Caliphate in the Ideological Dialogue of the Islamic World: The Case of Pan-Islamic Congress in Cairo (1926)

Abstract

The article analyses the historical role and typological features of the movements for defense of the Caliphate that arose in various parts of the Muslim world as a result of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the abolition of the Caliphate. The liquidation of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924 by the Republican leadership of Turkey put again on the agenda the question of the Muslim unity and transregional cooperation. The authors focus on the new round of socio-political discussions about the unity of the Ummah and the future fate of the Caliphate. The extensive dialogue of the defenders of the idea of Caliphate and supporters of its restoration from different Islamic countries led to the emergence of various ideological approaches to this issue which reflected regional specifics in the interpretation of the essence of this institution in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. Using the vivid example of the Pan-Islamic Congress for the Caliphate in Cairo (1926), the article examines the reasons for disagreements in the political, religious and philosophical matters among the advocates of Caliphate from the main Islamic regions. The article focuses on the difficulties faced by the Islamic thinkers - supporters of the Caliphate in the drastically changed conditions of world geopolitics and the wide spread of ideas of secular statehood. The article investigates the historical and cultural origins of interest in the concepts of the Caliphate among Muslims in various parts of the Islamic world. The article also explores various types of reactions of Muslims in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia to the repudiation of the Caliphate by the Republican Turkey.