Webb had, in addition to a certain lack of practicality, an apparently sincere belief that the mission would prosper by virtue of its intrinsic merit, America's receptivity to it, and God's help. These were the hopes Webb had initially expressed to Kur when writing him from Manila:
To me, [the mission] is in no sense an experiment likely to result in failure, for I know the general tendency of thought in my country and the general characteristic of my countrymen too well to entertain for a moment the idea that anything but success if possible. Besides I have faith in the power and wisdom of Almighty God (Praised be His name for ever), and as Islam is the true religion. I feel confident that He will guide, direct and support a movement for its propagation which promised such great results as this. I have for several years been convinced that there were unseen influences at work brining about a condition of things calculated to overthrow the current erroneous religious systems of the world and establish mankind in the one true system. But which that system was to me uncertain until I arrived at a comprehension of the character and doctrines of Islam. I have had some strange experiences of which I hope to have the privilege of talking with you soon, and which have seemed to me as evidence that God was guiding me for some great and wise purpose, the ultimate object of which was the spiritual benefit of mankind...[C]ircumstances have so shaped themselves in my life that they have drawn me directly toward the movement in which I am about to engage with all the earnestness, vigour, and intellectual ability that God has given me.... I am impatient to meet you and talk freely with you concerning the matter, for I feel sure that you will agree with me not only that the object is of the grandest importance, but that there has been something more than ordinary human agencies at work in bringing the project to its present condition. God is great, and will surely guide his servants in the right way. [213]
Webb expressed such expectations again in Madras: "[Islam] has found a firm foothold in Europe [i.e,, Qulliam's community], and with God's help we propose to establish it in liberal progressive America, where, I feel confident, the masses of people are waiting to receive it." [214] When the correspondent of the Mohammedan Observer asked him if he truly believed Americans would convert, Webb answered:
Yes, most certainly...because during the last 19 or 15 years there has been a great falling off in confidence in the Christian faith. People have been drifting away from it, and hence there are so many societies formed, such as the Sectarian Society, the Theosophical Society, and various others; and the people are anxious to investigate, in order to get to the bottom of the system of religion. Now in St. Louis, where there is a population of half a million inhabitants, where a special staff of reporters were sent to take the census of the people who attended church, it was reported that only 7,000 people did so out of the half million; and the rest attended the various places of amusement. [215]
Webb believed he was doing God's work, and therefore, God would see that the mission survived. Webb could "leave the results and [the mission's] practical operation to God." [216] He stated in the same vein: "I have repeatedly been asked the question: 'How do you propose to introduce Islam into America?' As if it was a task in which I alone was interested and in which God had no part...I believe that the power and influence of the Almighty God may be felt there just as strongly as it can in India or any part of the world." [217]
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A Muslim in Victorian America: The Life of Alexander Russell Webb
by Dr. Umar F. Abd-Allah, pgs. 156-7
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