The Ottoman Empire – Review

(Visit the Event Gallery for more pictures of this event)

A Disinherited History: The Ottoman Empire

By Razaanah Arendse

The MSA of the Cape recently hosted a seminar titled The Ottoman Empire – Its Rise and Fall, with the renowned historical Greek researcher, Stef Keris, as guest speaker. Keris, also known as Abu Yasir, dedicated his life’s work to researching and disseminating the historical truths of the Ottoman Turks, during their six century-long reign across the East and West. His lecture presented core facts and findings amidst a plethora of misleading ones regarding the topic. For most, it was informative and appeasing – except for a few nationalist Turks who felt, and blatantly stated, otherwise.

The Ottoman Empire began in Turkey at the beginning of the 13th Century under the rule of Sultan Osman Gazi, after whom the dynasty is named. It was during his reign that the powerful Byzantine Empire (i.e. the Eastern Roman Empire) was weakened.  Following him was his son Orhan, and after him, a long line of successors who undertook the conquest of cities, thereby extending the Ottoman Kingdom across three continents, namely: Europe, Asia and Africa.

He spoke extensively about the characters and lives of each Sultan, enlivening a dead Islamic history which over time, Muslims have overlooked and become apathetic towards. The most illustrious Sultan was Sultan Mehmet al-Fatih II, who conquered modern-day Istanbul at the age of 21. He was described by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in a hadeeth, “You shall certainly conquer Constantinople. What a wonderful leader its leader will be, and what a wonderful army that army will be!” (Musnad Ahmad) However, there were others less favourable, under whose rule people were needlessly massacred and the empire diminished. From this, however, a fundamental point was proved: those who stray from the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah will undoubtedly be unsuccessful in their endeavours.

Keris emphasised that the Turks who conquered Greece were not purely Turkish: numerous Sultans had Greek maternal ancestry. Yet, a mutual aversion between the two countries still exists. Consequently, some nationalist Turks refuse to accept his unbiased research, which presents not only the overall progressive nature of the empire, but weaker moments during their reign as well. He is neither concerned about the interests of fellow Greeks, nor that of the neighbouring Turks. “I am a Muslim first,” he said, “and so I am concerned with the only the truth, and nothing else.”

Although the main area of focus was the Ottoman Empire itself, Keris also introduced topics of special interest to the youth who, at present, are embarking on academic journeys of their own. During the Ottoman period, Muslims were at the forefront of knowledge, so much so that scholars across the globe were urged to study under no-one else, except them. Muslims have long since lost that academic prestige, and are dubbed uneducated and backward instead. Keris suffered many difficulties as a student opposing decades of false research, which in the past Muslims were either apathetic or silent about, thereby allowing others to propagate false accounts of the brutality and intolerance of Muslims in general. If we were to rise up as a nation of intellectuals, we would have the power to influence the world’s perception of our identity, religion, and the facts of our past – not others. “All knowledge is from Allah,” he said. Therefore, Islamic knowledge also constitutes a mastery of languages and the sciences, and the implications of such learning on our capacities are vast – the Ottoman Empire serves as proof!

We should remember our Islamic history with feelings of awe and pride. The Ottomans were great students and leaders who led remarkable lives, so let us, the youth, not choose to be mediocre in our own.

• Share