MOVEMENT FOR PAN ISLAMIC UNITY (1877-1909)

 MOVEMENT FOR PAN ISLAMIC UNITY (1877-1909)

Abdul Hamid was probably one of the most well prepared sultans the Ottoman Empire had in centuries. He shunned the luxury of the new, expensive palaces along the Bosphorus in favor of more humble accommodation at the smaller and more remote Yildiz palace. Abdul Hamid brought back another forgotten aspect of the Ottoman dynasty: the Caliphate. To Abdul Hamid, however, his position as the inheritor of the office that started with Abu Bakr(RA) was of utmost importance. It was especially significant because with the loss of so much Christian Balkan territory, the Ottoman Empire was now a Muslim- majority state. The Turks, Arabs, Albanians and other Muslim groups within the empire were joined by Muslim refugees who were expelled by Christian powers in Europe. Getting his subjects to unify around their Islamic identity and allegiance to the caliphate was easier than the invented identity Ottomanism promoted. Furthermore with so many Muslims living under European imperial domination in India, Africa and Southeast Asia, he could use his position as the spiritual leader of the world’s Muslims as leverage when dealing with European imperial powers, Pan- Islamism was heavily promoted during his reign as he hoped it would breathe new energy into an ottoman Empire on its last wind. Hoping to unite Muslims around the Idea of Pan- Islamism, Abdul Hamid undertook a series of projects aimed at bringing back the orthodox Islamic nature of the Ottoman Empire which had faded during the Tanzimat years. Railways were laid across the empire, but of special importance was the Hijaz railway, which stretched from Istanbul to Medina. Logistically, It made sense to link the Ottoman Empire with its farthest provinces, and to make the arduous hajj journey easiest for pilgrims traversing the arabian Desert. The railway also served as a spiritual link between the Ottoman caliphate in Istanbul and the location of the first Muslim state ruled by the Prophet(Saw). Delegations were sent to Muslim communities outside Ottoman borders, as far away as Sub Saharan Africa and China. Loyalty from the world’s Muslims could be useful to a sultan dealing with the growing power of Europe.

Reference : Lost Islamic History - Firas al Khateeb