As we prepare to mark the centennial of the outbreak of the First World War this summer, many still see it as primarily an inter-imperial struggles within the European continent, with the scenes of trench warfare on the Western Front. It is often forgotten that this war was as much about the political destiny of what was then and now called “the Muslim world” as it was about Europe, with Muslim soldiers fighting on both sides of the imperial alliances.The declaration of jihad by the Ottoman caliph, the revolt of Sherif Hussein of Mecca and the eventual end of Ottoman rule in Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem marked the important turning points, followed eventually by the abolishment of the caliphate during the post-war restructuring of Turkey. Moreover, the persistence of a debate on a pan-Islamic “threat” to the West and Islamophobia seems one of the surprising continuous themes from the time of the First World War to today, after a passage of a century during which the world of empires gave way to a world of nation states.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 03:31:42 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015