that he appears to have definitely formulated his plan
of a great puritan order, and in 1843 he returned to North Africa,
settling in Tripoli, where he built his first Zawia, known as the "Zawia
Baida," or White Monastery, in the mountains ne