ARŞİV BELGELERİ IŞIĞINDA OSMANLI YÖNETİMİNİN GASPIRALI İSMAİL BEY'E KARŞI TUTUMU
ATTITUDE OF OTTOMAN GOVERNMENT TOWARDS ISMAIL GASPIRALI IN THE LIGHT OF ARCHIVE DOCUMENTS

Summary/Abstract: İsmail Gaspıralı Bey (1851-1914) was one of the leading thinkers of Muslim community in Russia. Gaspra where his father was born would have been an integral part of his name. His efforts for reforms were named as ""Jadidism" and he defines Turk's awakening movement as "Unity in language, in thought, in work". He exercised his ideals mentioned above in his works in several publications. İsmail Bey who had started to publish a newspaper with the name of “Tercüman” in Bakhchysarai endeavoured to enlighten masses for the sake of Turkic awakening. His ideas about fundamental reformations in education of Turkic minorities Russia had been published in that newspaper. He continued to publish “Tercüman” till his death in 1914. İsmail Bey who had come to İstanbul in 1874 got no result for his applications to Ottoman Army. At that time, he met and influenced by Young Ottomans. Publications and implications of İsmail Bey were pursued by Ottoman government. In this frame, Tercüman newspaper had been prohibited many times due to the content of it. In November 1888, copies of Tercüman brought to Sinop port in import goods were seized and sent to İstanbul. Tercüman newspaper was forbad in Ottoman soil after the examination. While that prohibition in force; İsmail Gaspıralı, coming to İstanbul in 1894, was honored with compliments of Ottoman sultan. The prohibition lasted on 11th of November 1894 after 5 years of censorship. Though the prohibition was not in force, he had been officially warned several times by the Ottoman government through the embassy in Saint Petersburg. (December 1894) Due to some publications in Tercüman, some specific copies of it had been forbad in October 1898. It was totally banned on 8th of December 1902. İsmail Bey who came to Cairo in October 1907 gave a lecture in a conference, on the circumstances of Islamic World and necessary reformations in education. He proposed to assemble an "Islamic Congress". He presented the written records of his speech and the declaration of conference to the padishah with a petition. On the afterwards of this conference, he came to İstanbul on 20th of November 1907. Zaptiah Ministry ordered to chase him and record whom he met. İsmail Bey came to Egypt in 1908 in order to assemble Islamic Congress, and he wrote a petition about the congress. He submitted his work "Congress of Muslims" to the padishah in 1909. Censor on Tercüman was abolished. On 1st of August 1909, he joined a conference in İstanbul in which he explained the methods to make primary education accessible. Attitude of Ottoman government towards İsmail Gaspıralı varied due to different political conditions in different times. He had not been welcomed during the reign of Abdülhamid II since he had close relations with Young Ottomans who were strongly opposes to the Ottoman government, his ideas that could have been interpreted as unwanted, and some publications in Tercüman which were considered as inappropriate. His newspaper was banned and he was chased by some sort of surveillance mechanism during his visits in İstanbul. After the Young Turk Revolution, during the second constitutional era when there was a heavy influence of Union and Progress Association, the prohibition upon his newspaper was abolished and he invited to give lectures in conferences. There are several studies about İsmail Gaspıralı, yet his relations with Ottoman authorities have not been mentioned in details. In this article, the attitude of Ottoman government towards İsmail Gaspıralı and changes in that attitude shall be examined in the light of Ottoman Archive. Changes in treatment to İsmail Bey before and after the Young Turk Revolution shall be detailed.

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