The Young Turk Period, 1908-1918 - PSI424

280 The Rise of Modern Turkey, 1808-1975
It was one Hafiz Dervis. Vahdeti who focused this discontent into an attempt at
counterrevolution. Apparently a member of the Bektasi order, he began to publish
a newspaper called Volkan (Volcano) on November 10, 1908, presenting a mixed
message of mystic and popular Islam and strong opposition to the secularism of the
government as well as the influence of the minorities and foreign representatives. 14
Within a short time he formed the Society of Islamic Unity (Ittihad-t Muhammedi
Cemiyeti), intended to replace the Constitution with the §eriat and use Islam to
modernize and rescue the empire. The secular schools and courts would be replaced
with their Islamic counterparts and the authority of the sultan restored as the best
means of rescuing the empire. While Abdulhamit apparently refused to provide
financial support for the new organization and newspaper, it appears that it was
helped by other elements in the palace, with one of the sultan's sons, Burhaneddin
Efendi, actually becoming a member. 15 Volkan now began an active campaign
against the government. The Society of Islamic Unity declared its intention to
establish a regime that would fulfill the basic duties of Islamic government - to
protect and promote the §eriat and the basic practices of Islam, spread the light
(nur) of Divine Unity throughout the empire, and free Muslims all over the world
from the tyranny of non-Muslim oppression. Its immediate aims were to promote
the interests of Muslims, support the Islamic principle of consultation (tnesveret)
as the basis of government, secure wider application of the §eriat in the Meceile
code used in the secular courts, and to encourage the development of Muslim morals
and traditions in the daily lives of all Muslims in the empire. 16
On April 3, 1909, the society held its first mass meeting at the Aya Sofya
mosque, using the celebrations of the birthday of the Prophet to gain further
popular support. Vahdeti harangued the crowd with appeals for struggle against
secularism, stating that the Muslims had the same right as non-Muslims to organize
to defend their ideals and rights. 17 Chapters were organized in other cities, and
these in turn began to send popular petitions to the government demanding that the
§eriat be restored. The society soon had members in the First Army of Istanbul,
key to gaining control of the city. It cooperated with the Liberal Union group and
campaigned against the government. A groundswell of mass support soon pushed
the conservatives to open action. 18 During the night of April 12/13, the soldiers of
the First Army joined the students of religion before the Sultan Ahmet mosque,
marched to the nearby Parliament building, and surrounded it. The grand vezir had
been aware of the rising tension but had not expected such a sudden explosion; thus
when he heard of the affair, he sent only his chief of police to see what was
happening. The demonstrators presented him with a series of demands: the government
would have to resign and send many deputies into exile; the rules of the
§eriat would be obeyed in full; all military officers removed by the government
would be recalled, and the CUP influence in the army brought to an end. Ahmet
Riza would be removed as president of the Chamber of Deputies and a "true Muslim"
appointed in his place. Word of the demands was sent to the deputies gathered
in the building, but since they had no authority to comply, the tension mounted. The
mob began flooding into the Parliament buildings, and as the deputies fled in terror
two were killed, apparently under the mistaken impression that they were Ahmet
Riza and Hiiseyin Cahit Bey, editor of the pro-CUP paper Tanin. The government
faced a crisis. The minister of war refused to order the army to disperse the rebels.
Grand Vezir Hiiseyin Hilmi was powerless; he rushed to the Yildiz Palace and
presented his entire cabinet's resignation to the sultan. Abdulhamit not only accepted
the resignations but also sent his first secretary to Aya Sofya with an order