Chapter 37 The Islamic World and India, 16001917

1
Chapter 37The Islamic World and India, 1600-1917
2
European Gains in Muslim Lands
3
Strengths and Weaknesses of Ottoman Civilization

• Strengths
• Artistic work in literature, architecture etc.
• Commitment to justice for all
• Tolerance for non-believers
• Literary language
• Weaknesses
• Government depended on 1 or 2 individuals
• Government essentially military, needed conquests
  to justify itself
• Could not adapt Islamic law to changing needs
• Uninterested in secular education, technology
• Excessive reverence for tradition

4
Decline of the Ottoman Empire

• Became prey for West
• Russians drove back frontiers
• Balkan peoples rebelled
• Sultanate declined in power as bureaucracy grew
• Occasional reforms, but not enough
• Other contributing factors
• Economic shift of trade routes
• Military loyalties eroding
• Technological refused to give up old ways

5
Safavid and Mughal Decline

• Safavids disappeared by 1700
• Unable to develop into centralized empire
• Attacked by Afghan invaders
• India remained under tribal rule
• Aurangzeb of India
• Reintroduced Islamic character to public life
  heightened friction with other religions
• Set stage for eventual Hindu rebellion

6
European Presence in India

• Portuguese, Dutch, English, French
• Mughals comfortable with British
• French arrival put some strains on relationship
• European wars involved India Seven Years War
  put most of India in British hands
• Attempts to defy British power were crushed

7
Muslim Countries until World War I

• Three Muslim empires overwhelmed by Western
  military, financial powers
• India outright colony
• Persia divided between Russia, Britain
• Ottomans defeated by Russia
• Egypt occupied by British
• Indicators of intellectual and psychological
  decline
• Could no longer sustain image of righteous
  community of believers
• Recognized need for including Western elements in
  Islam
• Only adopted them sporadically
• Enormous prejudice, tradition opposed
  Westernization

8
Different Responses to the Challenge

• Ignore or reject changes
• Accommodate change
• Islamic fundamentalism
• Pan-Arabism, Arab nationalism

9
Tanzimat

• Sultans realized they had to modernize military
• Tanzimat Reforms
• Sultan Selim III tightened control over provinces
• Created new schools to train officers
• Next sultan ended Janissary opposition, renovated
  education
• Rose Chamber Rescript of 1839 revolutionized
  society by declaring equality of all Ottoman
  subjects
• Young Ottomans
• Young intellectuals, journalists
• Pressured for liberalization of society
• Got constitution, elections before being defeated

10
Egypt, Sudan under Muhammad Ali

• Reign of Muhammad Ali Pasha was unusual for
  longevity and for modernizing the military
• Military reforms
• Convinced of European superiority used French
  advisers, models
• Conscripted peasants, outfitted them with latest
  weapons
• Established munitions industries
• Other reforms
• Modern schools, public health systems
• Encouraged private land ownership, sugar and
  cotton as cash crops
• State monopolies of vital industries

11
Foreigners and Reactions

• Foreigners
• Foreign investments railroads, Suez Canal
• Incurred huge debts had to sell shares in Suez
  Canal Company to British
• Britain occupied Egypt in 1882
• The Mahdi Rebellion
• Successful revolt against Egyptians, British in
  Sudan
• Elements of national resistance and
  fundamentalist Islam
• Lasted until British defeated rebels in 1898

12
Reforms under the Iranian Shahs

• Did not begin reforms until mid-century
• Intensified military, commercial ties with West
• Cheap European goods put local industries out of
  business
• Resistance to foreign interference
• Western control over mineral, oil rights
• Demands for constitutional government began to
  circulate
• National Assembly called, but was weak

13
Wahhabi Fundamentalism and Jihad

• Wahhabism militant reform begun in late 1700s
• Fought jihad to purge Islam, believed it was only
  way for Islam to survive enemy attacks
• Declared holy war on all neighboring tribes
• Destroyed tombs, even markers on Muhammads grave
• Inspired similar violent reactions to change
• Wahhabism today
• Thorough rejection of everything Western
• Only role of government is to create reign of
  Allah and his faithful
• Any obstacle to that must be destroyed no
  compromise

14
Salafiyya and Nationalism

• Salafiyya Movement
• Wanted to reform Islam to allow modern ideas,
  ways of life
• Urged Muslims to reform themselves to meet
  Western challenge
• Modernization on Islamic principles
• Return to days of intellectual experimentation
• Were sure Allah did not intend Muslims to be
  inferior
• Most ulama ignored these ideas
• Arab nationalism
• Pan-Arabism outgrowth of national consciousness
• Note Arab refers to ethnic group, not
  religious one
• Christian Arabs especially important in movement

15
Discussion Questions

• What connections do you see between events in the
  Muslim world in the 18th and 19th centuries and
  the current situation in the Middle East? To
  what extent do you see Wahhabism as an
  explanation of todays Muslim reactions to the
  West? To Islamic fundamentalism and the Muslim
  terrorists? Does the knowledge in this chapter
  help you to understand their attitudes today?
  Why/how?
• One of the themes in world history is the rise,
  maturity, decline, and fall of one powerful state
  or empire after another. The Ottoman Empire was
  yet another instance of this life cycle. Can you
  think of any nations today which seem to be
  following the same evolution? Can you compare
  any signs of decay and decline today to what
  happened to the Ottomans?