After entering World War I, the Ottoman Empire, which proclaimed Jihad al-
Akbar, wanted to incite the Muslims of Caucasus, Turkestan, Iran, Afghanistan
and India against the Russians and the British. Iran’s geography which was de
facto controlled by the British and Russians since 1907, seen as the bridgehead
of this great plan. Therefore, in the framework of a comprehensive program that
includes activities of espionage and gangs, efforts were made for this country to
join the war as an ally of the Ottomans. The press had an important role in the
propaganda section of these efforts. The newspapers in line with the government’s
directives were trying to provoke and convince the Iranian government to enter
the war against the Russians and the British. They were mentioning that the
Turkish troops who entered the northern Iran were not occupiers, but saviors
against the Russians. They were encouraging the Shiites who were the majority
of Iran’s population which were also including three millions of Turks, to rebel
alongside the Sunni Kurds by means of publishing fatwas given by Jafari ulama
to support Jihad al-Akbar. These publications, which are the main source for
historical studies of the period, unfortunately have not seen the interest they
deserved until now, and generally kept in the background in comparison with
archival documents and other sources. This study, which has tried to analyze the
jihad policies of the Ottoman Empire towards Iran through the Ottoman press in
the light of other sources of the period, aims to fill the gap to some extent.
Primary Language | Turkish |
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Journal Section | ARTICLES |
Authors | |
Publication Date | June 27, 2018 |
Published in Issue | Year 2018 Volume: 28 Issue: 1 |