A modern approach of Khayr al-Din al-Tunisi to the program of reform

This paper attempts at introducing Khayr al-din al-Tunisi as one of the Arab political thinkers in the nineteenth century. The discussion focuses on his modern approach of social institutions and law, particularly through his famous work Aqwam al-Masalik fi al-MaÑrifat al-Mamalik. This book was writ...

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Main Author: Abdul Rahim, Adibah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hamdard Foundation Press, Pakistan 2008
Subjects:
Online Access:http://irep.iium.edu.my/33986/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/33986/2/Adibah_Kyar_al_Din_al_Tunisi.pdf
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spelling iium-339862014-01-16T08:43:00Z http://irep.iium.edu.my/33986/ A modern approach of Khayr al-Din al-Tunisi to the program of reform Abdul Rahim, Adibah BL Religion DS Asia This paper attempts at introducing Khayr al-din al-Tunisi as one of the Arab political thinkers in the nineteenth century. The discussion focuses on his modern approach of social institutions and law, particularly through his famous work Aqwam al-Masalik fi al-MaÑrifat al-Mamalik. This book was written in terms of the milieu in 1860’s, which represented roughly the mid- period of the tanzimat era in the central Ottoman Empire. It was an age, which brought a major European political and ideological challenge to Islamic society. The Islamic society also had lived through many military challenges coming from outside. By the 1860’s, Tunisia had experienced modernization efforts of Ahmad Bey (1837-1855). During this time, Tunisia had proclaimed and suspended a constitution patterned closely on European liberal constitution. The political program which Khayr al-din wrote in 1867 was conceived in full knowledge of this immediate past. In general, study of the impact of the West has concentrated on the two areas of Turkey and Egypt. This is justified since the Egypt of Muhammad ÑAli and his successors and the Ottoman Empire were the two great centers of Muslim political strength in the nineteenth century. Besides Egypt, however, Tunisia was the only other example of an autonomous Muslim state, which was at the same time within the general Ottoman framework. Egypt, Tunisia, and Ottoman Empire actually were facing the political and ideological threat coming from the West. In all three states systems, there were attempts at westernizing beginning with the army. All three received different foreign technical advisers. They were also made gestures toward Western forms of constitution and civil rights. Due to these similarities, the problems discussed by Khayr al-din in his Aqwam al-Masalik and the solution he proposed were pertinent also to Egypt and the Ottoman Empire. Indeed, the similarities to conditions in the Ottoman Empire were even emphasized by Khayr al-din himself. His effort was seen as a political program for Tunisia justified in terms of evidence and arguments valid for all parts of the Ottoman world. Aqwam al- Masalik, therefore, is an important source for Tunisian history in nineteenth century, but at the same time it can help to clarify comparable situation in Egypt and the Ottoman Empire. Hamdard Foundation Press, Pakistan 2008-10 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/33986/2/Adibah_Kyar_al_Din_al_Tunisi.pdf Abdul Rahim, Adibah (2008) A modern approach of Khayr al-Din al-Tunisi to the program of reform. Hamdard Islamicus, XXXI (4). pp. 75-82. ISSN 0250-7196
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Local University
institution International Islamic University Malaysia
building IIUM Repository
collection Online Access
language English
topic BL Religion
DS Asia
spellingShingle BL Religion
DS Asia
Abdul Rahim, Adibah
A modern approach of Khayr al-Din al-Tunisi to the program of reform
description This paper attempts at introducing Khayr al-din al-Tunisi as one of the Arab political thinkers in the nineteenth century. The discussion focuses on his modern approach of social institutions and law, particularly through his famous work Aqwam al-Masalik fi al-MaÑrifat al-Mamalik. This book was written in terms of the milieu in 1860’s, which represented roughly the mid- period of the tanzimat era in the central Ottoman Empire. It was an age, which brought a major European political and ideological challenge to Islamic society. The Islamic society also had lived through many military challenges coming from outside. By the 1860’s, Tunisia had experienced modernization efforts of Ahmad Bey (1837-1855). During this time, Tunisia had proclaimed and suspended a constitution patterned closely on European liberal constitution. The political program which Khayr al-din wrote in 1867 was conceived in full knowledge of this immediate past. In general, study of the impact of the West has concentrated on the two areas of Turkey and Egypt. This is justified since the Egypt of Muhammad ÑAli and his successors and the Ottoman Empire were the two great centers of Muslim political strength in the nineteenth century. Besides Egypt, however, Tunisia was the only other example of an autonomous Muslim state, which was at the same time within the general Ottoman framework. Egypt, Tunisia, and Ottoman Empire actually were facing the political and ideological threat coming from the West. In all three states systems, there were attempts at westernizing beginning with the army. All three received different foreign technical advisers. They were also made gestures toward Western forms of constitution and civil rights. Due to these similarities, the problems discussed by Khayr al-din in his Aqwam al-Masalik and the solution he proposed were pertinent also to Egypt and the Ottoman Empire. Indeed, the similarities to conditions in the Ottoman Empire were even emphasized by Khayr al-din himself. His effort was seen as a political program for Tunisia justified in terms of evidence and arguments valid for all parts of the Ottoman world. Aqwam al- Masalik, therefore, is an important source for Tunisian history in nineteenth century, but at the same time it can help to clarify comparable situation in Egypt and the Ottoman Empire.
format Article
author Abdul Rahim, Adibah
author_facet Abdul Rahim, Adibah
author_sort Abdul Rahim, Adibah
title A modern approach of Khayr al-Din al-Tunisi to the program of reform
title_short A modern approach of Khayr al-Din al-Tunisi to the program of reform
title_full A modern approach of Khayr al-Din al-Tunisi to the program of reform
title_fullStr A modern approach of Khayr al-Din al-Tunisi to the program of reform
title_full_unstemmed A modern approach of Khayr al-Din al-Tunisi to the program of reform
title_sort modern approach of khayr al-din al-tunisi to the program of reform
publisher Hamdard Foundation Press, Pakistan
publishDate 2008
url http://irep.iium.edu.my/33986/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/33986/2/Adibah_Kyar_al_Din_al_Tunisi.pdf
first_indexed 2023-09-18T20:49:04Z
last_indexed 2023-09-18T20:49:04Z
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