kahraman@cae.wisc.edu (08/10/90)
THE POSITIVE NATIONALISM IN ISLAM
The second type of nationalism is a positive one. It is
necessary to social existence. It is a source of mutual
assistance, understanding and solidarity. It assures a bene
ficial strength and becomes a means of increasing corroboration
for Islamic brotherhood. This positive established concept must
be used to serve Islam. It must be the armor and castle of Islam
for there are a thousand bonds of brotherhood in Islam. The Islamic kinship
continues in this world and in the Hereafter, so it is eternal. No matter how
strong the brotherhood of nationalism is, it can only be a small fraction
compared to the brotherhood of Islam. It would be serious mistake to substitute
the Islamic brotherhood with a nationalistic one. It would be like replacing
precious diamonds in the treasury of a castle with the stones of the castle
walls. (Comment: Castle walls are strong and high and they gain much value
and meaning as long as they protect the diamonds inside. Nobody with the
least amount of conscience would place the diamonds in the wall and the bricks
inside. Both are precious where they are. M.K.)
O FOLLOWERS of the Qur'an and CHILDREN of THIS LAND (TURKIYE), not
only six hundred years but perhaps for a thousand years, since the Abbasid
Dynasty, you have been the standard bearers of Islam and have challenged and
defied the whole world, and you have proclaimed the message of the Qur'an to
them. You have made your national ideology the ARMOR and the CASTLE for the
Qur'an, for Islam. You have silenced the world and repulsed the dangerous
and concerted attacks against Islam, thus you have confirmed the TRUTH of the
AYAT: (Arabic Script of AYAT no.: 57 SURA 5.; English translation is given as:)
"SOON WILL ALLAH PRODUCE A PEOPLE WHOM HE WILL LOVE AS THEY LOVE HIM,
LOWLY(HUMBLE) WITH THE BELIEVERS, MIGHTY AGAINST THE REJECTERS,
FIGHTING IN THE WAY OF ALLAH."
Yet, now, by being entrapped by the intrigues of both hypocritical
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Europeans and their blind imitators at home, you are sacrificing a great part
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of your spiritual and cultural values. Still, each nation's value structure
needs a different cloth; even if it uses the same material, it needs a diffe-
rent design. Thus, imitating others blindly leads to boffoonery(maskara),
because, first of all, if Europe is similar to a shop or to a barrack, then
Asia is like an arable field and a mosque. The situation in a barrack cannot
be similar to that of a place of worship. Moreover, it is the sign of divine
providence that the majority of prophets were from Asia while vanquishing kings
emerged from Europe. The Asian nations' awakening, progress and proper
administration ought to be through faith, through religious conviction.
Thus, philosophy and science should be auxilaries of the faith, but not a
substitute for it.
Second, it is a great error to compare Islam to Christianity and to
become indifferent toward Islam on the premise of European ideas. Moreover,
Europeans are protective of their religion. Very many westerners, including
a number of political leaders such as Woodrow Wilson, Lloyd George and
Venizelos, were very fond of their religion. Obviously, Europeans guard their
religion. Probably in some aspects they are very zealos and fanatical.
Third, one cannot compare Islam to Christianity, because when Europeans
were following religion strictly, they were uncivilized; they gained a certain
degree of being civilized by abandoning their fanaticism and bigotry. Moreover,
religious controversies have caused three hundredyears of internal conflicts and
wars among the European nations. Christianity has been utilized as a tool of
exploitation of the lower classes and injustice against the poor, as well as
for suppression of men of knowledge by tyrannical despots. This resulted in the
disenchantment of the masses toward religion. Furthermore, when the followers
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of Islam wholeheartedly practiced Islam they reached the highest peaks of
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civilization of their time: for example, the Muslim Andulus (Spain) bears
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witness to this. (Comment: My undergraduate, then to-be professor of
Religious Studies at UPENN and an ex-seminary student- had indicated that
when the Muslim Andulus had street lights and stoned grounds, a European
stepping out of his house 700 years later in Paris would be merged into mud
up to his ankels! That they have built today's university-like learning
institutions, and that the volume of books in Andulus and Bagdat outnumbered
by thousands those in France hundred years later. As to the Seljuk Turks
they progressed in the arts and architecture. In the same course, an expert
on architecture of religions had indicated that Christians built high as well
as wide structures only after Muslims developed the cross-arched domes. Ottoman
Turks progressed in the area of government, tax-collection, social organization
at large scale, land distribution and usage, vocation specialization and
professional organization, minority ruling, military organization, ...
If you are hesitant to believe all this just wait for authentic, well-searched
and documented works to be published in the not very far future. The Ottoman
archives are recently being accessable by general public. M.K.)
On the other hand, when Muslims were careless with their practice of Islam, they
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fell into wretched conditions and true backwardness. Moreover, by establishing
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Zakat (purification of wealth), Islam abolished interest and invited a thousand
forms of alms given with compassion, which help the indigent and protect the
common people. Furthermore, with the Divine precepts such as:
(Arabic Script is given, no translation is provided, but it reads like: M.K.)
Efelaya'gilun efela yetefekkerun efela yetedebberun
beware that you do not find yourselves in a situation such as is described in
the Qur'an in the verse preceding the above AYAT; you should fear that!
It should be noted that the Turkish peoples, who are in great numbers
in the Muslim world no matter in which part of the world they live, are all
Muslims. Unlike other peoples, they are not divided as Muslims and non-Muslims.
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All Turkish tribes in the past have been Muslims. Those Turks who left Islam,
as well as those who did not embrace Islam, also abandoned their Turkish
identity (as in the case of Hungarians).
O Turkish brothers, you must be extremely careful. Your nationality
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has blended with Islam; they are inseperable. If seperated, you will utterly
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be destroyed. All your past glories have recorded as Islamic history. Since
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no force will be able to erase this sense of pride from the face of the earth,
why should you, then, because of the evil suggestions and deceitful role of
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Satan erase that sense from your hearts?
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Translated by Professor Suleyman Kurter
from the Twentysixth Letter by Bediuzzaman.