1922’de Baha‘ilik ve İslam Üzere Bir İhtilaf: Abdullah Cevdet ve Devlet Din Kurumları

Abstract

This paper investigates Abdullah Cevdet’s 1922 article on Baha’ism as well the reaction of the state authorities, particularly that of two Mesihat councils. After briefly discussing the author’s biography and journalistic activities, primarily his periodical Ictihad , the paper focuses on the essay’s content by investigating the historical context, namely, the post-World War I years, during which he articulated his ideas on Baha’ism as a religion of peace and nonviolence. Close attention is also paid to the distinctions Cevdet drew among Baha’ism, Islam, and Christianity regarding their essential origins and how they developed in human time, i.e. history. The rest of the article details the presence of Ottoman religious censorship mechanisms on periodical publications during the Armistice years. In this regard, the state’s decision to authorize the Tetkik-i Mesahif ve Muellefat-i Seriyye Meclisi and the Daru’l-Hikmeti’l Islamiye to approve or reject Islamic publications are studied closely, especially with respect to their criticism of Cevdet’s essay. The criteria and rationale they deployed in condemning it are analyzed through their own archival records.