Realpolitik Please: Ottoman Religious Policy on the Eve of World War One in a Letter from the Kadi of Bagdad to the Sheikhulislam

Abstract

A letter dated 2nd April 1914 from the then kadı of Bagdad Ali Vehbi Efendi to the newly-appointed Sheikh-ul-Islam Mustafa Hayri Efendi is striking both in it shockingly frank style and its revelations concerning Ottoman history of the last decade. The gist of the letter is the central role of religion in Arab-Ottoman relations and the damage done to them by the indifferent attitude of the government towards the irreligious currents prevalent in the centre of the Empire as demonstrated by several publications that caused quite a stir in the Arab provinces. The letter is a fine example of the toffee-nosed attitude of the Ottoman Turkish élite of the time (including the ulema) toward the Arabs and a brilliant exposé of their matter-of-fact and quasi-Machiavellian approach concerning religion, and the peculiar treatment of history shows both the quality of their factual knowledge and their intellectual rigour as represented by the author.