The Late 19th Century Liberal Islamist Young Turk Movement in Egypt

During the reign of Abdülhamid II in the Ottoman Empire, pro-freedom opponents organised outside the country. They fought for the reopening of the parliament, which was dissolved by Abdülhamid II, with various organisations they established, especially the Ottoman Committee of Union and Progress. These groups, who tried to attract attention with their press and publishing activities, were generally called Young Turks. The Young Turks, who did not have a complete unity of thought among themselves, united around the idea of freedom. As a result of Abdülhamid II’s censorship of the press and his pressure on the supporters of the constitutionalism, Young Turks gathered in centres outside the country. One of the places where Young Turks organised outside the country was Egypt. During this period, Egypt was under indirect British rule. The British government was supporting liberal and nationalist movements both in Egypt and in other Arab countries. Some of the Young Turks in Egypt opposed Abdülhamid II with liberal-Islamist ideas. In this context, Young Turks in Egypt expressed their demands for constitutionalism with religious references. They pioneered the development of liberal-Islamist thought in the Ottoman Empire. The liberal-Islamist Young Turks contributed to the history of Turkish politics and democracy with their ideas.