Opposition to the Ottoman Caliphate in the Early Years of Abdülhamid II

1877-1882

Bibliographic Data

ID3892271
AuthorsTufan Buzpinar (1Istanbul, corresponding author)
Year1996
Volume36
Issue1
Pages59-89
Publication date1996-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueDie Welt des Islams (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0043-2539 • E-ISSN: 1570-0607
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1163/1570060962597553
OpenAlexW1977488252
LanguageEN
Citations received7

It is generally held that Abdiilhamid II (r. 18761909) used the institution of the caliphate effectively both in his domestic policies and in his dealings with the major European powers, i.e. England, France, and Germany. It is also believed that his caliphate was accepted by the overwhelming majority of Muslims all over the world. This is not to say that his right to claim the Caliphate was never disputed. It appears that in both the early years and in the last decade of his reign the Caliphate of Abdiilhamid II was the subject matter of unofficial debates among some influential Arabs and Britains. Some supported his claim and others severely criticised it advocating instead a revival of the Arab Caliphate. Yet enough attention has not been given to examining the Sultan's own concept of such an important institution and considering the debates about the caliphate at that time. Thus this article is an attempt in that direction. The first section of the article tries to clarify Abdijlhamid II's view of the caliphate, while the rest of the paper examines the views held by a number of Britains and Arabs who opposed the Ottoman caliphate or the caliphate of Abdiilhamid II in its early years.'

Ancient history · Caliphate · Institution · Opposition (politics) · Political science · Politics · Reign · American Constitutional Law and Politics · History · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Ottoman Empire History and Society