Week 7

The two documents we read Hatt-i Sharif of Gulhane and the Hatt-I Humayun were important to the reformation and future of the Ottoman Empire, as they tried to address various issues related to their diverse subjects and foreign powers that were trying to divvy up these regions. The “Bill of Rights” seems to flesh out and reiterate some of the ideas in the Gulhane Proclamation, generally focusing on the equality of all subjects regardless of their religions. The documents do mention some familiar ideas trying to regulate things that are related to private property and criminal trials. It does reflect the amount of foreign influence in the Ottoman Empire, which became a problem as those who studied French ideas were favored over those who were traditionally taught in religious schools. It does seem progressive for the Ottomans to be tying to incorporate new ideas and reform their society, but some Muslims saw this as a rejection of the values the Empire had been built on.
I think that the reactions to these proclamations in the Balkans would vary because although it encouraged religious freedom (which would be positively received) it encouraged a common Ottoman identity that might clash with their own nationalism. Also, the first document, the Gulhane Proclamation, was given in 1839 which was five years after the end of the institution of the Janissaries, who were conscripted mostly from the Balkans. The Gulhane document mentions the troops and regulation of their service, and I was just wondering if this would anger people in the Balkans because the Janissaries had been against the newly European trained soldiers and that possibly people still in this region would feel the same way.

The film “To Die In Jerusalem” was helpful, as it seemed to show the ignorance and lack of communication and understanding between Israelis and Palestinians. As I mentioned on Blackboard, Rachel’s mother annoyed me somewhat because she was not interested in compromise or learning about the reality of the occupation. Of course, both sides are “victims of the state of Israel” as Ayat’s mother said, it is such a complex situation in which both sides suffer tremendously. I have been noticing some stories on the BBC website concerning the current issues in Israel, and I was really surprised to see that they plan to build some thousand more settlements, after seeing “To Die In Jerusalem” this left me deeply concerned and pessimistic for future peace in the area. Yet, I was again surprised earlier today to see that Hilary Clinton in her visit to Israel mentioned that she thought the destruction of Palestinian homes was an issue though the U.S. still completely supported Israel. This seems like a positive development, though I honestly am a bit confused by the elections and the significance of the coalition government, I hope we eventually discuss this in class.