The Ottoman Ulema and the Quest for an Islamic Constitution

The Constitutional Revolution of 1908-1909 is one of the most transformative yet misunderstood moments in late Ottoman history. This book challenges conventional narratives of this period as a secular rupture by the Young Turks from Islamic tradition, instead spotlighting the pivotal role of the Sunni ulema in shaping and sustaining the new constitutional order. Drawing on Ottoman press materials, parliamentary debates and contemporary theological writings, the book demonstrates how the ulema articulated a distinctly Islamic vision of constitut ...