Daily Sabah, Turkey
Dec 27 2014
Said Halim Pasha: Aristocrat and philosopher
HAKAN ARSLANBENZER
Said Halim Pasha (1864-1921), an aristocratic statesman, received both
Islamic and Western education and was a brilliant analyst of
contemporary social problems
Islamism is a reactionary and populist ideology in general. The
majority of Islamists come from the lower classes of society, and they
tend to hold points of view that favor a return to a certain previous
state. This previous state is often the Asr al-Saadah (Age of
Felicity), taking as example the life and teachings of Prophet
Muhammad. And the reaction is against Westernization, modernization,
secularism and nationalism.
Rare Islamist thinkers have tried to make critical analyses of the
social behaviors of their fellow Muslims concerning their reactions to
problems. Sociological criticism has not been common among Islamists.
Said Halim Pasha was a rare critic of the mentality of the Muslims of
his age. He was a statesman of aristocratic origins, a very well
educated man both in the Islamic and Western meanings of the word
“education” and a brilliant analyst of the contemporary problems of
Ottoman Muslims with regard to the material superiority of European
states.
Life of an Ottoman aristocrat
Said Halim Pasha was born “Mehmed Said” on Feb. 19, 1864, as the son
of Prince Halim Pasha, the youngest son of Kavalalı Mehmet Ali Pasha
(the “Muhammad Ali of Egypt”). His grandfather was a successful
Ottoman commander and self-declared “hedive” of Egypt, though an
illiterate man. Mehmet Ali established a dynasty that ruled Egypt and
Sudan until the Egyptian Revolution in 1952 and is seen as the true
founder of modern Egypt because of his strict reforms concerning the
military, the economy and culture.
Mehmet Ali Pasha wanted the males of his family to acquire the utmost
education they could get. Thus, his sons and grandsons became
well-educated statesmen of the time. Prince Halim, for instance,
attended the General Staff school in France.
Meanwhile, Prince Halim moved his family to Istanbul since he had
disputes with Hedive Ä°smail Pasha. The Ottoman State settled the
family in a yalı in Baltalimanı, Istanbul.
Said Halim was taught Arabic, Persian, English and French from special
tutors. After that, he and his little brother Abbas Halim were sent to
Switzerland to get a higher education. Said Halim studied political
science, while Abbas Halim, who also spoke several Eastern and Western
languages, worked as the Public Works Minister in the cabinet
established by Said Halim Pasha in 1913.
In 1888, Said Halim returned to Istanbul and was assigned to “Ã…?ura-i
Devlet” (Council of State) membership by Sultan Abdülhamid II. He also
was honored with several ranks and medals, including a Mirimiran
(general rank given to non-military pashas), a “Mecidi” (in the name
of Sultan Abdülmecit) plaque of the second-degree, an “Osmani”
(Ottoman) plaque of the second-degree and an Osmani plaque of the
first-degree. Abbas Halim was also assigned to the Council of State.
Though he worked as an aristocrat bureaucrat for the Abdülhamit II,
Said Halim was not a great admirer of the sultan. He was discontented
with the sultan like many of his peers. He called the sultan “the
oppressor.” And the sultan turned against him. He was investigated for
treason; however, the inquisition yielded nothing, and Said Halim was
not charged.
Said Halim Pasha Yalı
Said Halim had a yalı (mansion on the Bosporus) constructed for his
family, which is now among the most precious private buildings in
Istanbul and Turkey and named after the grand vizier. Historians
record that the Said Halim Pasha Yalı was constructed after he became
Rumeli Beylerbeyi (General Governor of the Ottoman State for the
European provinces).
The pasha was an intellectual statesman. He collected countless
manuscripts in all three major languages of Islam, namely Arabic,
Turkish and Persian. He had a library full of European books and spoke
the languages too. He was said to be a good reader. History and
humanities were his main areas of interest.
Said Halim was also an art collector. He gathered many Islamic works
in his yalı. He was fond of music and collected musical manuscripts,
too.
Exile and return
Eventually, Said and his brother Abbas were exiled to Egypt in spite
of their innocence. There is no evidence that he had a connection with
Ä°ttihat-Terakki Cemiyeti (Union and Progress Association) members
while he was in Turkey. The two brothers contacted Ä°ttihat-Terakki
members in Europe. They provided help to the Young Turks in both
monetary and philosophical aspects.
After “Hürriyet” (freedom) was announced by Sultan Abdülhamid in 1908,
Said Halim returned to Istanbul. He received his previous position in
the Council of State, but this lasted just a few months. He worked as
the Yeniköy mayor for a while. In December 1908, he was assigned by
the Sultan as a member of the Ayan Meclisi (Assembly of Notables, a
kind of senate).
Said Halim attended the Ä°ttihat-Terakki Congress held in Selanik
(Thessaloniki) in 1909. Meanwhile, he wrote his first book. The Pasha
always wrote in French, and his articles and books were translated
into Turkish and published in “SebilürreÃ…?ad” magazine, which was owned
by EÃ…?ref Edip and edited by Mehmet Akif. This was an article on
fanaticism. In this article, Said Halim argues that Islam is the real
freedom and illumination, that Europe’s approach to Islam and the
Ottomans is biased, that backwardness in the Islamic world is due to
not living according to the rules of shariah and not because of Islam
and shariah.
Politician
In 1912, Said Halim was assigned as the Chairman of the Council of
State. He represented the Ottoman State in Lausanne in peace meetings
with the Italians for the Trablusgarp (Libya) War. However, after the
Ä°ttihat-Terakki cabinet resigned, he returned to Istanbul and left
office in the Council of State. He became the General Secretary of the
Ä°ttihat-Terakki party.
In 1913, Said Halim was assigned as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in
the Mahmut Ã…?evket Pasha Cabinet. After Mahmut Ã…?evket Pasha was
assassinated, Said Halim was first assigned as Deputy Grand Vizier
(Deputy Prime Minister) for a while, and after that he became the
Grand Vizier of the Ottoman State.
Said Halim’s becoming grand vizier in the Ä°ttihat-Terakki period is
interesting since the Pasha was an Islamist despite the nationalism of
the Ä°ttihat-Terakki leaders. Said Halim was a critical thinker and he
always criticized westernization. He sought a return to a classical
understanding and performing of Islam, both in the religious and
social sense. In his articles, Said Halim Pasha defines a crisis in
our society, compares our situation to that of Europe, shows our
backwardness and proposes an Islamic revival to cope with contemporary
progress.
As for politics, the Said Halim Pasha Cabinet was an exceptional one
since Turkey was in a process of coup d’états and wars. Said Halim was
in office for four years, three during World War I. Said Halim Pasha
did not want the Ottoman State to enter the war, and he made great
efforts to keep the State out of this. However, Britain did not accept
allying with the Ottoman State, and the Ottomans had to establish an
alliance with the Germans.
Martyr
Said Halim Pasha left the office of Grand Vizier in 1917 because of
disputes with the triumvirate of the Ä°ttihat-Terakki, namely Enver,
Talat and Cemal pashas. Said Halim Pasha resigned from the office of
Grand Vizier and was succeeded by Talat Pasha. He returned to writing
his social and Islamic thoughts. He had his works translated and
published, now under his own name.
After World War I ended, Enver, Talat and Cemal pashas escaped, and
Said Halim was also offered an escape, but he preferred to stay and
continue to struggle for the country in Istanbul. He tried to
establish a new political party, but the occupation forces of Britain,
France and Italy prevented any political resurrection in Istanbul.
Said Halim was tried three times after the war. First, the Ottoman
Senate established a Commission of Investigation that questioned Said
Halim Pasha for World War I. Second, he was arrested and tried by the
Martial Law Court during the period of the Damat Ferit Pasha Cabinet.
Third, he was interrogated by the occupation forces. The British and
the French wanted Said Halim Pasha to accept responsibility for the
forced emigration of Ottoman Armenians and the associated crimes. Said
Halim Pasha’s statement against that allegation is a piece of art.
The occupation forces imprisoned Said Halim Pasha with many other
prominent Ottoman politicians and exiled them to Malta. In 1921, the
Malta exiles were released by an agreement between Britain and the
Ankara Cabinet of Mustafa Kemal. Said Halim and his brother were sent
to Italy. Abbas Halim returned to Istanbul; however, Said Halim was
not allowed by the Istanbul Cabinet to return.
Said Halim Pasha stayed in Rome, Italy, and was martyred by Arshavir
Shirakian, an Ottoman Armenian and member of the Dashnaktsutyun
(Armenian Revolutionary Federation), on Dec. 6, 1921. His corpse was
taken to Istanbul and buried in the Sultan Mahmut Tomb.
From: A. Papazian