1859 - Religion

Religion

Britain's House of Commons gets its first Jewish member as Lionel Rothschild, now 41, takes his seat. He has been elected and reelected since 1847 but has been unable to sit in the Commons until the introduction of a new oath omitting the words "on the true faith of a Christian." His son Nathan will be the first Jewish peer in the House of Lords (see commerce, 1815).

The Islamic theologian as-Sanusi (Sidi Muhammad Ibn ali As-sanusi Al-mujahiri Al-hasani Al-idrisi) dies at Jaghbub in Cyrenaica (later Libya) September 7 at age 72 (approximate), having founded the militant mystical movement (the Sanusiyah) that will play a major role in Libyan political affairs.