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“A symbol for union or a source of conflict?”:
An attempt at rethinking the abolition of the caliphate
In what ways, if any, did the end of the caliphate cause problems in the realm of
Islam, and/or to what extent could it be considered a reason for having created
a crisis in the entire Islamic world? This article aims to rethink about these fundamental
questions related to the decision taken by the Turkish Grand National
Assembly in the early twentieth century regarding the fate of one of the most
significant and central institutions of ‘historical’ Islam. A common opinion in
many circles of the Islamic world is that the abolition of the caliphate terminated
all possibilities and chances for the unity of Muslims. In addition, this happened
at a time when the subjugation of Islam as a culture and civilisation faced
with Westen technical, military and political superiority. The modernist/secular
circles, on the other hand, counteracted this argument by underscoring
that the institution had never played a crucial binding role in the affairs of Muslims.
Consequently, the Turkish attempt was right and defensible insofar as the
caliphate was seen as an obstacle to the progress of Muslims in the modern
world. These two viewpoints seemed to have had a great impact on the essence
of the writings on this event, creating an unhealthy polarisation as a result of
which prejudices and value judgments have overshadowed the analytical approaches
to the issue.
Debates on caliphate’s place and limits in an Islamic setting, i.e., whether it is
restricted to temporal or spiritual affairs of the Muslim community, or covers
both, have not reached a satisfactory conclusion. The basic reason for this
seems to lie on the different practices adopted by the rulers of the Islamic world
under the title of the caliphate throughout the history of Islam. In general,
political power seems to have played the main role in controlling and possessing
the institution. Its nature and position depended upon the practical conditions
and circumstances of particular times and places. In this process, different
practises in the name of caliphate occurred, such as tribally-based political
leadership, holiness-attributed monarchy, powerless but symbolic functionary
giving legitimacy to rulers, and a sort of papacy. These diverse experiences of
the caliphate impeded the development of some principles and norms for the
operation of the institution throughout history. The absence of such a theoreti-