Hamidiye döneminde (1876-1909) Pan-Islamizmin Seylan'a girişi ve gelişimi

One of the main ideologies that gained momentum in the late nineteenth century was Pan-Islamism which advocated for the unity of the Muslim ummah under a single political entity. Ruling the Ottoman Empire from 1876 to 1909, Sultan Abdülhamid II, who was also the Caliph in this period, employed pan-Islamism to garner the support of global Muslims in the face of European encroachment and colonialism. Analysing this period, this thesis addresses the question of how Pan-Islamism reached and influenced the Muslim community in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) during the Hamidian Era (1876-1909). Employing the method of archival research conducted both in Türkiye and Sri Lanka, this study begins with an insight into the history, ambit and key proponents of Hamidian Pan-Islamism, and then, goes on to answer two sub-questions. The first sub-question intends to find out the main channels and actors through which Pan-Islamist ideas were introduced to Ceylon. To answer this sub-question, the thesis examines the role and influence of the Ottoman Honorary Consuls in Ceylon, the Egyptian political exile Urābī Pasha and the role of the rising Muslim press in the dissemination of Pan-Islamism among the Muslims of Ceylon. Also analysed is how Pan-Islamism was viewed as intrinsically linked to Islamic modernism and 'Arabisation' in Ceylon. To answer the second sub-question of how different segments of the Ceylonese Muslim community responded to Pan-Islamism and what factors influenced these responses, the study examines how literacy, technology, colonialism, cultural heterogeneity, socio-religious dynamics, political exigencies and self-interest influenced the perception and receipt of Pan-Islamism by the Ceylonese Muslims. One of the main findings of this study is that pan-Islamism helped the Tamil-speaking urban Moors improve their social standing, expand their businesses, realise their political aspirations, strengthen their claims to Middle Eastern ancestry and establish themselves as a distinct ethnic group different from the Tamil community.