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The American Revolution as affected by the Muslim World Part – II
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Missionaries and their Publishing Challenges
American missionaries were continuously busy taking daring actions in the publication and distribution of Christian religious books and pamphlets in one of the largest Islamic Empires. During the nine year period since 1822, Pliny Fish was able to print and distribute around 350,000 copies of books and materials in many languages: Armenian, Turkish, Greek, and Italian.
In 1833, the mission center moved to Izmir. Their activities were increasing, probably the missionaries wanted to have more adventures. In 1852 they decided to move to Istanbul, very close to the Ottoman Monarchy.
According to an estimate, by 1860 the number of books and other printed flyers distributed by the missionaries exceeded 21,000,000 -- including magazines, scientific information and books. A popular Armeno – a Turkish political and cultural magazine was also printed by the missionaries.
After a struggle and hard work for many decades, missionaries were unable to attract Muslims towards Christianity. It is reported that in 1860, missionaries were able to convince some Muslims to change their faith to Christianity. This was a matter of great concern for the Empire. The Ottomans decided to impose some restrictions on the missionary publications.
Russians and Greeks also took advantage of the existing situation. Their publications were inciting the Orthodox Russian Christians to start an independent movement from the Ottoman Empire.
The Ottoman administration felt the need to protect their national interest. In November 1862, a notification was sent to all foreign embassies and missions by Ali Pasha, Minister of Foreign Affairs, that all of their political and religious publications will be subject to the approval of the Ottoman authorities, prior to their publication and distribution.
In the beginning of 1863, strict rules were implemented to enforce the new policies of the Ottomans. In July of 1864, the Ottoman police (Zeptiye Nezareti) decided to seal some offices and confiscate their books.
The American missionaries were also accused of distributing anti- Islamic propaganda materials. A new ordinance or act was introduced in 1864 by the Ottoman authorities against the publication and distribution of any material which is imported or published in the Empire; any exception will require permission of the Ottoman Monarchy. There was no restriction against printing and distribution of the Holy Bible. Any propaganda against Islam was forbidden.
In the middle of 1870, the United States, British, French, and Russian diplomats started a joint lobby effort to ease these rules. During the time of the Bulgarian insurgency in the spring of 1875 against the Ottomans, more strict rules were implemented. The approval of the Ministry of Public Instruction was needed prior to the publication of any material. One of the rules was that the front page of any publications has to identify the title of the subject. It is very obvious that the purpose of this rule was to control the clandestine printing practices of the missionaries and the foreign missions.
The zeal of spreading the message of the Gospel and the aggressive attitude of the missionaries did not stop them in breaking the Ottoman’s censorship laws. This open disregard against the Ottoman’s control of printing and distribution of religious material created a situation of distress between the Monarchy and the missionaries.
The Ottomans decided to take an extra hard line approach against the missionaries. In 1880, the Department of Customs started to confiscate their books and other objectionable printed materials. Some of the materials were given back after some time.
The American missionaries were busy in their provocative activities and they were assured that the Ottoman authorities were not going to take any harsh action against them and no physical harm would come to them. Their personal security was not threatened.
In 1880, the American Missionary Society imported religious books and other religious materials through some clandestine methods into Istanbul. They hired a local person, Hoca Ahmet Effendi, to translate these materials into the Turkish language. These books were confiscated by the local police and Effendi was arrested and prosecuted for breaking the law. He was sentenced to prison for fifteen years.
In 1883, an American minister, Lewis Wallace in Istanbul, wanted to publish some extra copies of the Bible, because they were out of stock. Wallace was told by the Ottoman authority that he will be allowed to publish more copies of the Holy Bible, if he will print on the first page: “Solely for the use of Protestants.” Wallace's answer was that they translated the Bible in 250 languages and none of the copies has such a statement. Permission was denied.
The ongoing tug of war between the American evangelists and the Ottoman administration went on until the end of the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth century. During this period, the relationship of the American Government and the evangelical movement went like a rollercoaster with the Ottoman Empire.
John G. Leishman, the American ambassador in Istanbul, reported that after the establishment of a constitutional government in 1908, the relationship between the Ottomans, Americans, and the missionaries will improve.
In September of 1908, all of the restrictions concerning the distribution, printing of books and other materials were abolished. In 1913, around 209 American schools were operating and the total number of enrolled students was 25,922.
At the start of the World War 1 in 1914, once again the attitude of the Ottoman Empire towards the foreigners changed. In the beginning, the United States was a neutral party in this conflict. Americans enjoyed more privileges in comparison to the British and French. After 1917, the Americans became a party in the war. More restrictions were imposed on the Americans.
After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1918, the revolutionary leader Mustafa Kemal Pasha, the founder of the Turkish Republic, took charge in 1923. It was the beginning of a new era for the American evangelists in the area.
Continued on page 5 of 5 pages
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