Mission and Revolution in Central Asia - Svenska Missionskyrkan

clear to him that something had to be done to facilitate language studies for new missionaries.
An incomplete draft for such studies had already been made by Avetaranian. Bäcklund had
time to elaborate 20 lessons of Turkish grammar. Moreover he collected 6000 words in a
word-book. “He literally devoured foreign languages” says one of his fellow students and
missionary colleagues, G. Raquette, and after only four months in Kashgar he started to
preach in Turkish. In his personal talks with people, he had an unusual capacity for giving
simple and clear answers on spiritual matters. Raquette adds, “Bäcklund was a highly
qualified missionary among Muslims”. 76
The German Orientalist, Martin Hartman, was travelling in Eastern Turkestan during the
first years of the 20 th century. He then got to know the young Swedish Mission which he
criticized quite sharply. But where Bäcklund was concerned, Hartman’s attitude was totally
sympathetic. He describes Bäcklund as being a most dedicated, intelligent and altruistic
person and the one to whom the Swedes were indebted for the esteem and confidence they
enjoyed among the population. 77 The explorer H.H.P. Deasy who encountered Bäcklund in
Jarkend and who met him daily during his stay there, remembers him with gratitude. They
spent time together on horseback and on foot into the countryside or through the bazaars and
Bäcklund provided him with useful information about the country and the people. 78
Bäcklund, and through him the whole Swedish Mission, became internationally famous for
a totally different reason. One of Bäcklund’s colleagues in Jarkend, Doctor Mässrur had a
young boy in his service. This young boy had previously lived in Khotan where he had
become the friend of another young boy whose father was Islam Akhun, who was later on to
become notorious. Islam Akhun had produced a number of documents which he later on sold,
declaring them to be antique. When Bäcklund heard about the falsifications, the so called
Taklamakan documents, he reported the matter to the authorities, and Islam Akhun was
punished according to the customs of the country: he was sentenced to walk around with a
cumbersome wooden collar. Bäcklund’s “feat” is mentioned both in British and French
sources. A couple of British scholars finally confirmed Bäcklund’s revelations after museums
and scholars had let themselves be fooled by “the strange characters”. 79
But Bäcklund also had his critics. One of them was the American O.T. Crosby who visited
Eastern Turkestan in 1905, a few years after the death of Bäcklund. He hired an interpreter
who had had his training at the Mission. Crosby mentions that Akbar, which was the name of
the interpreter, had learnt from Bäcklund to call the Bible “the Book of Angels”. This and
other equally dubious Christian doctrines had turned Akbar into an indolent and indifferent
polytheist. But not only does Crosby blame Bäcklund for the boy’s confused theology, he also
holds him responsible for the boy’s poor English, with which he “continually plagued us”.
Akbar seemed however to be the best result of the pious work of the Swedish Mission, says
Crosby condescendingly. Another one, an inconspicuous Chinese, was about to receive his
baptism, continues Crosby, but this man was doing his best trying to find a compromise
between Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and his new Christian faith. 80
Gösta Raquette arrived in Kashgar in 1896, in the company of Bäcklund. When these two
missionaries were on their way out to Eastern Turkestan, Högberg sent off a telegram to
Ekman asking whether Raquette’s fiancée, Evelina Björkgren, could catch up with the others
and go with them to the mission field. Högberg also wanted another woman missionary, Alma
Bäckström, to be sent out. The two ladies were asked to catch up with Raquette and Bäcklund
76
Törnquist, 1928, p. 470. Grenljuset 1903, p. 16.
77
Hartman, 1908, p. 47 ff and note p. 107. Lundahl, 1917, p. 540.
78
Deasy, 1901, p. 137.
79
Larson, 1914, p. 20. f, Deasy, 1901, p. 149 f, Stein, 1907, p. 512 note and 1912, Vol 1, p. 278, Mirsky, 1977,
p. 144 f, Cobbold, 1900, p. 74, Fraser, 1907, p. 278, Gardier, 1920, p. 148, Grenljuset, 1903, Vol 16 p. 18 f.
80
Crosby, 1905, p. 33 f.
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