Who Were the Nationalist Advocates in Islamic Countries?
The First World War, which took place from 1914 to 1918, created a suitable opportunity for the separation of Arab lands from the Ottoman Empire. The Allies seized this golden opportunity and promoted the idea of racial superiority. During this period, Lawrence played a significant role in inciting racial tensions, stirring up Arab nationalism against the Turks. For example, Sharif Hussein in Hejaz and the people of the Levant rose against the Turks, choosing to align with the Allies instead of remaining alongside the Muslim Turks, who were symbols of Islam’s strength, grandeur, and victory. They ignored the Quranic and Hadith texts regarding racialism and instead placed their trust in deceptive promises and the false policies of the Allies, which were solely based on their own interests and maintained through force and power.
Once nationalist movements emerged in Islamic countries, Western representatives and nationalist figures acted from all sides to further ignite and spread these flames. “At this point, Sharif Hussein raised the issue of the Arabs’ separation from the Ottoman Caliphate, and following this, various nationalist movements emerged in the Arab world, aimed at dismantling the unity and solidarity of Muslims.”
After the dissolution of the great Ottoman Caliphate, the Islamic world was divided into several small nations, each governed separately and isolated from one another. It is important to note that nationalist institutions and Western countries played an active role in this process, ultimately destroying the unity of the Muslim Ummah. In the following sections, we will, God willing, attempt to analyze each of these factors in detail.
Introduction
When the phenomenon of nationalism spread to Islamic countries, Westerners sought to expand this ideology among Arabs to divide the Muslim community. To achieve this, they sent propagandists to Arab lands and funded efforts to promote nationalism. They held meetings, encouraged leaders, and supported individuals to further this agenda. Eventually, this ideology took root in Arab countries and spread among their people. In this section, we will examine Arab nationalism, also known as Arabism, and introduce its most prominent advocates in Arab nations.
Nationalism in Arab Countries
Western nationalism, after infiltrating Islamic countries, gradually established itself in Arab societies, and some Arabs embraced it. Various factors contributed to this tendency: on one hand, Western colonialism and ideological warfare; on the other, the establishment of the state of “Israel” by Western powers in the midst of Arab nations. Many Arabs, believing that Arab nationalism—an idea based on language, ethnicity, and shared history—could help them overcome these crises and challenges, turned to this ideology. Those who firmly believed in this concept worked to spread it and invited others to adopt it as well.
Understanding Arab Nationalism
Arab nationalism is a politically and ideologically driven movement rooted in ethnic solidarity based on blood, language, and history. It calls for the replacement of religious unity with ethnic identity and seeks to establish a unified Arab state. This movement reflects the nationalist ideology that first emerged in Europe. Arab nationalism began to develop in the Arab world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
It is a historical concept in some Islamic countries, founded on the distinction between “us” and “others.” This movement arose as a reaction to domestic tyranny, foreign colonialism, and occupation. It aimed to revive Arab national identity across social, historical, geographical, political, religious, cultural, linguistic, and literary dimensions to transform Arabs into a unified nation. This movement gradually emerged in the second half of the 19th century and ultimately became the dominant ideology in the Arab world after World War II.
Arab nationalism is a phenomenon that has existed for more than a century. It emerged before World War I and initially manifested in the efforts of Arab elites to revive the Arabic language, familiarize Arabs with their glorious past, and gain independence from the Ottoman Caliphate. In its early stages, Arab nationalism was intertwined with Islamic values. However, as tensions and conflicts arose between Arabs and the Ottoman Empire, it evolved into a secular, purely nationalist ideology.
After World War I, a modern form of Arab nationalism, influenced by Western thought and regarded as an independent ideological framework, played a significant role in shaping Arab political identity. This concept was infused with the enthusiasm, ideals, and sacred values typically associated with religion. Consequently, educated Arabs, particularly young people whose religious ties had weakened for various reasons, were drawn to this movement and embraced it. They aspired to achieve greatness, progress, and parity with the free and advanced nations of the world, believing that Arab nationalism was the only path to realizing this ambition. Frustrated by their societies’ existing conditions and disillusioned with Western governments that supported Israel, they turned to Arab nationalism as a radical intellectual response. Some individuals took this ideology to extremes, eventually rejecting everything except Arab nationalism and actively opposing alternative viewpoints.
Dr. Abdul Rahman Habannakah writes: “The greatest deception that the Arab nations fell victim to under the banner of ethnic freedom was their inclination toward nationalism, or Arab nationalism, which led to their fragmentation. This deception served as a ladder for colonial powers, granting them the golden opportunity to dominate and rule over the divided Arab states.”
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