Antipodean Bahá’í Studies

In 2004 Necati Alkan completed his PH.D. thesis at the Ruhr Universität Bochum“The Babi and Baha’i Religions in the Ottoman Empire and Turkey, 1844-1928″ . This new publication from the academic publisher Isis Press  represents the revised print version of this thesis. The thesis is notable for its original use of Ottoman Archive materials.  Contents: Illustrations Acknowledgements A Note on the Transliteration Foreword Introduction 1. Reforms in the Late Ottoman Empire Westernising Reforms and the Role of the ulema at the Turn of the 19th Century Sultan Abdülmecid The Tanzimat Period 2. Early Babis in the Ottoman Empire The Rule of Necib Pasha in Iraq and the Relationship with Iran The Rise of the Babi Movement Combined Sunni-Shi‘i Opposition: the Trial of Mulla ‘Ali Bastami The Bab’s Epistle to Sultan Abdülmecid Sultan Abdülmecid and Tahira . 3. The Babis, Iran and the Ottoman Reform Elite The Exile of Baha’u’llah in Baghdad and Iran’s Intervention Forced Residence of Baha’u’llah in Istanbul Baha’u’llah in Edirne: the Deterioration of Babi-Ottoman Relations Final Exile in ‘Akka: Baha’u’llah’s Letters to Âli Pasha and Fuad Pasha .4. The Baha’is and the ‘Fathers’ of Ottoman Constitutionalism Young Ottomans and the Baha’is Midhat Pasha and ‘Abdu’l-Baha 5. Iranian Reformers, Young Turks and the ‘Babis’ in 19th Century Istanbul Sayyid Jamalu’d-Din ‘al-Afghani’ Al-Afghani, the Babis and the Baha’is The ‘Babi Leader’ al-Afghani and the Young Turks Mirza Malkum Khan, the Babis and the Baha’is The Reformist Baha’i Qajar Prince Shaykhu’r-Ra’is . . 6. ‘Abdu’l-Baha and the Ottomans, 1890s – 1910s Ottoman Intellectuals on ‘Abdu’l-Baha ‘Abdu’l-Baha, Abdülhamid II and the Young Turks ‘Abdu’l-Baha and the Young Turks after 1908 7. From Empire to Republic: State and Religion in the Era of Kemalist reform The Young Turks and Kemalist Westernism: the Role of Abdullah Cevdet Abdullah Cevdet, Islam and the Baha’i Religion Atatürk’s Secularist Reforms and the Baha’i Response Baha’is under the Scrutiny of the Kemalist State Atatürk and the Baha’i Religion Conclusions Appendices Illustration Bibliography Index. A number of scholarly articles deriving from the original research have been published in journals but it is satisfying to see this work finally published.