From empire to nation-state: Filibeli Ali Fehmi (1871-1922) and Muvazene Newspaper

This thesis provides the biography of Filibeli Ali Fehmi, a Young Turk from Bulgaria, and examines the first-year issues of his Muvazene newspaper. When suspicions arose about Ali Fehmi's connections to the Young Turks, the Ottoman government terminated his official duties, forcing him to return to his hometown of Filibe, where he began publishing Muvazene in 1897. After the Russo-Ottoman War (1877-1878), Muslims in Bulgaria, who were former subjects of the Ottoman Empire, had become citizens of the newly emerged Principality of Bulgaria. The Balkan Muslims sought to redefine the future of their community, and the Muslim intellectuals in particular believed that they could achieve a rejuvenation through culture and politics. Ali Fehmi was an active participant who contributed to achieving these goals. This thesis demonstrates how Ali Fehmi's Muvazene newspaper engaged with its readers by addressing common problems and publicizing issues of corruption. This study also shows the pivotal role played by Ali Fehmi and his Muvazene newspaper in the establishment of the Young Turk ideology in Bulgaria. Without attributing a single identity to Ali Fehmi, this thesis examines how Ali Fehmi was perceived differently by the Young Turks, the Bulgarian government, and the Ottoman government, thereby acquiring a plural and indefinite identity in this context. Ali Fehmi, taking advantage of the relative freedom in Bulgaria, published his newspaper, which led to his surveillance by the Ottoman government via spies and its commissioner in Bulgaria. As a result of the escalating tension between Ali Fehmi and the Ottoman government, he was deported by the Bulgarian government in 1905. Afterward, he resided in Paris, Geneva, Egypt, and Afghanistan. The work also emphasizes that Ali Fehmi dedicated himself to the advancement and progress of Muslims and Turks, first locally and then globally. Most of the primary sources used in this work are the Ottoman Archives and the first-year issues of Muvazene. This thesis aims to contribute to the existing literature on the Muslims in Bulgaria in general and the Young Turks in particular.