Sun 18 October 2020:
It’s not a problem to be a superpower, but it’s a huge problem to be an evil, oppressive and obnoxious superpower. Islam was a superpower for many centuries, by and large a humane superpower (of course not a perfect one, but one not known for evil and oppression), until it was overtaken by very obnoxious, evil and treacherous powers in the last century – powers that still hold sway over the present modern world.
These dark powers have never rested until today in waging endless unjust wars and creating political instability worldwide, but presenting themselves as saviors of humanity and leaders in morality!
After World War I, the Ottoman Caliphate, a recognized superpower in its heyday, was disbanded by the western powers. After the West successfully used the Arabs to rebel against the Caliphate in return for their present modern-day sorry Arab states.
In 1923, with a stroke of his satanist pen, he gave up the properties of the Ottoman Empire in three continents in a 100-year agreement called the “Treaty of Lausanne”. This treaty ends in a few months time – 2023. Some of the other unfair clauses of the treaty included:
1) The abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate – and the exile of the Sultan and his family outside of Turkey.
2) Confiscation of all property of the caliphate and the Sultan. These amounted to billions of dollars.
3) The declaration of the secularism of the state, meaning the abolishment of Islam.
4) Preventing Turkey from exploring for oil on its own territory. Turkey can only import oil.
5) Considering the Bosphorus Strait an international waterway. Turkey is not entitled to collect any fees from the ships passing through it. The Bosphorus Bay links the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and then to the Mediterranean, meaning that it’s a waterway of great importance such as the Suez Canal.
Ever wonder why Erdogan always talks about the year 2023, and why is Europe, especially Germany, in a state of terrible anxiety already? With the discovery of 320 billion cubic metres (11.3 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas in an uncontested part of the Black Sea, and the legitimacy of levying fees on ships passing through its waters, Turkey is set to not only become more economically independent, but it could tremendously profit from shipping fees passing through its waters which it was denied for a 100 years.
This has made the Arabs and the Europeans very uneasy at a time when both their economies and political stability are on the wane.The Arabs are already putting Iran aside for a while, and pointing their guns at Turkey – a member of NATO,- and for many decades a keeper of airborne US nuclear bombs.
The charge has been led by UAE Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash. Speaking at the Arab League, Gargash said: “The Turkish interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries is a clear example of negative interference in the region.” That is quite a statement from a minister of a country that toppled an Egyptian president, and whose planes have bombed Libya’s Tripoli in an effort to oust another internationally recognised government.
Why Saudi Ministry of Education Re-Writing the History of the Ottoman Empire?
Elsewhere, the Europeans are also balking. In the Mediterranean, for example, competing claims on maritime borders, exclusive economic zones (EEZs), and energy resources have put Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus at loggerheads with one another. Much of the problem stems from Greek claims on the maritime border of islands that are close to the Turkish mainland – and Ankara’s counterargument that these islands cannot have the same EEZ rights as the Greek mainland, partly because this would leave areas on the Turkish coast closed off to Turkish ships and drilling projects. Meanwhile, a proposed gas pipeline between Greece, Cyprus, Israel, and Egypt has excluded Turkey, leading Ankara to pursue a more assertive policy in the area by starting gas exploration off the coast of Cyprus and Turkey.
The Turks have thus far been unfazed by all the pressure. Erdogan has issued successive statements, that by 2023, the old Turkey will end and it will accelerate oil exploration, and also dig a new water channel linking the Black Sea to Marmara in preparation for the start of collecting very lucrative fees from passing ships.
Will the Muslim world accept the new kid on the block? Well, till now, many people have been made aware of only the dark side of Ottoman history during the period of its decline. What about the 700 years of it’s great military conquests and spread of Islam in almost every land on earth? Did you know that over 300 million Muslims entered Islam because of Ottoman conquests? Muhammad bin Murad (also known as Muhammad Al-Fatih, because he conquered Constantinople), attained a feat which all the great Muslim leaders from the era of the Khulafa Rashidah sought to achieve – the Conquest of Constantinople.
This is due to the Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) praising it’s conqueror. Imam Ahmad narrated in the Musnad that the Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) said: ”Let Constantinople be conquered, let us bless its prince, and bless the army with that army.” The conquest took place under the leadership of Prince Sultan Mehmed on May 29, 1453. He was only twenty-one years old at the time.
Isn’t it unfair to ignore Ottoman role in preventing the Safavid Shi’ite sect from expanding into the Arab countries, due to which the Galderan battle was fought and the Arab lands saved? How many people know that the Ottoman Empire saved not only the Muslim prisoners in Andalusia (Spain) from the Inquisition, but even the Jewish prisoners, by means of fierce naval battles against the Spanish and the Portuguese?
THE PALESTINE ISSUE THAT COST SULTAN ABDÜLHAMID II THE OTTOMAN THRONE
Over many decades, the Zionists enticed the Ottomans to sell Palestine to the Jews, but they never budged. In fact, the last Sultan virtually paid the price of his obstinacy by losing his throne, but today the Arabs have openly abandoned their Arab brothers. It is famously known that Sultan Abdul Hamid said to the Jews: “Palestine is not the property of Sultan Abdul Hamid, but for all Muslims, so collect the signatures of the Muslims for me that they have given up Palestine in order for me to give it up too.”
How many people know about the Battle Nicopolis whence Russia, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Scotland, Luxembourg, Poland, and Bulgaria all allied together by order of Pope Boniface IX to eliminate the Ottoman Empire? The result was a crushing defeat for Europe and Russia and a dignified victory for the Ottomans under the leadership of Bayazid, after which the Islamic state expanded from the Euphrates in the east to the Danube in the west?
At this stage, America (the current arrogant superpower) under the leadership of George Washington, had to agree to a humiliating agreement to pay the Ottoman Empire an amount of 12,000 Ottoman gold liras annually, in exchange for the release of American sailors captured in Algeria. In addition, no American ship was to come near any Ottoman ship in the Mediterranean or the Atlantic.
Presently, Turkey’s territorial, political and economic ambitions are becoming louder and louder, with established military bases in Qatar, Libya, Somalia, Northern Cyprus, Syria and Iraq – and not all with the consent of legitimate governments. Turkey is no more the ignominious “Sick Man of Europe,” but an awakening giant. For all the domestic reservations over his role as president, Erdogan has styled Turkey as an independent country whose armed forces are capable of not only confronting Russian forces in Syria and Libya, but one that keeps its place at the negotiating table with the Russians too.
Turkey’s economy is the size of Saudi Arabia’s, and its military is self-sustaining. Turkey started manufacturing high-technology drones when Israel and the US refused to supply them. Turkish companies have the technology to develop their newly discovered gas fields and to supply the domestic market – unlike Egypt, whose reliance on British, Italian and US companies means it reaps a fraction of the rewards from its own gas fields. When confronted by armed soldiers in the 2016 attempted coup (funded by the UAE ), the Turks fought fiercely and won.
Currently, the Arabs fear Turkey’s allure over the Muslim ummah as the new Muslim leader. The fight is about the leadership of the Sunni world. The Arab world’s claim to it has now vanished, moreso after the normalization of relations with Israel. Most of Europe is beset by Covid-19 and the inexorable rise of the right wing, and Britain is divided by Brexit. Given such a situation, will we see another gigantic war to thwart Turkey, or will Turkey be left alone to achieve greatness again. Time will only tell.
BY KHALID DHORAT
Maulana Khalid Dhorat hails from Laudium, Pretoria, he completed his Aalim Faadil course from Darul ‘Uloom Zakariyya in 1992 and his Masters in Islamic Studies from the University of Johannesburg in 1996. Being passionate about writing, he completed a course in Journalism and has been contributing to many local newspapers and magazines since 2000. He also taught for various durations at institutions such as Darul Uloom Zakariyya, the University of Johannesburg, the Tshwane Muslim School, and the Al-Ghazali College. He also served as a Research-Fellow at the Darus Salaam Islamic Research Centre and the Jamiatul ‘Ulama SA. His first book: “How Well do you know the Sahabah?” published in 1992, has been reprinted several times.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Independent Press.
