On a Fıtrat's Turkestan Reform Project Inspired by the Second Constitutional Era

Abstract

Fıtrat, the most important thinker of the Jadid movement of Turkestan, was among the first group of students sent to Turkey to acquire a modern education. During his stay in Istanbul Fıtrat was immersed in nationalist and reformist ideas. It was also in Istanbul that Fıtrat wrote some of his most influential books, such as Munazara (Debate); Bayanat-ı Sayyah-ı Hindi (Tales of an Indian Traveler) and Rahbar-i Najat (The Guide to Salvation). In these works Fıtrat probed the causes of spiritual and material decay in his society. He found the causes of stagnation in the way Islam, once dynamic and unified, had become backward and divisive through excessive institutionalization under the clergy. He saw the way forward in adapting aspects of modern culture to the base of Islamic society and above all in educating the masses. He also devoted a significant part of his studies to the problem of reforming the schools. This article looks into Fıtrat’s reform project for Turkestan, focusing on his efforts of reconciling the civilization of Islam with a variety of European concepts and values.

Özet

Türkistan cedidi hareketinin önemli temsilcilerinden olan Buharalı Fıtrat, Türkiye’ye modern eğitim almak için gönderilen öğrenciler arasındadır. O, İstanbul’da II. Meşrutiyet ortamında milliyetçi ve yenilikçi fikirlerle karşılaştı. Bu arada önemli eserleri olan Münazara, Hind Seyyahının Kıssası ve Rehber-i Necat’ı yazdı. Bunlarda toplumunun gerileme sebeplerini tartıştı ve kurtuluş teklifini yaptı. Bu makalede söz konusu teklifin tahlili yapılmış; Fıtrat’ın İslam medeniyeti ile, eğitim başta olmak üzere bazı Avrupaî kurum, kavram ve değerleri telif etme çabaları incelenmiştir.