Ali Suavi
Encyclopedia
Ali Suavi worked as a teacher at Bursa elementary school and preached at Sehzade Mosque
in Istanbul
; writer at Philip Efendi’s newspaper Muhbir; worked in different positions at offices in Simav
, Plovdiv
and Sofia
. He was member of Young Ottomans
and editor of its official journal. He was exiled to Kastamonu
because his writings against Abd-ul-Aziz.
The first modern Turk to die in the pursuit of democratic ideals. Originally trained in religious sciences Suavi was an Islamic radical who was placed in charge of the first Young Ottoman publication to appear in Europe, Muhbir. Which eventually became an embarrassment to the Young Ottomans, after Kemal and Ziya requested that Suavi remove the Young Ottoman association with the publication, Suabi drifted around with his bitterness against the Young Ottomans growing, eventually leading him to begin publishing a periodical that lambasted Young Ottomans and Ottoman Statesmen together as enemies of the people.
After Abdulhamid became sultan, Ali attempted a coup in 1878, in an attempt to end the increasing authoritarianism and reinstall Murad the fifth, who had been sympathetic to liberal ideals. The coup failed and Ali Suavi was killed in the attempt.
Interestingly his writings showed great respect to the institution of the Sultan and he called for reform to be pushed though from above by a hero of the Ottomans who had fought to save its land. Unfortunately for Ali this hero figure wasn’t to appear until after his death, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Who again unfortunately didn’t share Ali’s view of Islam and secularism.
Sehzade Mosque
The Şehzade Mosque is an Ottoman imperial mosque located in the district of Fatih, on the third hill of Istanbul, Turkey. It is sometimes referred to as the “Prince's Mosque” in English.-History:...
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
; writer at Philip Efendi’s newspaper Muhbir; worked in different positions at offices in Simav
Simav
Simav is a town and a district of Kütahya Province in the Aegean region of Turkey. The town is located on the Simav River.-External links:* * * *...
, Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
and Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
. He was member of Young Ottomans
Young Ottomans
The Young Ottomans were a secret organization of Ottoman nationalist intellectuals formed in 1865, influenced by such Western thinkers as Montesquieu and Rousseau and the French Revolution. They developed the concept of Ottomanism, aligned with these thinkers...
and editor of its official journal. He was exiled to Kastamonu
Kastamonu
Kastamonu is the capital district of the Kastamonu Province, Turkey. According to the 2000 census, population of the district is 102,059 of which 64,606 live in the urban center of Kastamonu. The district covers an area of , and the town lies at an elevation of...
because his writings against Abd-ul-Aziz.
The first modern Turk to die in the pursuit of democratic ideals. Originally trained in religious sciences Suavi was an Islamic radical who was placed in charge of the first Young Ottoman publication to appear in Europe, Muhbir. Which eventually became an embarrassment to the Young Ottomans, after Kemal and Ziya requested that Suavi remove the Young Ottoman association with the publication, Suabi drifted around with his bitterness against the Young Ottomans growing, eventually leading him to begin publishing a periodical that lambasted Young Ottomans and Ottoman Statesmen together as enemies of the people.
After Abdulhamid became sultan, Ali attempted a coup in 1878, in an attempt to end the increasing authoritarianism and reinstall Murad the fifth, who had been sympathetic to liberal ideals. The coup failed and Ali Suavi was killed in the attempt.
Interestingly his writings showed great respect to the institution of the Sultan and he called for reform to be pushed though from above by a hero of the Ottomans who had fought to save its land. Unfortunately for Ali this hero figure wasn’t to appear until after his death, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Who again unfortunately didn’t share Ali’s view of Islam and secularism.
Publications
- A Propos de L'Herzegovine (Regarding Herzegovina, Paris, 1876),
- Ali Paşa'nın Siyaseti (The Politics of Ali Paşa, 1908),
- Defter-i Âmâl-i Ali Paşa (Defter-i Amal-i* of Ali Paşa, Paris, ?),
- Devlet Yüz On Altı Buçuk Milyon Borçtan Kurtuluyor (The Government Gets Out of a One Hundred and *Sixteen and a Half Million Debt, Paris, 1875).
- Hive (Hive, Paris 1873, İstanbul 1910),
- Hukuku'ş-Şevari (Ways of the Law, translation from Gazali, 1808),
- Montenegro (Montenegro, Paris, 1876),
- Nesayih-i Ebu Hanife Kamusu'l Ulûm ve'l Maârif (Nesayih-i Ebu Hanife, Dictionary of Science and *Education, an unfinished essay of encyclopedia, 1870),
- Saydu'l Mefkûd (The Lost Prey, 2 volumes),
- Taharriyat-ı Suavi alâ Tarih-i Türk (The Research of Suavi on Turkish History),
- Usul-i Fıkıh Nam Risalenin Tercümesi (Translation of the Pamphlet named Methodology of the Canon Law, London, 1868),