Sultan Abdul Hamid II bans the showing of an offensive play in Europe

During the past years, several European writers and artists repeatedly abused Islam and Muslims, claiming that this falls within the freedom of expression, and despite the protest of the Muslim masses, some newspapers persisted in insulting the Prophet’s shrine, peace and blessings be upon him, with offensive cartoons that have nothing to do with art and whose goal is to provoke the feelings of Muslims and push them to take violent positions to implement hidden or apparent political agendas.

These abuses made us go back to our history to discuss the positions of one of the Muslim rulers who are aimed to protect the religion of Islam and the position of the Prophet of Islam. This ruler is Sultan Abdul Hamid II, who had firm positions in his response to the news of the offensive play that some parties intended to present in the theaters of France and Europe, so how was his position, and how did he prevent this play from being shown in more than one European country?

In the year 1890 AD, Marquis de Bonnier, a member of the French Academy, composed a drama entitled Muhammad and handed it over to the French Comedy. Then the newspapers reported that they had begun conducting the necessary exercises to present the play and that an actor would play the role of our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and the play contained abuse and defamation of the character. The moral standing of the Prophet, peace, and blessings be upon him.

Sultan Abdul Hamid’s position did not delay, and he resolved to put an end to this behavior by the means he deems appropriate. He immediately sent a letter to the President of the French Republic, Sadi Carnot, through the Ottoman ambassador in Paris, Salih Munir Pasha. Ahmed Ujar stated in his article in the magazine “History and Civilization” entitled “Abdul Hamid II’s intervention in the European arena” that the beginning of the letter sent to the French President in this regard was as follows: “On theatrical preparations in the name of our Master Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.” This insight indicates that the play goes beyond its artistic dimension to a real conflict game. Abdul Hamid II also issued a stern warning through the French ambassador in Istanbul, Count of Montbella, and even threatened to sever French-Ottoman relations if the play was allowed to be shown in France.

Indeed, the result of these serious and strict warnings was that the play was retracted. However, the writer was insistent on presenting it, so he went outside France, specifically to England, which was in the position of the United States of America today, and sought its presentation there, believing that Abdul Hamid’s pressures would not be useful there. However, Abdel Hamid’s efforts succeeded in canceling the play’s performance. Thanks to the good relationship he had with the English Foreign Minister, Lord Salisbury, Abdul Hamid was able to issue a decree banning the play from being shown in all English lands.

The author of the play did not despair, and his hopes increased, especially after Lord Salisbury left the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was replaced by Roseberry, and he was more estranged from Islam than his predecessor, and the play’s owner agreed with a theater in London to display the play, but he failed in his endeavors and Abdul Hamid was able again to prevent its presentation. Then this play was shown in Paris after its name was changed from Muhammad to Paradise and its content was changed at the request of the Sultan.

Sultan Abdul Hamid was a fervent believer, very protective of everything related to Islam, the men of Islam, and the history of Islam. And when he heard the news from Germany that a play was about to be shown in German theaters containing great insults to Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, he was deeply affected and sought the help of German Emperor Wilhelm II to prevent the play and succeeded in that. The Italian newspaper, Capitan Varakasa, published a story on April 15, 1890, saying: “When Sultan Abdul Hamid reached the news of the play, his reactions were as if he had received news of the movement of the Russian fleet in the waters of the strait.”

These are some of the positions of this Sultan, who rejects any contempt or disdain for the position of the Prophet, peace, and blessings are upon him, or Islam or Muslims, even if the price is to confront major powers at a difficult time when the East and West are scrambling against the Muslim state to bring it down. As a result of his efforts, great sensitivity prevailed in all European countries regarding the selection of plays, so that they do not contain offenses against Islam and Muslims. The European press quoted the warnings of politicians in Europe and the need to take into account the feelings of Muslims and the need to respect their faith in the presented artistic and literary works.

However, after the dismissal of Sultan Abdul Hamid and the transfer of power to the Union and Progress group, interest in these issues declined, religious fervor weakened and sensitivity towards Muslims and their history subsided, and the state’s position in international forums declined and acts that insult the sanctities of Muslims and do not give them any consideration, even the Grand Vizier Talat Pasha expressed his regret after the death of Sultan Abdul Hamid in February 1918, saying: “He died at a time when we wanted to benefit from his influence in the Ottoman family, and his relations with the rulers of Europe.”

Today, abuses of the sanctities of Muslims are repeated in Europe, and the silence of the graves is applied to the positions of Muslim rulers, while Muslims today have in their hands the oil weapon that can impose on the world respect for a sheik and have the sincere will and if the sultan’s sheiks and Gulf sheiks from Wahhabism and others who are desperate to issue Fatwas urging the destruction of Arab countries and closing their mouths on the crimes of the Zionists and the West against Muslims. The owners of these offensive acts argue that this falls within the freedom of expression and freedom of creativity. But the allegations of freedom and creativity completely disappear when it comes to non-Muslims. Today does anyone in Europe or anywhere in the world dare to insult the Jews, or even question the stories of massacres that are said to have occurred to them in Europe, especially in Germany during the Nazi era?!!