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Hakeem Naim (Middle Eastern Studies major)
"The Ottoman Empire's Religious and Political Relationship with Afghanistan during the Early 20th Century"
Sponsor: Hamid Algar, Near Eastern Studies
Project Description
It is well known that the Ottoman Empire had deep influence in the Middle East and South East Europe for many centuries. However, the Ottoman impact on Afghanistan, especially in the late 19th and early 20th century, is less commonly acknowledged despite its relevance to our understanding of contemporary problems in the region. To fill this void, Hakeem will study the relationship between the Ottoman Empire and Afghanistan, in which Islam was used as a political tool. Hakeem will conduct research in both Turkey and Afghanistan in order to examine documents, letters, and declassified information from various archives and libraries. His study will culminate in an analysis of the historical, cultural, political and religious concepts within the understanding of the Ottoman and Afghans in the early 20th century.
Scholar's Photo
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Hindu Kush Mountains, the silent witness of invasions, political games and the destruction of empires in Afghanistan. |
Scholar's Journal
While reading Zaman, a well known, pro-Islamic Turkish Newspaper on a Turkish Airlines flight heading to Istanbul from New York, the article about “successful humanitarian efforts” carried out by the Turkish military mission in Afghanistan, which is part of the International Coalition fighting the “War against Terror”, had a different meaning for me. I was on my way to Turkey and then to Afghanistan to conduct research regarding the relationship of the Ottoman Empire and Afghanistan during 19th and first decades of the 20th Century.
I landed the “next day” in Istanbul, the city that never sleeps. On the second day, I went to visit the glorious Sultan Ahmet mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque. Islam was the core part of the Ottoman Empire relations with other Muslim states. Before I left Turkey for Afghanistan, I went to the Ottoman Archive in Istanbul where the main part of my research would be conducted. While examining the catalogs and being surrounded by ancient documents, I realized that the joy and excitement of learning cannot be achieved without taking risks. I was well motivated to begin my journey into Afghanistan.
Whomever I encountered and spoke to about my Haas project, their first reaction was “what? You’re really going to Afghanistan?” They might have thought that I was crazy. However, the Haas Scholar Program gave me an opportunity to experience an amazing two unforgettable weeks in my home country. I was in Afghanistan for a different mission. Although I visited the Afghan National Archive and the Afghan Academy of Science, I found the real sources that I needed in small bookstores on corner streets made of mud brick or wood booths in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif. I discovered important old books and newspapers published almost a century ago which were covered with dust and dirt, hidden amongst many other literary works, which were untouched for years. I regularly visited those book shops, crossing countless check points guarded by foreign troops. I met and befriended many wonderful booksellers, students, and people who were permanent “costumers” of these small bookshops. I would like to thank them for accepting me into their non-formal, warm and inspirational learning circles.
Back in Turkey, I began conducting research in the Ottoman Archive for almost seven to eight hours daily, six days a week. I am amazed by the amount of documents I found regarding Afghanistan. I found out that the Ottoman Empire desperately tried to be a player in the late 19th century Great Game played by Russia and Britain for control over Afghanistan and Central Asia. However, the Ottoman’s compulsory “friendship” with the British and their historical animosity with the Russians were main obstacles preventing them in becoming an influential competitor in Afghanistan and Central Asia.
It is almost impossible to work at archives and not get lost. However, being lost amongst the hundreds of thousands of documents would take me to an incredible world of history, culture and politics. I remember a time I got “lost” and found myself reading a document about the Ottoman’s assistance to the head of the California Muslim Community in 1913. Contrary to the taxi driver I encountered in Istanbul who believed that the Turkish government is “lost” by following the footsteps of the U.S. and sending troops to Afghanistan, in the Ottoman Archive I would love to get lost because it felt as if I was travelling back through time, and uncovering a massive territory of knowledge.
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