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Sheikh Said

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For other uses, see Sheikh Said (disambiguation).
Sheikh Said
Ağa
Şêx Seîd Kasîm
Born
Said Kasim

1865
Hınıs, Diyarbekir Vilayet, Ottoman Empire
Died29 June 1925(1925-06-29) (aged 59–60)
Diyarbakır, Turkey
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
NationalityKurdish
Known forSheikh, political revolutionary and spiritual leader of the first major Kurdish rebellion since the founding of the Turkish Republic
Parent(s)Sheikh Mehmud Fevzi (Father)
Gulê Xanim (Mother)
Rebellious leader
AllegianceAzadî - Society for the Rise of Kurdistan
Service / branchAzadî Battalion
RankSpiritual leader
Battles / wars

Sheikh Said (Kurdish: شێخ سەید, romanized: Şêx Seîd; 1865 – 29 June 1925) was a Kurdish[1][2][3] religious leader, one of the leading sheikhs of the Naqshbandi-Khalidiyya and the head of the Sheikh Said rebellion.[4][5][6]

He was born in 1865 in Hınıs to an influential family from the Naqshbandi order, where his grandfather was an influential sheikh.[7] Sheikh Said studied religious sciences at the madrasa led by his father Sheikh Mahmud Fevzi as well from several Islamic scholars in the region.[8] Later he was involved in the local tekke set up by his grandfather Sheikh Ali.[7] His grandfather was a respected leader of the religious community and his grave was visited by thousands of pilgrims. He became the head of the religious community after his father Sheikh Mahmud died. In 1907 he toured the neighboring provinces in the east and he established contacts with officers from the Hamidiye cavalry.[7]

Early life

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Sheikh Said was born in Hınıs in 1865.[9][10] His father was named Sheikh Mahmud Fevzi and his mother was Gulê Hanım. After receiving education at several Madrasa in Palu, Elazığ, Diyarbakır and Muş, he became the leader of the Naqshbandi order upon the death of his father.[10] He settled there after his father migrated from Palu to Hınıs.[9] During World War I, he had to move to Pîran due to the advance of the Russian Empire into the Eastern Anatolia Region, and after the war he settled to Hınıs.[11]

Civata Xweseriya Kurd (Society for Kurdish Independence)

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Main article: Azadî

The Azadî (English: Freedom), officially Civata Azadiya Kurd (Society for Kurdish Freedom), later Civata Xweseriya Kurd (Society for Kurdish Independence)[12] was a Kurdish secret organization.[13]

In 1923, he was approached by Yusuf Zia Bey, who wanted him to join the Kurdish secret organization Azadî.[14] He became the leader of the Azadî after Zia Bey and Halid Beg Cibran, the leader of the Azadî, were reportedly tipped off by the Yörük tribe and arrested.[8][unreliable source?] The Azadi was to become a leading force in the Sheikh Said Rebellion[15] which began in February 1925 and starting from in Piran, soon spread as far as the surroundings of Diyarbakır.[16] The Turkish army then opposed the rebellion and he was captured in mid-April 1925 after having been surrounded by the Turkish troops.[17] He was condemned to death by the Independence Tribunal in Diyarbakır on the 28 June 1925 and hanged the next day in Diyarbakır with 47 of his followers.[18] His remains were buried in an anonymous mass grave in order to prevent his memorization by the Kurds.[19]

Ideology

[edit]

Sheikh Said was a leader of a local tariqa. He also had ties to the Azadi organisation. Sheikh Said was one of the most outspoken nationalists during the first Azadi congress in 1924.[20][21] The Azadi organisation planned the revolt, and its leaders elected Sheikh Said as the general leader due to his charisma and religious credentials.[22][23][24] Sheikh Said was among the first to link Kurdish nationalism with Islam.[25] According to Sheikh Said, Islam and Kurdishness could not be separated.[26]

Sheikh Said was provoked by both the Turkish character and secularism of the new republic.[27] Sheikh Said claimed that since Turks "broke" their unity with Kurds by establishing a Turkish ethnostate, the only option was for Kurds "to secure their own future."[28] While the Turkish government knew of the separatist intentions of Sheikh Said, they claimed to domestic and international media that the Sheikh Said revolt was a Turkish religious uprising aimed at reinstating the Ottoman dynasty.[29][30] The Turkish state later contradicted itself during the trial of Sheikh Said, which condemned him to death as a Kurdish separatist. Historians worldwide later agreed that the Ottomanist motives were a Turkish government fabrication.[31] The Turkish judge during the trial claimed that the revolt was "heading toward one direction: the creation of an independent Kurdistan."[32] İsmet İnönü, in his own report, described the revolt as a separatist and "fully-fledged nationalist movement".[33] Leftist Kurdish historiographers either downplayed the religious element of the revolt, or denied its nationalist element like the Kemalists did.[34] During his trial, Sheikh Said stated "we had a national goal and were ready to sacrifice our wealth and our lives to achieve that goal. We are not traitors. We fought to liberate Kurdistan and the Kurdish nation."[35]

The Ottoman Empire had given Kurds autonomy in exchange for allegiance to the Sublime Porte, therefore the majority of Kurds were indeed upset when the Ottoman Empire was replaced with Turkey.[36] However, most Shafi'i clerics did not recognise the Ottoman sultans as legitimate caliphs. In a 1924 speech in defence of the abolition of the Caliphate, Seyyid Bey, the minister of justice, stated that "from a religious point of view, the Shafi'i ulama of India, Egypt, Najd, Yemen, and that of Kurdistan, do not recognize our kings as caliphs. Do you believe the ulama in Kurdistan take the debate over the Caliphate seriously? The ulama of those regions have never recognized our kings as caliphs."[37]

Sheikh Said himself had spoken negatively of the Ottoman Empire, stating that "under the pretext of religion and the Caliphate, the Turks and the Ottomans have for over 400 years been pushing us gradually towards slavery, darkness, ignorance and destruction."[38] He also claimed that "we have not made the spirits of our ancestors happy. We have not fulfilled the wishes of Ahmadi Khani. That is why we live in misery and make our enemies glad."[39] He described Turks as mere "migrants" living among Kurds.[38] The Sheikh Said revolt was very unpopular with Turks, and it did not spread to the Turks of Eastern Anatolia.[40][41] The majority of Sheikh Said's soldiers were illiterate monolingual Kurds.[42] The core of Sheikh Said's commanders were Hamidiye officers, such as Halid Beg Cibran, who was an in-law of Sheikh Said.[43]

Sheikh Said and the other leaders of the revolt were very conscious of their Kurdish identity and had publicised their separatist motives, regardless of the heavy religious discourse. Sheikh Said's brother, Abdurrahim, and others in the revolt openly declared their aim of establishing of an independent Kurdish state.[44] Sheikh Said did plan on restoring the Caliphate, however it would be a caliph under his new Kurdish state, and not the Ottoman Caliphate.[45] Sheikh Said claimed that his "caliphate" would safeguard "Kurdish honor and religion", and would not extend beyond Kurdistan.[2] Sheikh Said's closest friends, Hasan Serdi and Fehmi Bilal, were reportedly not Muslim.[46]

Sheikh Said had invited Said Nursi to the revolt, although Said Nursi had rejected and criticised it.[47][48] Despite his tensions with Sheikh Said, on many occasions, Said Nursi had been mistaken for Sheikh Said and was targeted.[49] Said Nursi specifically opposed Kurdish independence and preferred an Ottoman revival.[50] Said Nursi claimed that Turks and Kurds were "brothers",[51] while Sheikh Said stated that it was "obvious that the Turks are oppressive and vile towards the Kurds" and that Turks "do not honour their promises", and that the world must be aware of their "hypocrisy, bloodshed and barbarism."[52] Sheikh Said claimed that even from a religious view, Turkish society practiced a "deceptive" form of Islam.[53] During the revolt, Sheikh Said told his followers that killing one Turkish soldier was "better than killing seventy infidels".[54][55][44] There were some aspects of Mahdism in the revolt.[56]

Sheikh Said and his fighters were known for their strong belief in their ideology and their high morale, and they captured over one third of Turkish Kurdistan, including many major cities and eventually sieging Diyarbakir, with over half of the Turkish army being deployed to suppress the revolt.[57][58][59] The Turkish army reportedly lost more soldiers during the Sheikh Said rebellion than they did during the Turkish War of Independence.[60] Turkey initially wanted to keep all of Greater Kurdistan within its borders.[61] However, the Sheikh Said revolt was a major turning point, as Turkey stopped its claim over the Mosul vilayet shortly after. The Turkish government were convinced that much difficulties came with ruling over Kurdish regions.[62] Qajar state documents claimed that in order to win Kurdish support in the Mosul question, Turkey claimed that the Sheikh Said revolt was a British plot and that they only killed the rebels due to their collaboration with the British, however it was ineffective. Qajar authorities were also worried as many Iranian Kurds were ready to fight against Turkey in support of Sheikh Said.[63]

Sheikh Said attempted to gain the support of Kurdish Alevis.[64] Some individual Alevis, notably Hasan Hayri, joined him.[65] However, Kurdish Alevis refused to join the revolt, claiming that they were better off in a secular Turkey than a Sunni Kurdistan.[66] Some Alevi tribes, such as Xurmek and Lewlan, even assisted Turkish forces during the revolt.[67][68]

Family

[edit]

His first wife was Amine Hanim, who died during the Russian-Turkish war. His second wife was Fatma Hanim, a sister of Halit Beg Cibran, the leader of the Azadî.[8]

His son Abdülhalik died after his deportation following the Sheikh Said rebellion.[69] His grandson Abdülmelik Fırat became a deputy of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.[70] Fırat says that his ancestors were not involved in politics until his grandfather, for they had cordial relations with the Ottoman elite.

The actress Belçim Bilgin is his great-grandniece.[71]

References

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  1. ^ "Şêx Seîd û hevalê ey Amed hetê PAKî ra amê yadkerdene Kaynak: Şêx Seîd û hevalê ey Amed hetê PAKî ra amê yadkerdene" (in Kurdish). Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  2. ^ a b "شۆڕشی شێخ سه‌عیدی پیران" (in Kurdish). Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  3. ^ Kurşun, Zekeriya. "Şeyh Said". İslâm Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish). Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  4. ^ Olson, Robert W. (1989). The emergence of Kurdish nationalism and the Sheikh Said Rebellion, 1880-1925. University of Texas Press. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-292-77619-7.
  5. ^ Özoğlu, Hakan (2004-02-12). Kurdish Notables and the Ottoman State: Evolving Identities, Competing Loyalties, and Shifting Boundaries. SUNY Press. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-7914-5993-5.
  6. ^ Olson 1989, p. 101.
  7. ^ a b c Olson 1989, p. 100.
  8. ^ a b c "Who's who in Politics in Turkey" (PDF). Heinrich Böll Stiftung. p. 250. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  9. ^ a b "İngiliz Belgelerinde Türkiye" Erol Ulubelen, Çağdaş Yay., 1982, sf.195; ak. U.Mumcu, "Kürt-İslam Ayaklanması" Tekin Yay., 19. Bas., 1995, sf.24
  10. ^ a b Sevr Anlaşmasına Doğru Osman Olcay, SBF Yay., Ankara-1981, s.121; ak. U. Mumcu, "Kürt-İslam Ayaklanması" Tekin Yay., 19.Bas. 1995, s. 28
  11. ^ Hakan Ozoglu (24 June 2011). From Caliphate to Secular State: Power Struggle in the Early Turkish Republic: Power Struggle in the Early Turkish Republic. ABC-CLIO. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-313-37957-4.
  12. ^ Olson 1989, p. 41.
  13. ^ Olson 1989, p. 176.
  14. ^ Behrendt, Günter (1993). Nationalismus in Kurdistan: Vorgeschichte, Entstehungsbedingungen und erste Manifestationen bis 1925 (in German). Deutsches Orient-Institut. p. 373. ISBN 978-3-89173-029-4.
  15. ^ Olson 1989, pp. 101–102.
  16. ^ Özoğlu, Hakan (2011-06-24). From Caliphate to Secular State: Power Struggle in the Early Turkish Republic: Power Struggle in the Early Turkish Republic. ABC-CLIO. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-313-37957-4.
  17. ^ Olson 1989, p. 116.
  18. ^ Üngör, Umut. "Young Turk social engineering : mass violence and the nation state in eastern Turkey, 1913- 1950" (PDF). University of Amsterdam. p. 243. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  19. ^ Üngör, Umut. "Young Turk social engineering : mass violence and the nation state in eastern Turkey, 1913- 1950" (PDF). University of Amsterdam. p. 350. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  20. ^ The Emergence of Kurdish Nationalism and the Sheikh Said Rebellion, 1880–1925, Robert Olson, pp. 92-101
  21. ^ The Emergence of Kurdish Nationalism and the Sheikh Said Rebellion, 1880–1925, Robert Olson, pp. 114, 153
  22. ^ Agha, Shaikh and State: The Social and Political Structures of Kurdistan, Martin van Bruinessen, 1992, pp. 265-66
  23. ^ The Kurdish Nationalist Movement: Opportunity, Mobilization and Identity, David Romano, 2006, pp. 34
  24. ^ The Kurds and the Politics of Turkey: Agency, Territory and Religion, Deniz Çifçi, 2019, pp. 60-61
  25. ^ Violent Radical Movements in the Arab World: The Ideology and Politics of Non-State Actors, 2019, pp. 184
  26. ^ Islam and Competing Nationalisms in the Middle East, 1876-1926, Kamal Soleimani, 2016, pp. 247
  27. ^ The New Turkey and Its Discontents, Simon Waldman, Emre Caliskan, 2017, pp. 166
  28. ^ Nation-Building in Turkey and Morocco: Governing Kurdish and Berber Dissent, Senem Aslan, 2015, pp. 44
  29. ^ Political Function of Religion in Nationalistic Confrontations in Greater Kurdistan, Sabah Mofidi, 2022, pp. 34
  30. ^ Islam and Competing Nationalisms in the Middle East, 1876-1926, Kamal Soleimani, 2016, pp. 246
  31. ^ Violent Radical Movements in the Arab World: The Ideology and Politics of Non-State Actors, 2019, pp. 184
  32. ^ Islam and Competing Nationalisms in the Middle East, 1876-1926, Kamal Soleimani, 2016, pp. 245
  33. ^ Islam and Competing Nationalisms in the Middle East, 1876-1926, Kamal Soleimani, 2016, pp. 248
  34. ^ Islam and Competing Nationalisms in the Middle East, 1876-1926, Kamal Soleimani, 2016, pp. 248
  35. ^ Islam and Competing Nationalisms in the Middle East, 1876-1926, Kamal Soleimani, 2016, pp. 245-247
  36. ^ The New Turkey and Its Discontents, Simon Waldman, Emre Caliskan, 2017, pp. 166
  37. ^ Islam and Competing Nationalisms in the Middle East, 1876-1926, Kamal Soleimani, 2016, pp. 248
  38. ^ a b Political Function of Religion in Nationalistic Confrontations in Greater Kurdistan, Sabah Mofidi, 2022, pp. 32-33
  39. ^ Kurdish Nationalism on Stage: Performance, Politics and Resistance in Iraq, Mari R. Rostami, 2019, pp. 63
  40. ^ Turkey, Islamists and Democracy: Transition and Globalization in a Muslim State, Yildiz Atasoy · 2005, pp. 45
  41. ^ Under the Banner of Islam: Turks, Kurds, and the Limits of Religious Unity, Gülay Türkmen, 2021, pp. 40
  42. ^ From Caliphate to Secular State: Power Struggle in the Early Turkish Republic, Hakan Özoglu, 2011, pp. 120
  43. ^ The Emergence of Kurdish Nationalism and the Sheikh Said Rebellion, 1880–1925, Robert Olson, pp. 47, 94
  44. ^ a b The Kurdish Question and Turkey: An Example of a Trans-state Ethnic Conflict, Kemal Kirişci, Gareth M. Winrow, 1997, pp. 104
  45. ^ Political Function of Religion in Nationalistic Confrontations in Greater Kurdistan, Sabah Mofidi, 2022, pp. 32-33
  46. ^ Violent Radical Movements in the Arab World: The Ideology and Politics of Non-State Actors, 2019, pp. 184
  47. ^ Turkey, Islamists and Democracy: Transition and Globalization in a Muslim State, Yildiz Atasoy, 2005, pp. 45
  48. ^ Turkish Islam and the Secular State: The Gülen Movement, 2003, pp. 152
  49. ^ Bediuzzaman Said Nursi and Risale-i Nur, Extended Special Text Version, Ediz SÖZÜER, pp. 42
  50. ^ Bediuzzaman Said Nursi: Author of the Risale-i Nur, Şükran Vahide, 2019, pp. 197-198
  51. ^ Islam at the Crossroads: On the Life and Thought of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, 2003, pp. 64
  52. ^ The Making of Modern Turkey: Nation and State in Eastern Anatolia, 1913-1950, Ugur Ümit Üngör, 2012, pp. 124
  53. ^ The Last Mufti of Iranian Kurdistan: Ethnic and Religious Implications in the Greater Middle East, Ali Ezzatyar, 2016, pp. 19
  54. ^ Şeyh Sait İsyanı ve Şark İstiklal Mahkemesi: Vesikalar, Olaylar, Hatıralar, Ahmet Süreyya Örgeevren, Osman S. Kocahanoğlu, 2002, pp. 225
  55. ^ İngiliz ve Fransız Arşiv Belgeleriyle Şeyh Said Hareketi, Salih Cemal - Nûbihar, 2023, pp. 380
  56. ^ Historical Dictionary of the Kurds, Michael M. Gunter, 2010, pp. 205
  57. ^ The Making of Modern Turkey: Nation and State in Eastern Anatolia, 1913-1950, Ugur Ümit Üngör, 2011, pp. 124-125
  58. ^ From Caliphate to Secular State: Power Struggle in the Early Turkish Republic, Hakan Özoglu, 2011, pp. 89
  59. ^ The New Turkey and Its Discontents, Simon Waldman, Emre Caliskan, 2017, pp. 166
  60. ^ Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire, Caroline Finkel, 2007 pp. 550
  61. ^ Dersim as an Internal Colony: The Turkish Civilizing Mission (1927–1952), Murat Devres, 2024, pp. 72
  62. ^ The Kurdish Nationalist Movement in the 1990s: Its Impact on Turkey and the Middle East, Robert Olson, 1996, pp. 67
  63. ^ Islam and Competing Nationalisms in the Middle East, 1876-1926, Kamal Soleimani, 2016, pp. 253
  64. ^ Islam and Competing Nationalisms in the Middle East, 1876-1926, Kamal Soleimani, 2016, pp. 245
  65. ^ Political Function of Religion in Nationalistic Confrontations in Greater Kurdistan, Sabah Mofidi, 2022, pp. 35
  66. ^ The Emergence of Kurdish Nationalism and the Sheikh Said Rebellion, 1880–1925, Robert Olson, pp. 94
  67. ^ Political Function of Religion in Nationalistic Confrontations in Greater Kurdistan, Sabah Mofidi, 2022, pp. 35
  68. ^ The Emergence of Kurdish Nationalism and the Sheikh Said Rebellion, 1880–1925, Robert Olson, pp. 110
  69. ^ Üngör, Ugur Ümit (2012-03-01). The Making of Modern Turkey: Nation and State in Eastern Anatolia, 1913-1950. OUP Oxford. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-19-164076-6.
  70. ^ Kilic, Ecevit (2008-10-27). "CHP, dedemin gömüldüğü yere halkevi açtı". Sabah (in Turkish). Retrieved 2009-01-04.
  71. ^ ÇAPA, İzzet (11 January 2015). "13 yaşında ölümle burun buruna geldim". www.hurriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2020-04-16.
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