Muslim Unity: The Inception of a New ‘Salafism’?

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Muslim Unity: The Inception of aN ew 'Salafism'?Fitrat'sposition on Muslim unity,asfar as it comes clear from his writingsmentioned above, is close to aS alafist one in that he seeks and accepts guidance onlyf rom the Qur'an and Hadith.¹⁹³However,u nlike actual Salafists, he does not advocate returning to the earlyd ayso fI slam.He postulates that true Islam is areligion which does not oppose progress or the studyofsecular, "Western" sciences.I nh is opinion, the true path lies in following the Qur'an and Hadith.Reflecting on Muslim solidarity Fitratc oncludes that ignorance is the Muslims' main enemy.Ignorance, as it were, was the reason whyM uslims lived under the yoke of infidels.Because of ignorance, Islam was going to perish and its "cherished sons" (farzandan-i 'aziz)w eref orced to become "servants of the enemies of Islam" (khizmatkar-i dushmanan-iI slam).¹⁹⁴Muslims observe and hear the truth and listen to edifying words but duet ot heir ignorance they do not reflect upon these and "adhere to ad istorted and falsified Islam".This leads to the lamentable condition of the entire Muslim world.¹⁹⁵Fitrat claims that unless the whole Muslim world unites in an "intellectual thrust" the future generation willinherit nothing but "impotence, ignobleness, and servitude".¹⁹⁶He relatest hese conclusions to the situation in Bukharaw here the Sunni-Shi'ib loodshed in early1 910 had brought ar ift into society.H ea ppeals to "common sense which would wake from af atal slumber of ignorance".¹⁹⁷There wass ome differencei nF itrat'su nderstanding of pan-Islamism with that of 'Abdurrashid Ibrahim.The latter considered pan-Turanism or pan-Turkism as the basis of pan-Islamism and claimedt hat pan-Turanism and pan-Islam weree ssentiallyo ne.Pan-Turanism was the temporary nucleuso ut of which pan-Islamismwould germinate.'Abdurrashid Ibrahim considered the Ottoman sultan the leader of au nited Muslim world.Somes implified form of the Turkish languageo fI stanbul as ac ommon tonguef or all Turkic peoples was to form the basis of this unification.¹⁹⁸