Two war years in Constantinople : $b sketches of German and Young Turkish ethics and politicsStürmer, Harry
History
Two war years in Constantinople : $b sketches of German and Young Turkish ethics and politics
Stürmer, Harry
World War, 1914-1918 -- Turkey
The ever-recurring disturbances in Yemen, finally somewhat
inadequately quelled by Izzet Pasha, are still in the memory of all.
And later, directly after the reconquering of Adrianople during the
Second Balkan war, there was another moment of real national rebirth
when a reconciliation might have been effected. The visit of a great
Syrian and Arabian deputation to the Sultan to congratulate him over
this auspicious event should have provided an excellent opportunity.
I was staying some months then in Constantinople on my way back from
Africa, and I certainly thought that the half-broken threads might have
been knotted together again then if the Young Turks had only approached
the Arabs in the right way. Even the great Franco-British attack on
Stamboul might have been calculated to rouse a feeling of solidarity
among the Mohammedans living under the Ottoman flag, and in the autumn
and winter of 1915-1916 Arab troops actually did defend the entrance
to the Dardanelles with great courage and skill. But Arab loyalty
could not withstand for ever the mighty flood of race-selfishness that
possessed the Young Turks right from the moment of their entry into the
war. The enthusiasm of the Arabs soon disappeared when Pan-Turkish
ideas were proclaimed all too clearly even to the inhabitants of their
own land, when an era of systematic enmity towards the non-Turkish
parts of the population was introduced and the heavy fist of the
Central Committee was laid on the southern parts of the Empire as well.
An attempt was made to bring the ethnic principle of "Turanism" within
the region of practical politics, but it simply degenerated into
complete race-partiality and was not calculated to further the ideas
of Pan-Islamism and the Turko-Arabian alliance which were both of such
importance in the present war. It is this idea of Turanism that lies
at the back of the efforts being made towards a purely Turkish Turkey,
and that of course makes it clear at once that it must to a very large
extent oppose the idea of Pan-Islamism. It is true that both principles
may be made use of side by side as sources of propaganda for the idea
of expansion and the policy of a "Greater Turkey." Turanists peep over
the crest of the Caucasus down into the Steppes of the Volga, where the
Russian Tartars live, and to the borders of Western Siberia and Inner
China where in Russian Turkestan a race of people of very close kinship
live and where very probably the Ottoman people had their cradle. The
Pan-Islamists want the alliance of these Russian parts as well, but
from another point of view, and, above all, they aim at the expansion
of Ottoman rule to the farthest corners of Africa and South-West Asia,
to the borders of negro territory, and through Persia, Afghanistan, and
Baluchistan to the foot of the Himalayas, while on grounds of practical
politics they strive to abolish the old, seemingly insurmountable
antithesis between Sonnites and Shiites within the sanctuary of Islam.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account