For Izet Mulabegović
To be a caliph instead of a caliph - the famous phrase of modern communication (comic), at the same time the "apple of discord" between the good-natured caliph Harun al-Rashid and his vizier, the eternal "pretender to the throne" of the evil Iznogud, lost its, at least its "historical meaning", in the 20s years of the 20th century. On May 1924, 140, the Grand Turkish National Assembly passed a law abolishing the title of caliph and expelling more than XNUMX members of the Ottoman dynasty from the country.
Caliph, originally the caliph (successor, follower) was originally a name for Abu Bakr, the first successor of Muhammad. Later, this name was extended to the heads of Islamic states. The seat of the caliphs was initially Medina, later Damascus, Baghdad, Cairo, and finally Constantinople, where all sultans were also the religious leaders of the Islamic world - caliphs.
In 1922 (1340 according to the Islamic calendar) the sultanate and the caliphate were finally separated - after many centuries. In the wake of Ataturk's reforms, the sultanate was abolished already in November of the same year, and the caliphate retained its religious function, but in significantly changed circumstances - the caliph was now subordinate to the state.
The honor of being the "last caliph" of the Islamic world went to Abdulmejid II, the uncle's brother of the forcibly deposed Mehmed VI, the last Turkish sultan. From the age of eight, according to the good customs of the Turkish court, Abdulmejid was kept in a cage in the harem, a prison for (over) numerous Ottoman princes. But neither the caliphate will outlast the sultanate for long, nor will Caliph Abdulmejid II remain on the religious throne for long. On May 1924, XNUMX, the Grand Turkish National Assembly passed the aforementioned law, according to which the caliphate became redundant.
And yet, this short period of only two years 1922-1924; it was also the most turbulent period in the life of the last caliph and talented painter, Abdulmejid II. Even after the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of the republic, he will continue to lead the old court ceremonial with live diplomatic contacts, a brilliant representation, with the presence of numerous members of the old dynasty.
The suspect Kemal Atatuk, a great military leader and reformer, the first president of the Turkish Republic, established in 1922, clearly saw the danger for the empty state treasury, as well as the state structure of the young republic. On his pre-election tour around the country, with the aim of organizing the People's Party, Atatuk unequivocally said that Turks now and in the future must primarily take care of themselves and their interests and not run after some fantastic shadows and utopias and leave their bones for the will of a caliph and his blessing in the deserts of Arabia and Africa, as they did before.
"Khilafah (Caliphate) would have meaning and justification only if the majority of Muslim nations were completely free and independent, and agreed to establish a common council to decide on common religious issues, and to appoint a Khalifa (Caliph) and his necessary bodies that will have the strength and power to implement the council's decisions and gain respect for them in all Islamic countries. Otherwise, individual Islamic states are neither invited nor competent to arbitrarily appoint a Caliph at the head of Muslims who do not have their own free states". Kemal considered the caliphate without that and without one universal government to be a ridiculous and impossible utopia.
But even a clear warning from the "highest place" did not influence the unsuspecting sultan and the "last caliph" to curb his unrealistic ambitions, reduce the expenses of ceremonies and representation. Through his secretary, he addressed a letter to Ankara complaining that officials and senior government officials were avoiding contact with him until his coffers could cover the expenses of the caliphate. His laments also reached President Ataturk, who was at that time on military maneuvers in Smyrna.
In a letter Ismet Pasha The "Father of Turkey" was not sentimental:
"Khalifa has himself to blame for that. He conducts the pomp and ceremony that befits only imperial courts and maintains relations with foreign ambassadors. The Caliph and the whole world should feel and understand that this place is both religiously and politically redundant, and that it is the same for us as any historical relic. Asking to be visited by official representatives of the Republic and addressing them through his secretary and not directly, means taking an equal position with the head of state, which is not permissible. The caliphate cannot have its own treasury, nor can its powers be greater than the presidency of the Republic. I hear that things are being taken from the imperial courts to Constantinople and sold in the bazaar. Imperial palaces are public property and the government is obliged to list the entire inventory that is in them. When personnel in the Khilafat should be kept to a minimum. Even today, after 100 years of its existence, the French Republic does not allow the former French dynasty to stay in the French homeland. Therefore, the Republic of Turkey must not be more tolerant towards people who wish for the restoration of the monarchy".
Kemal Ataturk did not stop at "constructive criticism". After the completed maneuvers, in agreement with other officials, he initiated the abolition of the caliphate. On March 01.03.1924, 50. as soon as the new session of the Great National Assembly opened, XNUMX people's representatives submitted a proposal:
1. For the defense of the Republic on the abolition of the Khilafat and the expulsion of all members of the dynasty;
2. On the abolition of the Ministry of Religion and the separation of religion from the state;
3. For the unification of all teaching in the country in a national spirit and the transfer of all competence in matters of education to the Ministry of Education.
Two days later, the Parliament adopted a law according to which the caliphate became redundant. The title of caliph was abolished and more than 140 members of the Ottoman dynasty were expelled from the country. At the same time, the mayor of Instabul informed Abdulmejid that he had to leave Turkey as soon as possible.
However, not everything went according to the planned procedure.
When the soldiers broke into the caliph's residence, they found Abdulmejid reading the Koran according to one testimony, or Montenja according to another testimony. He offered almost no resistance - he noted that he just wanted to bring his painting kit. The soldiers still surrounded the castle and cut the telephone wires, but the news of the overthrow of the caliph and his exile quickly spread throughout the Muslim world.
The other events and happenings of that - for many "orthodox" ominous Friday - were learned much later.
They took the caliph out of the castle before dawn through a side door and then took him, with two wives, a son and a daughter - with pointed guns (one each) to the smaller busy railway station Čataldžija. There was no serious resistance, except that the caliph's daughter Durushehvar shouted that she did not want such "Western freedom". The head of the station happened to be a Jew and when he found out who these passengers were, he made tea for them and wept when the caliph thanked him, saying that the Jews owed a great debt of gratitude to the caliphs who accepted them with open arms, when the Spanish authorities in 1492 expelled from Granada.
After a short stay in the station, on that day, along with the Caliph, 36 princes, 48 princesses and 60 children were expelled from Instabul. The last Islamic caliph chose the summer resorts of the French Riviera as his residence, enjoying the Mediterranean landscape and a well-deserved retirement for the rest of his life. He could often be seen seamlessly capturing sketches of the Mediterranean landscape or strolling along the promenade, with the inevitable parasol.
He died in August 1944 in his posh home in the 16th arrondissement, on Boulevard Suche, in the neighborhood of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, two days before Paris was to be liberated. His remains were transferred ten years later to the holy place of Islam - Medina.
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By abolishing the caliphate, Turkey got rid of a heavy burden from the time of the Ottoman Empire. Now secular institutions have come to life, difficult and painful reforms have been implemented - the mosque has been separated from the state, the Ministry of Religion has been abolished. Turkey turned from a theocratic monarchy into a lay republic, the fez gave way to the cap, arabica to Latin, sharia courts to regular...
Demonstrating support for the caliphate is prohibited by law
On March 1924, XNUMX, the last caliph of like of two thousand US dollars - from the Turkish treasury - was sent to Switzerland by Orient Express.
The short-term confusion in the attempt to elect a new caliph, for whom the Padishah of Afghanistan and the Imam of Yemen were proposed, did not produce significant results. In March 1925, a new attack on the caliphate followed - the law also prohibited the expression of support for the caliphate, and in September 1925, after the uprising of the Kurdish tribes partly encouraged by supporters of the caliphate, numerous dervish orders, brotherhoods and sects were dissolved.
Bonus video:
