Title of the research: The Opinion of Suleiman Al-Baruni Toward the Ottoman Empire from the Reign of Abdulhamid II to the fall of the Islamic Caliphate

Abstract

This research aims to highlight the features of Ibadist political thought and its characteristics through the political figure of Suleiman Al-Baruni (1873-1940), who hailed from Greater Morocco (Libya). He lived during the modern and contemporary period and is considered a representative of political diversity with a unique perspective on political diversity. He engaged in politics and held political positions in the Ottoman Empire. Al-Baruni was appointed as a governor and commander of Tripoli (present-day Libya), which was an Ottoman province, and led the Libyan war against Italy in 1911.

He had an opinion toward the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Abdulhamid II, who adopted Pan Islamism as the slogan of his state. Al-Baruni shared this view, considering the Pan Islamism as a call for the cohesion of Muslims regardless of their race, sect, or geographical affiliation. This unity aimed to prevent sectarian conflict and called for cooperation to resist the Western civilization threat. Al-Baruni promoted this concept in the forums and gatherings he attended.

The research also discusses his position toward the Ottoman Liberals belonging to the "Union and Progress" society, who limited the powers of the Ottoman Caliph through the constitution they issued in 1908. Al-Baruni welcomed the constitution, which granted equality among all ethnicities, minorities, and sects in the Ottoman Empire, allowing him to return to his homeland.

Furthermore, we studied his stance on the rule of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Al-Baruni was among the opponents of the Turkification policy adopted by the founder of the Turkish Nationalist state, condemning it in the Arab newspapers as a secular policy that separated religion from governance by abolishing the Caliphate.

The selection of this figure is linked to an ethical political issue, which is the necessity for a political thinker to embody both thinking and practice. Al-Baruni was a pure example of a committed intellectual.