By Prof. Dr. Zekeriya Kurşun
You probably immediately think of those who banned the Palestinian keffiyeh in Mecca and did not allow any anti-Israel talk when you read this title. After all, there is plenty of news about this in the media. Many adventures befell those who went saying “that’s different, this is different” despite us saying “it’s not the time to go”. They give the message from customs onwards. Palestine-Gaza taboos, they have panic attacks if you remind them and immediately deport the “esteemed guests who came to the House of God” (but politely, of course). Anyway, our people are smart. They immediately take refuge in the Kaaba. Here, instead of worshiping to express their servitude or making a malediction to show their hatred; instead of practicing the known manners, they post stories and support Gaza (!). They also complain about the guards and cry.
I mean, they placed us in the 20th place of the four hundred and something banned books, are we crying?
As you can see, that is not the subject here…
Don’t expect those Unionists who are obsessed with “they were already Jewish converts, anything could be expected from them, they even placed a Jewish commissioner in Mecca” to say that. Leave them to struggle in their own hell. Because the incident happened before them.
If you have patience, let me tell you this unfinished story. But first, an old-fashioned introduction:
The archive is a sea. Especially the Ottoman Archive is truly the Sea of Oman. It is also fruitful. It is fruitful if you know how to navigate it, or rather how to swim in it. It pulls a person into a time tunnel and takes them on a tour of the history of the world. However, it is also surprising. You often don’t know what will come when you cast your line. Even if the old fishermen, fishing line-lead sellers – you understand catalogs – guide you, you should always be ready for a land of astonishment. While you are waiting for mullet, suddenly a mini horse mackerel flutters at the end of the line. Of course, as a fair hunter, you return it to the giver. This time a shoe comes to the line.
What luck! Should I cast the line again, or should I stay here? On one side is the dream of mullet, on the other side is a shoe that you don’t know how long it has been waiting for you in the sea. What comes to your lot cannot be rejected. Anyone with a brain at least makes a living from this like the Yenikapı southwesterlies. You keep dreaming, talk about environmental pollution or talk about how expensive the shoe could be. Let’s not prolong it and get to the point. Let’s explain our point with a concrete example from a document in the Archive.
One day, while searching for Mecca publications on the Internal Correspondence coast of the Sea of Archive, a shirt came to my line, withered from being at the bottom for a long time, but clearly untouched. I said it was my lot, took it and started to look inside, rummaging through its pockets (understand its folds).
What would you see, you would be surprised?
“There was a Jewish policeman in the Mecca Police station, which non-Muslims were not allowed to enter and was forbidden during the Ottoman centuries.”
Are you going to believe what you know, or the document you see? After all, Mecca and Medina, that is, the Two Holy Mosques, were forbidden to non-Muslims – even if we don’t know when it started. Throughout history, some clever people have emerged who have gone by pretending to convert or by going around the back with the excuse of going to Taif. There have even been those who have written memoirs among them. But these are road accidents and exceptions. In Hejaz, non-Muslims come as far as Jeddah. They even have consulates here that follow their affairs. But beyond that, they can only go to Taif, where the air is beautiful and there are some historical ruins, with special permission to get some fresh air.
It is not easy to get such permission. It was written as far as Istanbul and the necessary permission was given only with the warning “do not approach the Two Holy Mosques”. These permissions were also quite rare. Of course, later some traitors inside would break this ban. Moreover, those who followed in their footsteps and those who control the region today would say that “this provision is not religious, therefore Mecca and Medina can be opened to non-Muslim tourism.”
Anyway, even though the last sentence is outside our topic, let’s look at the story in our document.
How did a Jew become a policeman, and moreover, how did he get himself assigned to the Mecca police station? Actually, the Ottoman centuries were the happiest time for the Jews. Since they were expelled from Spain – or perhaps even from Jerusalem – the most comfortable period they lived in was the Ottoman period. In the Ottoman Empire, they could be almost anything except the Sultan. They could remain Jewish and become a respected chief physician, or they could convert and become a grand vizier. But in general, their character, as everywhere else, led them to work in finance and trade; to do “çıfıtlık” as Evliya said. If he could not be a money changer, he became a dyer, if he could not be this, he became a hunter and found his way, but they did not become civil servants. Especially risky jobs such as military service and police work were not for them at all.
Are you confused?
Let’s say we have entered the Sea of Archive, we have to use all our skills to survive.
Look, something else came to my mind. You know, after the Reform Edict, the Great European States forced the Ottoman Empire to appoint civil servants from non-Muslim subjects. However, what they meant was more Christian subjects. They especially demanded that they be appointed as gendarmerie. So you understand, the intention was completely different. Throughout the second half of the 19th century, the state and especially Sultan Abdul Hamid II were very busy with this issue. He changed grand viziers upon grand viziers in order not to implement it. Although he was partially successful, many civil servants from various groups of Christian subjects, especially Armenians, took their place in state affairs, but the Jews did not go near this job.
But there was an anonymous letter and a serious allegation.
On December 19, 1894, the Governor of Beirut, in his petition written on the letterhead of the Vilayet and sent to the Ministry of Interior; He was telling the event in his own language and interpretation. (BOA, DH.MKT 365/23). The Governor, after the usual “my esteemed sir”, began the story as follows: A letter sent by someone who is thought to be of Arab descent and a non-Turkish foreigner in terms of form and expression to Kabanîzâde, the owner of the *Semeretülfunûn* newspaper in Beirut, has been submitted to “your esteemed gaze”. Although the Governor stated that he sent the letter as an attachment, unfortunately the letter is not included in the shirt that came to our line. Apparently, the Minister of Interior took the matter seriously and referred the letter elsewhere. How could he not take it seriously? There was a possibility that the subject would reach the ears of the Sultan, who knew everything that happened in Hejaz, and he would definitely be held accountable. There was also the possibility of being dismissed at the end of the job.
The Governor, as if appealing to the curiosity of today’s stamp-envelope collectors; He also explained the shape characteristics of the letter and made inferences. He said that it was understood that “it was mailed from Mecca from the stamp on it”. So, “mailing” was used at that time as well. Let’s say there is bread for you linguists too and let’s continue…. The Governor also asked the newspaper owner Abdülkadir Efendi Kabanizade whether he had a reporter in Mecca, and learned from his answer that he had neither a reporter nor an acquaintance. Based on this situation, the Governor reminded that the same person might send letters to Egypt and other places and requested the ministry to take measures.
So, apparently we are faced with an unsigned anonymous letter. A dark hand has moved and wants to stir things up. This correspondence seems like a horse mackerel that is not worth trying, which is almost unspeakable. There is a ghost letter in the middle, it is circulating between departments, but we do not even know what is written in it. Should we leave the story here or should we dig a little more? Apparently, the subject was discussed for days in the corridors and offices of the Ministry of Interior in Istanbul, and they hesitated between presenting the matter to the Sultan or not. Finally, feeling the need to examine the subject a little more, a letter, the draft of which was written in the Mektubî Bureau of the Ministry of Interior on February 18, 1895, was sent to the Hejaz Governorship. Thank God, the content of the letter was also written and even if it was a little bit, our curiosity was satisfied. Meanwhile, the secret of why the original of the letter was not in our shirt pocket has also been revealed. Because while the Governor was asked to investigate the matter, the letter was also sent as an attachment. Who knows, was he expected to conduct a criminal examination of the original letter with his own means? Would the post office be questioned, would the writings on the envelope be compared? In short, the letter was sent back to where it came from, as if to ward off the trouble.
In the letter that reached Beirut to the Governor of Hejaz, it was written that a Jewish policeman was working in the Hejaz police station and that the same policeman had somehow married a Muslim woman and that this woman had reported her husband; While it was requested that this matter, which is “very noteworthy and important”, be investigated urgently; the truth of the story was also told to us. But still, our questions were not answered sufficiently.
Come on, let’s examine it a little bit. Let’s say that this gentleman became a civil servant by taking advantage of the chaos of employing non-Muslims, even though Abdülhamid II did not want it at that time. So where did he work before and how was he appointed to Mecca? Let’s assume that he disguised himself as a Muslim, went to Mecca and started working there. How did he marry a Muslim woman? Well, if those who performed the marriage did not understand, it is obvious that the wife would not understand the circumcised gentleman. The gentleman, who agreed to the prompt and deferred dower, formalized his marriage; obviously, while going to the mosque on Friday, he continued to betray his religion on Saturday and live like Muslims. So when and how did the woman realize that her husband was Jewish?
Of course, there is no Law No. 6284 yet, but it is understood that the entire government was mobilized based on the woman’s statement. So why did the news come from Beirut, not from Hejaz? According to the letter, the woman applied to the government in Hejaz. But it is not known what action was taken. Was it intended to be covered up by taking it into consideration, divorcing her husband and dismissing her husband from office? This is also not understood. So how could a woman discover that a man who claims to be Muslim formally and openly is Jewish? We said there is circumcision, there is Friday, there is no Saturday, etc. Since we cannot find an answer, we can speculate. For example, did the woman actually find the man stingy and attribute it to his Jewishness? Maybe, she chose this claim as a way to get rid of her stingy and miserly husband and raised the government to its feet in accordance with the meaning of “woman’s trick”. Or did a Jew really want to stir things up and use this woman?
Considering that the Beirut Province, the Hejaz Province and the Ministry of Interior were involved, you can say that “the woman’s statement was essential” at that time as well. However, many of our questions remain pending and, of course, our story remains incomplete. What can we do, that’s all that came to our line, you think a little too.
See you in another incomplete story.
Source: https://www.zekeriya-kursun.com/mekkede-yahudi-polisin-hikayesi/
