Asia

Asia. Although Asia is the largest continent, the reasons for treating it more or less as a unit are the same as those which apply to Africa, although here we find two well known divisions, the Near East and the Far East, which have peculiarities of their own and will be treated in that order. During the past 40 years, there have been considerable political, economic and Masonic changes in both areas but, in proportion to areas, these have been most marked in the Near East. Before W*rld W*r I, Turkey included almost the whole of the Arabian Peninsula, but two w*rs have greatly shrunk the influence of Turkey and erected several new countries out of the remainder. Generally, the Turkish government was opposed to Freemasonry but many Turks were not, and those outside of Turkey proper quite readily became Freemasons when their territories were set free. In short, there seems never to have been any religious disagreements between Freemasonry and Islam. Arabia was the scene of active h*stilities in W*rld W*r I, for the reason that Arabia took advantage of Turkey’s alliance with Germany to gain freedom in which Arabia was given British aid. By reason of those conditions practically all lodges in Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine closed during the W*r, at the end of which Syria and Lebanon were put under French mandate, Palestine under British mandate, and Saudi Arabia and Iraq were made independent. While Syria and Lebanon were under French mandate, a number of French lodges were placed there, many of political character and some short-lived Grand Lodges were set up. As the result of greater freedom throughout the whole Near East, Freemasonry has enjoyed great prosperity there. This effect was again increased by the discovery of petroleum in Iran, Iraq, and Arabia and the influx of skilled labor, professional experts, and administrative personnel necessary for the production, refining, and shipping of that valuable product, thereby furnishing material for new lodges, and resulting in the establishment of lodges where otherwise none would be possible.

NOTE: The above and much that follows was true in 1960. In the 1970s, however, an Arab League declared Freemasonry illegal. (Comment Removed) have followed this dictum.