V UGANDA 57 



was cruel. Tlie Arabs who were settled in the country 

 as ivory merchants had introduced Mahomedanism, and 

 the religious (|uesti(jn was complicated by the Ecjman 

 Catholics who founded the Mission of the White Fathers. 

 Eventually the Protestant and Roman Catholic sections 

 of the Church found themselves, not only in rivalry, but 

 in actual strife. 



Mutesa (or M'tesa as his name is often written) died 

 in 1884 : he remained a pagan to the end in spite of 

 the proselytising efforts of Protestants, Roman Catholics, 

 and Mahomedans. He was succeeded by his son 

 Mwanga, a violent and vicious man, who soon came 

 into collision with the religious factions. For this 

 there was some excuse, as the religious bodies were 

 quarrelling with each other, and each trying to impose 

 its religion on the Kabaka. Cunningham neatly ex- 

 presses the position in this way : — " The Arabs dosed 

 liim with Mahomedanism, the White Fathers dosed him 

 with Catholicity, and the English missionaries dosed him 

 with Protestantism." 



Mwanga cruelly persecuted the Christians and 

 Mahomedans. His corrupt and vicious ways led to his 

 deposition in 1888, and he died an exile in the 

 Seychelles, 1893. It is a fact of some importance in 

 connection with the religious struggles which took place 

 in Uganda from 1884 to 1898, that the natives are not 

 circumcised unless they become Mahomedans : they 

 have a great dislike to this rite, and this may 

 have had some influence in preventing the spread of 

 ]\lahomedanism. 



AVhen the Mahomedans for a time obtained the upper 

 hand in Uganda, they wished to make Kiwewa, the 

 eldest brother of Mwanga, Kabaka, and attempted to 

 force on him the rite of circumcision, but he refused, 

 and killed some of the high functionaries who had come 

 to his enclosure for the purpose of performing the 

 rite. 



