The impact of the abolition of Ottoman caliphate on muslims in Malaya : an assessment

Abstract

The fall of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924 became a major turning point in history and it brought about significant changes in the Muslim world. Indeed, its collapse was felt by Muslims across the globe including those in Malaya. This study examines the impact of the fall of the Ottoman Caliphate on Muslims in Malaya in the early 20th century. It focuses on the attitudes of the Malay-Muslims towards the abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate. In doing so, it adopts the content analysis method by investigating the archival materials primarily diplomatic and official memoirs and diaries, British official records, contemporary newspapers, magazines and periodicals. These primary sources are obtained from the National Archives in Kuala Lumpur and its branches, the Library of University Malaya, the Za’ba Memorial Library, the National Archives of United Kingdom and the British Library. It demonstrates that while some Muslims (mainly the Arabs and Indian Muslims) expressed their support for the Caliphate, most of them particularly the Malay-Muslims, showed little interest towards the Caliphate issue. This was primarily due to the complex relationship between the Malay Court and Malay-Muslims on one hand, and the Malay Court and the British on the other. This study also shows that the abolition of the Caliphate did not bring an end to the Muslims’ interest on Turkey but it continued during Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s era.