the Islamic Caliphate, Dr. Şerefeddin Mağmumi focused on
Morocco, in particular, and the 'pretender' to the throne
of the Islamic Caliphate, Sultan Abdülaziz (a.k.a Mulai
Abd al-Aziz IV).//
Here is yet another inauspicious result of the fight over the Caliphate.
The former War Minister of Morocco was to visit Istanbul after making
the Haj (pilgrimage to Mecca) and he told some people here (Cairo) that
this was his intention. All the newspapers wrote about it. In fact, the
Minister was planning to give the Ottoman Sultan a letter from the
Sultan of Morocco, Molla Abdülaziz, and a bejeweled sword, as well.
Of course, our Turk (Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II) would have
showered the Minister with medals and ranks and expressed his wish
for serious and beneficial ties between the two Islamic nations.
Unfortunately, something happened while the Minister was in the Hecaz.
Who could it have been that spoiled the broth and turned all the plans
upside down? Minister El Menbehi came through Cairo last week from
Mecca and after a short stay he headed straight for his ill-omened
homeland via Marseilles.
We have not been able to learn why the Minister abandoned his planned
trip to Istanbul but there are plenty of rumors swirling about. The most
plausible one is that the letter from the Moroccan Sultan that El
Menbehi was delivering had been signed as if Abdülaziz was himself
the Caliph, rather than Abdülhamid II. This would never have been
accepted in Istanbul. Also, some European nations with interests in
Morocco may have interfered to prevent political relations taking
hold between the sultans of the east and west.
The bigger picture in 1905.
Whatever the reason, it is hard not to be saddened by this turn of
events. Whereas in Europe, where all the states and governments large
and small are continually exchanging visits to cement their ties and
mutual friendships, the Moslem states and peoples of Africa and Asia
constantly turn their backs on and ignore one another, treating each
other like enemies. Yes, we must admit that every Moslem nation
seems to want to destroy and extinguish the other. These are the
splits that doom the people of Islam to despicable and trivial games.
We Turks are the chief, the protector and the spirit of the Islamic
family today. But with which countries, besides Iran, do we have
political relations with? Afganistan, Baluchistan, Kashgar, Zanzibar
and Morocco may as well be strangers for us. We have neither an
ambassador nor a consul in any one of them. But, nevertheless,
every year we have to assign a consul to each of them to process
the thousands of pilgrims coming to Mecca and Medina for the
Haj.
Yet, while we have Ottoman embassies in Sweden, Norway and even
in Belgium, it is quite astonishing that we have none in Morocco or
in Kabul. Even if the Ottoman budget isn't reassessed, the money
given to our ambassadors in Paris and Berlin would be better spent
elsewhere.
The editor of "Türk" newspaper, Fazlı, took a trip to Morocco a few
years ago. Upon his return, he summed up his impressions about
the country with this sentence: "Compared to Morroco, Turkey is
the Islamic England and the Turks are the Moslem Englishmen."
This is no exaggeration. Today, Morocco has fallen back into the
Middle Ages, its people have been buried in ignorance and fanaticism
and there's nothing there that can be called a government. No morsel
of current civilization has seeped from Tangiers into the interior.
In Morocco, there are no organs of administration, no government
offices and nothing resembling education. There is no mail, no
telegraph, no municipality, no roads and no soldiers. In short, it is
Bedouinism and the Sultan's rule does not go beyond his palace
door. Brigandage is everywhere. There are no embassies from
European nations nor from anywhere else in the civilized world.
As we did before the conquest of Istanbul, an embassy sets out every
five or ten years with prayer rugs, pots and pans to roam around
Europe and return. Only the Ottoman torch can enlighten Marakesh,
a country of eight or nine million people on Africa's westernmost
piece of land. Because the Turks are Moslems and won't upset the
religious fervor there. But in order to do this, the Moroccans have
to give up on their idea that the Caliph resides there and establish
good relations with us. After that, delegations and teachers can go
from Turkey to Morocco. If this effort succeeds, it will be a great
service to the religion, the state and the people there.
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