The conventional story of the 1908 Revolution in the Ottoman Empire is that of the Young Turks a... more The conventional story of the 1908 Revolution in the Ottoman Empire is that of the Young Turks and a multi-confessional alliance of political parties usurping the authoritarian rule of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The learned class of Muslim notables, the ulema, are usually portrayed as apprehensive bystanders threatened with marginalization by the restoration of the Ottoman constitution. But as our guest Yakoob Ahmed explains, ulema engagement with the revolution and the parliamentary elections that followed was robust. In this episode, we explore that engagement through a discussion of the writings and activities of the Ottoman ulema during the transformative period of 1908-1912.
No sooner had the Young Turk revolution been declared in 1908 than the French ideals of ‘Liberté,... more No sooner had the Young Turk revolution been declared in 1908 than the French ideals of ‘Liberté, égalité, fraternité’ made their way into the rhetorical chants of the revolutionaries such as ‘Hürriyet, Müsavat and Uhuvvet’. Much has been made of the influence of Western thought on the revolution, but very little attention has been paid to the indigenous and inherent Islamic aspects of meaning to such slogans. Contemporary works on the compatibility of Islam with constitutional discourse continue to be viewed as an idealistic abstraction whose reality is yet to be explored outside the realm of the normative theories of the Muslim nation states. On closer inspection, although the Ottoman experience has been acknowledged, the contributions of the Ottoman Sunni ulema towards Islamic-constitutional discourse from 1908 onwards are often ignored. The idea of government limited by law is supported in Islamic tradition, however discussion of limiting government to the rule of law took expression mainly after 1908.
Possible potentialities during a formative period of Islamic-constitutional discourse are overlooked as discussions of a discursive process towards secular political statecraft are emphasised. However, comparison between the ‘positivist’ inclinations of the CUP with the Islamic notion of ‘justice’ and ‘consultation’ which became a mainstay within ulema political thought from the Gulhane of 1839 onwards requires attention as reconciliation between the ideals of positivism, enlightenment ideals, revolutionary ideas and modernisation debates on the one hand, and Islamic justice and consultation on the other seem at time conflicting. This seminar explores the role played by the Ottoman Sunni ulema in the advent of the Young Turk Revolution of 1908 and discusses the various ways in which they understood ideas of revolution, constitution, and consultation from a specifically Islamic perspective.
The conventional story of the 1908 Revolution in the Ottoman Empire is that of the Young Turks a... more The conventional story of the 1908 Revolution in the Ottoman Empire is that of the Young Turks and a multi-confessional alliance of political parties usurping the authoritarian rule of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The learned class of Muslim notables, the ulema, are usually portrayed as apprehensive bystanders threatened with marginalization by the restoration of the Ottoman constitution. But as our guest Yakoob Ahmed explains, ulema engagement with the revolution and the parliamentary elections that followed was robust. In this episode, we explore that engagement through a discussion of the writings and activities of the Ottoman ulema during the transformative period of 1908-1912.
No sooner had the Young Turk revolution been declared in 1908 than the French ideals of ‘Liberté,... more No sooner had the Young Turk revolution been declared in 1908 than the French ideals of ‘Liberté, égalité, fraternité’ made their way into the rhetorical chants of the revolutionaries such as ‘Hürriyet, Müsavat and Uhuvvet’. Much has been made of the influence of Western thought on the revolution, but very little attention has been paid to the indigenous and inherent Islamic aspects of meaning to such slogans. Contemporary works on the compatibility of Islam with constitutional discourse continue to be viewed as an idealistic abstraction whose reality is yet to be explored outside the realm of the normative theories of the Muslim nation states. On closer inspection, although the Ottoman experience has been acknowledged, the contributions of the Ottoman Sunni ulema towards Islamic-constitutional discourse from 1908 onwards are often ignored. The idea of government limited by law is supported in Islamic tradition, however discussion of limiting government to the rule of law took expression mainly after 1908.
Possible potentialities during a formative period of Islamic-constitutional discourse are overlooked as discussions of a discursive process towards secular political statecraft are emphasised. However, comparison between the ‘positivist’ inclinations of the CUP with the Islamic notion of ‘justice’ and ‘consultation’ which became a mainstay within ulema political thought from the Gulhane of 1839 onwards requires attention as reconciliation between the ideals of positivism, enlightenment ideals, revolutionary ideas and modernisation debates on the one hand, and Islamic justice and consultation on the other seem at time conflicting. This seminar explores the role played by the Ottoman Sunni ulema in the advent of the Young Turk Revolution of 1908 and discusses the various ways in which they understood ideas of revolution, constitution, and consultation from a specifically Islamic perspective.
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Possible potentialities during a formative period of Islamic-constitutional discourse are overlooked as discussions of a discursive process towards secular political statecraft are emphasised. However, comparison between the ‘positivist’ inclinations of the CUP with the Islamic notion of ‘justice’ and ‘consultation’ which became a mainstay within ulema political thought from the Gulhane of 1839 onwards requires attention as reconciliation between the ideals of positivism, enlightenment ideals, revolutionary ideas and modernisation debates on the one hand, and Islamic justice and consultation on the other seem at time conflicting.
This seminar explores the role played by the Ottoman Sunni ulema in the advent of the Young Turk Revolution of 1908 and discusses the various ways in which they understood ideas of revolution, constitution, and consultation from a specifically Islamic perspective.
Conference Presentations by yakoob ahmed
Possible potentialities during a formative period of Islamic-constitutional discourse are overlooked as discussions of a discursive process towards secular political statecraft are emphasised. However, comparison between the ‘positivist’ inclinations of the CUP with the Islamic notion of ‘justice’ and ‘consultation’ which became a mainstay within ulema political thought from the Gulhane of 1839 onwards requires attention as reconciliation between the ideals of positivism, enlightenment ideals, revolutionary ideas and modernisation debates on the one hand, and Islamic justice and consultation on the other seem at time conflicting.
This seminar explores the role played by the Ottoman Sunni ulema in the advent of the Young Turk Revolution of 1908 and discusses the various ways in which they understood ideas of revolution, constitution, and consultation from a specifically Islamic perspective.