The jihad call of 1914
نداء الجهاد سنة 1914
After the Ottoman sultan declared jihad in late 1914, Arslan says the Allies portrayed the call as a cry in the wilderness, while in his view the response was greater than reported, though slower to appear in public. He links this to how Muslim leaders saw the Ottoman state's limits and its alliance with Germany. This is his reading of the evidence and needs checking against Ottoman, British and French documents.
At a glance
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Overview
In the chapter on the Islamic union, Shakib Arslan presents what followed the Ottoman sultan's declaration of his call to holy war (jihad) at the end of 1914, after Turkey entered the war. 1
Arslan's view
He notes that the Allies portrayed the call as a cry in a wilderness. He holds that the reality was otherwise, and that Muslims in many regions responded to it, even if the response was delayed on the surface. 1
He links this to the Muslims' estimate of Turkey and Germany in the war, and presents his view that the leaders of the Muslims understood the limits of the strength of the Ottoman state. 1
What needs a further source
This is the author's opinion and his testimony, and it is a matter of dispute. It needs to be compared with Ottoman, British, and French documents, and the date of the declaration needs a source on when the Ottoman state entered the war. It needs a further source.
Sources
- Stoddard, Hadir al-ʿalam al-islami (Arabic translation with Arslan's commentary)
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The jihad call of 1914”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/jihad-call-of-1914/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.