3. Moral Decline Speeds up in the Ottoman Society as Alcohol, Gambling and Adultery Spread

In previous pages it was mentioned how Abdul Hamid II was one of the Ottoman sultans that had to rule his lands largely under the pressure of the British deep state. This is why his rule saw one of the sharpest declines the Ottoman Empire had ever experienced, both physically and spiritually. Sultan Abdul Hamid II was, in a way, a prisoner confined to Yıldız Palace. He couldn't escape being ensnared by the British deep state plots. During his rule, the British deep state did everything in its power to spread not only the Darwinist propaganda but also to accelerate moral degeneration. During his reign;

The first rakı (a Turkish alcoholic drink) and beer factories in the Ottoman Empire were opened,

The number of brothels skyrocketed, which caused a sharp increase in adultery,

The Ottoman Empire began to export wine to European countries,

Gambling became widespread.

Furthermore, during his rule, the Empire became completely reliant upon the West, especially after the establishment of the Ottoman Public Debt Administration. More importantly however, the Islamic world was divided. Many riots broke out across the Ottoman lands during this time, for which the primary reason purported by the British deep state was that the Caliphate had strayed away from Islam and that the center of Caliphate was degenerating Muslim societies.

The First Ottoman Rakı and Beer Factories Open

Bomonti Brothers opened the first beer factory of the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul during the reign of Abdul Hamid II. Olympus Brewery was also set up in Thessaloniki. Abdul Hamid II personally signed the licenses of these facilities. Bomonti beer factory produced seven million liters of beer every year, which later reached ten million liters. 'Bomonti Beer Gardens' were built along the way that stretched from Thrace to Eskişehir, so that local people could drink beer.

An advertisement of Bomonti beer read as follows:

If you wish to quench your thirst, and don't wish to drink the germy water, drink Bomonti beer instead. Home delivery is available in Istanbul.¹²⁴

The advertisements even went as far as claiming that beer, a harmful drink, could cure ailments. It was recommended to those wishing to put on weight and even to nursing mothers.¹²⁵

During the reign of Abdul Hamid II, beer consumption in Istanbul and its vicinity increased so much that trains began to carry fresh beer from as far away as Vienna. Abdul Hamid II imposed taxes on alcohol and issued the Alcoholic Beverage Regulations. This regulation dated April 7, 1886, stipulated the taxes to be collected for alcoholic drinks, while another regulation dated July 14, 1890, set the quality standards and the taxes for the wine to be exported.

Abdul Hamid II's involvement in alcoholic drink regulations and the corresponding taxes is important because he was the 'Islamic Caliph'. His role in such practices was a clear indicator of the grim situation the Ottoman Empire found itself in, not to mention the intense pressure of the British deep state. The expense ledgers of the Yıldız and Dolmabahçe Palaces show wine, champagne and other drinks were bought for the palace, too.

The first rakı factory of Turkey was opened during the rule of Abdul Hamid II at Umurca Farm in Çorlu. This farm belonged to the Sarıcazade Ragıp Pasha, the head chamberlain of the Sultan and the Minister of Finance. Umurca Rakı quickly became very popular and taxes collected from the sales of this rakı became the most important item in the tax class called Rüsum-u Sitte ('The Six Indirect Taxes', named so because it consisted of six different taxes designated to pay off the debts of the Sublime Porte).

The aforementioned weren't the only rakı factories opened during Abdul Hamid II's rule. The town of Fertek in Niğde was producing Fertek Rakı. Brands like Boğaziçi, Ruh and Alem were competing to get the top spot in the rakı market. During Abdul Hamid II's rule, which was a time even the palace staff was producing rakı, Deniz Kızı Rakı, also known as Tenedos Rakı, became very popular. Üzüm Kızı Rakı was another popular rakı brand and was usually known as 'the rakı with the girl' due to its advertisement posters.

Abdul Hamid II issued another decree and permitted the production of the Greek version of rakı, known as 'ouzo', in Pergamum.

Wine Production and Export during the Reign of Abdul Hamid II

In 1889, vineyards were set up on a land in Erenköy, Istanbul on a 70-hectare land. During the rule of Abdul Hamid II, the Sultaniye vineyards in the Aegean region were used to produce grapes for wine production, which would later be exported to Europe.

When European vineyards started going bad, the whole of Europe, particularly France, turned to the Ottoman Empire, to meet the demands for wine. During Abdul Hamid II's reign, wine exports skyrocketed to 340 million liters by 1904. Wine advertisements were to be found in the Ottoman newspapers, while promotional signs for Martel cognac could be seen all around Istanbul.

Ottoman cognacs distilled by Kotroni Efendi of Erdek entered competitions in Paris and won awards. Again, the first champagne factory was opened in the Ottoman Empire when Abdul Hamid II was the Sultan.

Alcohol production and consumption increased so much during Abdul Hamid II's time, the 34th chapter of Ayşe Fahriye Hanım's famous cookbook Ev Kadını (The Housewife), which was first published in 1883, gave recipe for homemade rakı. The readers were given detailed descriptions of the production methods for two different types of rakı (seasoned with mastic and regular rakı) with a side note that fermented grape juice and wine could also be produced using the same setup.

According to journalist Ahmet Cemaleddin Saraçoğlu, '... the rule of Abdul Hamid II provided a massive tavern to citizens'.¹²⁶

Alcohol is a very harmful substance, not to mention that Muslims are forbidden from drinking it. God says in a verse:

O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than God], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of satan, so avoid it that you may be successful. (Qur'an, 5:90)

Of course, every individual has the right to live their lives the way they wish. The above historical details are in no way to be construed as interfering in people's choices. However, they are important in that they show how the production, sales and export of alcoholic beverages in a Muslim country, with the permission of the Islamic Caliph, set the stage for the moral decline in society and shook the trust of the Islamic world in the Caliph. Even though certain circles maintain that alcoholic drinks were produced for non-Muslims at the time, it is clear that not as many non-Muslims were living on Ottoman lands at the time that would be able to consume millions of liters of alcoholic drinks. In any case, many photographs taken during those days clearly show Ottoman Turks drinking alcohol at beer houses.

Brothels Open and Prostitution Spreads in the Ottoman Society

One of the least-known facts about the reign of Abdul Hamid II is that it is when the first official brothel in the Ottoman Empire was opened upon a letter of instruction by the Caliph Abdul Hamid II. There is no doubt that prostitution was among the principal factors behind the moral decline that took place in the Ottoman society, laying the groundwork for the Empire's fall. At this point, we should remember that Sultan Abdul Hamid II was under intense pressure from the British deep state, as a result of which he put into action the British deep state's plan regarding brothels.

With a letter of instruction by Abdul Hamid II in 1884, the first brothel was opened on Abanoz Street, and was followed by other brothels in Zürefa Street. The brothels that are still active today in Zürefa Street were opened during Abdul Hamid II's rule. In a short period of time, the number of brothels in Galata alone reached a hundred.

The situation became so grim that at one point, ships started to bring patrons for brothels from Europe and Russia to Istanbul. Most of the time, an important duty of the tour guides would be taking the patrons to Zürefa Street.

According to Ottoman archives, during this time, 2,125 prostitutes operated with official licenses; however, the number of those without official licenses was much higher. Brothels were not only in Galata and Karaköy, but also in Üsküdar. Bursa and Izmir also had their own brothels. Furthermore, during the reign of Abdul Hamid II, prostitutes were also brought from Poland, Romania, Austria and Galicia.

During the rule of Abdul Hamid II, prostitution became so widespread, Samuel Cohen, Secretary of the Jewish Association for the Protection of Girls and Women, wrote the following grim lines about the situation:

Behind the line of docks there runs a long street called Galata Street. ... Most of the alleys were dedicated to brothels. I thought that the sights I witnessed in Rio de Janeiro were bad, but these brothels in Constantinople beggar description. The inmates of the brothel are seated on low stools or on boxes or on low couches, with almost nothing on in the way of clothes. … Some [prostitutes] stood at the doors or walked about in the rooms in a semi-naked condition, others had dressed themselves somewhat and were walking about the streets paying visits to other houses. … In the vicinity of these houses are cafes and drinking saloons, and in almost every one gambling is going on incessantly. … Everything appears as free and as licentious as possible. There are no hindrances and no difficulties from the authorities. … At one house in particular where the performance commences near midnight and goes on till 4.30 in the morning, the scenes are really disgraceful.¹²⁷

The opening of brothels upon the instruction of Abdul Hamid II, in a way, turned the Ottoman Empire into a center of prostitution in a short amount of time and adultery spread like wildfire. This allowed the British deep state to achieve its goal to a large extent, which was morally degenerating the Ottoman Empire in order to hasten up its destruction.

Tobacco Factories Open during the Reign of Abdul Hamid II

Tobacco entered Ottoman society in the 1600s. However, almost every Sultan showed considerable effort to block its spread. The measures they took against this substance, which has been shown by medical research to be highly toxic to human body, were necessary and rational. However, things changed when Abdul Hamid II took over. Since he was under intense pressure from the British deep state, he stopped the anti-tobacco measures. Many tobacco factories were opened during his reign. Before his reign, only small shops were producing tobacco, but as soon as the new factories were opened, tobacco use spread quickly. The increased consumption sped up the physical and spiritual breakdown of the Ottoman Empire, especially after the aforementioned mistakes made during Abdul Hamid II's reign.

During his reign, the Cibali and Samsun tobacco factories were opened in 1884 and 1887 respectively. Samsun tobacco factory produced 60,000 kg of cigarettes and 400,000 kg of tobacco every year between 1887 and 1897. By 1905, the production capacity of the factory has reached one million kg. After a while, Izmir, Adana, Samsun and Istanbul became the most important tobacco production and processing centers.¹²⁸

Instead of fighting to prevent the production and use of this substance, which is lethal for humans, which caused physical and spiritual degeneracy in Turkish youth and wasted away the energy of the nation, Abdul Hamid II continuously encouraged its use. He himself was a tobacco addict. This harmful habit of his is a well-known historical fact, confirmed by many accounts. So much so, his infamous smoking habit was known in even as far away as America. His favorite cigarette was the American 'Ateshian'. This prompted the company to use in its advertisements the slogan 'The cigarret smoked by His Imperial Majesty Abdul Hamid II, Sultan of Turkey'.

İbrahim Peçevi, one of the most prominent chroniclers of the Ottoman Empire, explained how the British introduced tobacco to the Ottoman Empire in his two-volume book Tarih-i Peçevi (Peçevi's History):

The British brought [tobacco] to the Ottoman Empire around 1900 [1600 in Gregorian calendar] and sold it with the claim that it could heal some ailments. Some pleasure-seeker friends became addicts. However, in time, even those people who weren't pleasure-seekers started to consume it. Even many great scholars and statesmen got addicted to smoking… Coffee houses were thick with smoke because all the wasted people and womanizers were there chain-smoking. Even on the streets and marketplaces, they were smoking.¹²⁹

As one can see, it was the British deep state that first introduced tobacco and spread its use in the Ottoman Empire. The members of the deep state made the people addicted to this poison with lies that it would help cure ailments. When the rule of Abdul Hamid II started, another step was made that would help the British deep state. Abdul Hamid II transferred the tobacco revenues to the 'Régie Company', owned by French and British for 30 years, starting in 1883. So, not only were tobacco factories were opened to produce products that would poison Turkish people, the profit from the poison sold went to the British deep state. Again in his reign, the Régie Company was allowed to have its own armed guards, who heavily oppressed the Turkish people.

4. Military Coups and Territorial Losses

Many of the military coups that took place in the past 200 years bear the hidden marks of British deep state intervention. This dark structure changes administrations by means of coups, which it considers a quick, cheap and covert way to further its policies.

Coup plotters are arrogant and usually impressionable people who are not held to account for their actions. They fall for the games of the British deep state for their personal petty gains. They never deserve the positions they gain through coups, as it is only violence and guns and definitely not their knowledge, talents, expertise or experience that brings them to such positions. As such administrations are only transitional regimes, the true names behind the decisions made during those times remain usually unknown and the corruption and problems are usually blamed on a few. This way, the true perpetrators, most notably the British deep state, are kept away from public eyes.

This was the case with the Ottoman Empire too. When her fall began, she was in possession of an impressive 500-year-old experience in running an empire. She had powerful, well-functioning systems in the military, the economy, and education, among other aspects of life. For this reason, the British deep state was in need of a transitional regime because that was the only way to control this powerful Empire. Such intermediate regimes, laden with corruption and misconducts with no visible culprit, gave these elusive powers the opportunity they needed to bring the Empire closer to destruction. For this reason, it is important to carefully analyze the driving power behind the coups in the Ottoman Empire: the British deep state, just as in many other coups around the world.

The Origin of All Coups: The Coup of 1876

The first modern coup in Turkish history is usually considered the one that saw the deposition of Sultan Abdülaziz in 1876. The coup plotters, i.e., Midhat Pasha (head of the Committee of the New Ottomans), Hüseyin Avni Pasha (Chief of Staff), and Süleyman Pasha (Minister of War), deposed the Sultan and brought Murat V to power instead. As would be the case throughout the Republican period, military students were used for the coup. Ten days later, Sultan Abdülaziz was martyred, which was clumsily made to look like a suicide.

As the British deep state spread the lie that the Ottoman Empire was losing its influence and became a 'sick man', the Empire was in truth enjoying one of its powerful eras under the leadership of Sultan Abdülaziz.

In 1876, the Ottoman Empire was the world's most powerful fourth state; it had the world's fourth biggest army and the third biggest fleet. In 1876, it encompassed a territory of 12 million sq. km with a total population of 64 million people. The 1876 territory of the Ottoman Empire included what are today 35 different countries. During those days, Istanbul was the world's fifth biggest city.

Sultan Abdülaziz was a brave sultan that took a clear stance against the British deep state. He didn't allow the spread of Darwinism, and removed the British deep state spies from his immediate circle. He removed Hüseyin Avni Pasha from his duties for being a Darwinist and for his pro-British stance, who would in return act as one of the plotters of the coup against Sultan Abdülaziz. Hüseyin Avni Pasha prepared the assassination plan against the Sultan.

Abdülaziz also immediately shut down Mecmua-i Fünûn (Journal of Sciences) as it started Darwinist propaganda. His order to dismiss pro-British Ahmed Midhat, one of the most fervent Darwinist propagandists in the Ottoman Empire, was as follows:

From now on, no printing house will ever print anything about Midhat Efendi's monkeys.¹³⁰

Sultan Abdülaziz was a devout Muslim, who desired a united Islamic world. During his rule, he made the Ottoman Army a formidable power with the state-of-art weapons, which included 25 ironclads and 175 regular warships. As soon as he ascended to the throne, he tripled the length of the previously 450 km railways. The last Caliph of Islam Abdulmejid II described his father Abdülaziz with the following words in the booklet he wrote in 1920s:

Thank God, my father Abdülaziz Khan was not addicted to any moral weaknesses. In fact, not only did he never drink any alcohol throughout his life, but also he didn't smoke. Even coffee was something he drank only on rare occasions. That's why he had a very strong build. He never got ill during his fifteen-year rule. However, he was martyred after facing the disaster of being deposed because he didn't have a single person that could help him with the great works he initiated.¹³¹

The plotters of this vile coup tried to slander Abdülaziz Khan with claims that he committed suicide. However, the examination of his body revealed that both of his wrists had been slit, one side of his beard had been completely ripped off, his teeth had been knocked out and there was a large bruise on his chest.

Hüseyin Avni Pasha, the instigator of the murder, went to the Palace to see how his murder plan went. When he saw that Abdülaziz Khan was still alive after the scuffle, he ordered that the Sultan be taken to kitchen of the police station on palace grounds. This is why medical help was delayed for the Sultan, and why he bled to martyrdom.

To conceal the traces of a fight, Hüseyin Avni Pasha tore off the curtains in the station and covered the Sultan's body with the exception of his arms. He asked physician Marko Pasha, the director of the Military School of Medicine, to examine his wrists only and write a report of suicide. However, Marko Pasha declined. Then another military doctor, Colonel Dr. Ömer Bey, was summoned, but when he refused to sign the report as well, his medals were ripped off his uniform on the spot and he was exiled to Libya.

Sultan Abdülaziz was buried hastily the same day in the Sultan Mahmud II Shrine at Divanyolu.

Turkish historian İsmail Hami Danişmend, in his five-volume İzahlı Osmanlı Tarihi Kronolojisi (A Detailed Chronology of Ottoman History), listed thirty one pieces of evidence proving why the Sultan did not commit suicide. The physician of the British Embassy also said that no one would be able to cut one's wrists like that, after seeing the body himself.¹³²

The account of Nazime Sultan, Sultan Abdülaziz's daughter, leaves no room to doubt as to what happened:

Any claims that my father committed suicide are deceitful. I saw it with my own eyes that they murdered my father.¹³³

No one believed the suicide lie, because one of the wrestlers that committed the murder confessed after a while:

Fahri Bey went from behind and held back his [Sultan Abdülaziz's] arms. Haji Mehmet and Algerian Mustafa sat on his knees. And I cut his veins in his left arm as deep as I could with a pocketknife. I even pierced his right arm at several places with the knife …¹³⁴

When an investigation was launched after the bloody attack, anglophile Midhat Pasha sought refuge in the British Consulate, predicting how events could unfold against him.

Historians report that prior to the coup, Midhat Pasha was constantly over-praised by the European media, most notably by the British papers. Indeed, during his first term as grand vizier before the coup, which lasted eighty days, Midhat Pasha allowed Egypt and Tunisia to borrow independently, which caused Egypt to come under British - and Tunisia under French - rule. After the coup, he was again appointed grand vizier and he convened the 'Constantinople Conference' (aka the Shipyard Conference), together with the participation of British officials. This conference was a milestone because Midhat Pasha, primed by the British deep state, decided to drag the Ottomans into war with the Russians, which played a big part in the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

Territorial Losses after the 1876 Coup

The rule of Sultan Abdul Hamid II, who was brought into power under pressure from the British deep state after the 1876 coup, saw the biggest territorial losses in the Ottoman Empire's history. A total of 1,592,896 sq. km were surrendered in only thirty-three years, that was the Abdul Hamid II rule.¹³⁵ The Empire also lost 5 million of its 24 million population as a result.¹³⁶ Tunisia, Egypt, Somalia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Kars, Ardahan, Batum, Thessaly, Cyprus were only some of the lands surrendered during this time.

Below is the chronological order of the losses of 1.6 million sq. km Ottoman territory during this time:

1878 – Montenegro and Serbia declared independence after the Treaty of Berlin.

1878 – Bulgaria became an autonomous principality after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, and came largely under German and Austro-Hungarian control. Bosnia-Herzegovina was granted independence in its domestic affairs. The territories of Serbia, Montenegro and Romania were expanded. Kars, Ardahan, Batum and Doğubeyazit were ceded to Russia. Thessaly was ceded to Greece.

1878 – Bosnia and Herzegovina and Yenipazar were occupied by Austria.

1878 – Abdul Hamid II gave Cyprus to Britain, in exchange for supposed protection by Britain against Russia. British troops landed on Cyprus on July 12, 1878, lowered the Ottoman flag and raised their flags instead.

1881 – France invaded Tunisia. On June 8, 1883, Tunisia became a French protectorate after the La Marsa Convention.

1882 – Britain occupied Egypt.

1884 – Somalia came under British control.

1885 – The Ottoman Eyalet of Jeddah and Habesh was invaded by Italy.

1898 – Crete was granted autonomy.

1899 – Kuwait was granted autonomy.

1908 – Bulgaria declared independence.

1908 – Bosnia-Herzegovina came under the control of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

1908 – Crete decided to join Greece.

A careful observation of the developments that took place after this British deep state coup will reveal how these surrendered lands came either under British control, or to those of her allies, or turned into small, weak countries that could be easily controlled. With this treacherous plot, the British deep state not only broke apart the Ottoman Empire, but also set the stage it needed for its global rule ambitions.

Other Military Coups

Military coups and territorial losses of the Ottoman Empire have always been closely linked. The instability that followed coups largely contributed to the further weakening of the Empire, as riots broke out across the Empire's lands and major territories were ceded. Clearly, these were carefully planned incidents by the British deep state. Let's see what territories the Ottomans lost after coups:

* After the Janissary Revolt in 1808, Selim III was deposed and was succeeded by Mustafa IV. It was anglophile Mahmud Raif Pasha, also known as English Mahmud Raif, who incited this revolt. In the subsequent Russo-Turkish war, Ottomans were defeated and ceded various areas, while Serbia gained autonomy.

* After Edward VIII, King of the United Kingdom, and Emperor Nicholas II of Russia reached a deal on June 9, 1908, the Committee of Union and Progress staged a bloodless coup and forced Abdul Hamid II to restore the constitutional monarchy (Second Constitutional Era). Right after this development, the 31 March Incident and a military coup took place. In fact, spy Gerald Fitzmaurice, who had been disguised as an interpreter working for the British Embassy, carefully devised these developments. After the coup, Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia Herzegovina, and Italy annexed Libya, Rhodes and the Dodecanese islands. Albania declared independence while Greece annexed Thessaloniki, Crete and Ioannina, and Bulgaria seized Kavala and Alexandroupoli. This marked the end of Ottoman rule in Europe.

* On January 23, 1913, Enver Pasha and Talat Pasha of the Committee of Union and Progress raided the Sublime Porte (central government building of the Ottoman Empire) and overthrew the government with a coup. This duo plunged the Ottoman Empire into WWI, which became her death sentence and caused the loss of all Arab territories.

Clearly, all military coups in the history of the Ottoman Empire have been extremely destructive and in all of them, spies of the British deep state were used. Each of those coups was meticulously planned by the British deep state and the subsequent wars and territorial losses were determined a long time before they actually took place. The British deep state encouraged the coup plotters –the sycophants of the deep state– to plunge the country into wars. It was perfectly aware how destructive these wars would be, especially at such vulnerable times. And sinister plans have been schemed accordingly.

5. Loss of the Ottoman Army and the Navy

Even though the Ottoman Empire had the world's fourth biggest army and third biggest navy during the rule of Sultan Abdülaziz, it quickly lost power when Sultan Abdul Hamid II ascended to the throne. Let us recall one more time that Abdul Hamid II was kept under intense pressure from the British deep state when he was the Sultan. The intimidating military prowess that was built during Sultan Abdülaziz's reign greatly concerned the British deep state. When another sultan came into power, whom they kept under pressure, the British deep state was able to get what they wanted. Using his own throne concerns and coup rumors as an excuse, Sultan Abdul Hamid II withdrew the impressive Ottoman Navy from use. He ordered that the ships be anchored at the Golden Horn, and left them there to rot.

The British First Lord of the Admiralty, the Second Earl of Selborne, who had inspected the condition of the Ottoman fleet during those days reported that 'There was no Navy!'.¹³⁷ The Ottoman submarine, the first in history to fire a torpedo while submerged, was left to rot in the Golden Horn. The Ottoman Empire, once the leader of the submarine race in the world, was now facing the prospect of entering WWI without a single one. An Empire that had written history ruined its own fleet at the instigation of the British deep state and entered the dreadful decade of constant wars that started with Balkan Wars of 1912 and ended with the Turkish War of Independence in 1922, without an army or a navy.

The appalling state of the navy became clear only when the Greco-Turkish war broke out in 1897. At the onset of the war, the officers planned a passage of the navy from the Golden Horn to Dardanelles as a tour de force. However, as soon as the movement started, three out of the eight boilers of the ironclad Mesudiye exploded, and the engine room of Hamidiye was flooded. The ships were supposed to meet off the shore of Yeşilköy, but a mere light drizzle was enough to cause them to get lost. Hamidiye went to Lapseki instead of Dardanelles, while the ironclad Hizber got lost. Two days later, she was found beached on the island of İmralı.¹³⁸

Already without a navy at the onset of WWI, the Ottoman Empire once again fell for the games of the British deep state and never received the dreadnoughts Sultan Osman and Reşadiye from Britain, although it had fully paid for them. Clearly, the British deep state had long before plotted with detail how the Ottoman Empire should have been destroyed with WWI.

Turkey-Russia Rapprochement and Military Coups

After the start of normalization between Turkey and Russia, and the subsequent coup attempt on July 15, 2016, the Turkish and Russian governments stepped up their efforts to solidify their alliance. Both countries began working on common strategies with respect to regional issues, most notably those surrounding the Black Sea region and Syria.

This alliance, based on the fact that only indigenous nations can find solutions to regional problems, was a valuable step forward and had a real potential to bring the peace longed for by the entire world. This is certainly not the first time the two nations cooperated: in 1833, the Treaty of Hünkar İskelesi brought expansive military security to both nations. Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II and Emperor Nicholas I of Russia realized that such a treaty could block the plots of third party countries, especially of Britain. According to the treaty, if one side requested military assistance, the other would offer that help with all its resources. Furthermore, according to the classified clause of the treaty, in case of a war waged against Russia by a Western country, the Ottoman Empire would close the Dardanelles to all warships except for those of the Russian Navy.

Although classified, the European states acquired the classified details with the help of John Ponsonby, the British Ambassador at Istanbul. The European threats of war and heavy political pressure resulted in the treaty being revoked by the London Straits Convention of 1841.

Another example of the historical Russian-Ottoman rapprochement took place during the reign of Sultan Abdülaziz. The son of Mahmud II, Abdülaziz considered Russia a close ally and friend and started an alliance process. The Russian Ambassador to Istanbul, Nikolay Pavlovich Ignatyev, played a particular role in this process. However, once again, a group of pro-British officers staged a coup and ousted Sultan Abdülaziz. Unsurprisingly, the policies of the new Sultan, Abdul Hamid II, as well as Midhat Pasha and 'English' Said Pasha, caused another war between the Ottoman Empire and Russia, which ended with the death of 250,000 people.

Similar plots and schemes continued throughout the 18^th and 19^th centuries and gave rise to a total of six wars. During these wars, European countries, led by the British, sometimes sided with the Ottomans and sometimes with the Russians. But they always prevented the two countries from being allies.

The British deep state that incited, provoked and instigated wars, sometimes acted as the mediator in peace negotiations. Of course, the only winner of those peace negotiations was always the British deep state. Innocent people lost their lives, cities were destroyed and, as a result of British deep state plots, the two great empires, the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire, were lost to the pages of history.

In the 20^th century, Turkey once again received a helping hand from her northern neighbor Russia. For instance, it was the Russians that revealed the existence of the Sykes-Picot Agreement. And during the Turkish war of independence, Turkey enjoyed military and financial support from the Russians. Indeed, as a gesture of appreciation, statues of two Russian generals, General Mikhail Frunze and Marshal Kliment Voroshilov, were erected in Taksim Square, the heart of Istanbul, along with others that helped win the independence war. Russians once again helped Turkish industrial efforts during the first years of the Republic and contributed to the recovery of war-torn Anatolia. The young Turkish Republic, however, again fell victim to deep state plots, because whenever Turks started focusing on the friendship with Russia, civil unrest and military coups would ensue. Clearly, the British deep state didn't like the friendship between Russian and Turkish people.

In the 21^st century, under the leadership of President Putin and President Erdoğan, both countries started an unofficial era of alliance in areas of policy, economy and trade. Mega projects were announced one after another as Russians and Turks enjoyed the comfort of this fruitful friendship. Even the regrettable plane-downing incident of December 2015 was not able to eclipse the solid friendship. In any case, it shortly became clear that sycophants used by the British deep state were behind the incident. Both nations greatly reaped the fruits of this friendship as they made sure that the countries continued alliance and were not fazed by outside provocations during that time. The leaders of the two countries, exercising sound judgment, strengthened their alliance and foiled the plots of the British deep state.

Now, our biggest advantage is the awareness that the plotter is the British deep state. Knowing the identity of the so-called 'mastermind' will completely render ineffective any plots planned against the two countries.

It should be remembered that empires that built great civilizations will never completely disappear. Indeed, today both countries enjoy sizable influence and power in their regions. As a matter of fact, with a Muslim population of 20 million, Russia today hosts a Muslim community that is larger than many Islamic countries. Considering the current power potential, it is obvious that only the Russian-Turkish alliance can bring real peace to conflict zones in the region. Therefore, it shouldn't come as a surprise that some circles that feed on wars are targeting this alliance. Yet, the 230 million people of Russia and Turkey have the power to reinforce this alliance and further their common goals.

6. British Spies in the Ottoman Empire

British ambassadors, consuls and diplomats merit special consideration in any study regarding the activities of the British deep state in the Ottoman Empire. These officers, who were in the Ottoman lands supposedly to serve as diplomats, were most often working as spies. Indeed, they immensely helped the British deep state achieve its goals. Some of them befriended Turkish bureaucrats, some tried to sway Turkish politics. Some of them incited and offered logistic support for riots among minorities living peacefully until then on Ottoman lands. When acts of friendship or promises of economic assistance didn't work, they didn't hesitate to resort to threats or blackmail.

The British deep state used professional spies, too. These people could be disguised as archeologists or travelers, and worked to incite anti-Ottoman sentiments among minorities living under Ottoman rule. One notorious example is the British archeologist/agent Gertrude Bell, who planned and put into action the riots in Iraq, Syria and Jordan. Bell, with her spying activities, impressed the British deep state so much that she was later referred to as 'daughter of the desert' or 'the uncrowned queen of the desert'. Speaking fluent Arabic, Persian and Turkish, Bell befriended local people and merchants in Ottoman-ruled Jerusalem, Syria and Iraq. With the pretense of carrying out archeological studies, she drew maps of the regions and sent them to the British Royal Geographical Society. She contributed to the Ottoman losses of Mosul, Baghdad and Basra.

At the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, Bell helped Churchill, one of the most prominent members of the British deep state, draw the borders of Iraq with a ruler.

The British spy T. E. Lawrence was responsible for the Arab riots in Hejaz, as the readers have seen in the previous chapter. The British deep state used Lawrence for sedition and provided money and arms to Arabs, to be used against the Ottoman administration. After the riot, the region came under British control.

The order that 'Lawrence of Arabia' gave to Arab rebels as the Turkish army was withdrawing clearly showed his hatred of Turks: "The best of you brings me the most dead Turks! No prisoners!"¹³⁹

Bell and Lawrence attended the Cairo Conference held in 1921, with Churchill as the chairman. Churchill nicknamed the participants of the gathering 'Forty Thieves' for plundering the Ottoman territory. At the conference, it was agreed that Britain should maintain its mandate over Palestine and Abdullah from the Hashemite house should be the king of Jordan, while Faisal from the same house should be the king of Iraq. It was also decided that Husain, the Sharif of Mecca, should control the Hejaz, while the House of Saud should control the Arab peninsula and the Nejd. Britain would provide financial assistance to all of these people, while the Royal Air Force would be responsible for the security in the area. In line with the decisions, the British bombed thousands of settlements and martyred tens of thousands of civilians. All those lands shared at the conference were former Ottoman territories. The zigzag shape on the Jordan-Saudi Arabia border is known as 'Winston's Hiccup'. Years later, Churchill said that he had created Transjordan "with the stroke of a pen, one Sunday afternoon in Cairo".¹⁴⁰ It was this easy for the British deep state to play with countries, states and peoples.

A Report on How the British Deep State Influenced the Ottoman Statesmen

The ambassadors of the British deep state were able to make the Ottoman Empire enter war at will, made it sign peace treaties that worked to the British advantage, deposed Ottoman sultans, and had grand viziers executed. They achieved this power by means of certain Ottoman statesmen that were under their control. These people were hypocrites who betrayed their country and chose to serve the British deep state. For this reason, the British deep state has kept a close watch on Turkish statesmen throughout history. One report that G. Barclay, a British embassy officer, sent on January 18, 1907 is a good example of this trend. The report, which provided information about senior Ottoman officers to the British deep state institutions, included characterizations and even derogatory remarks about these people and even their wives. Some of the examples from the report can be found below:

Grand Vizier Kamil Pasha: Cypriot Jew. Talented and honest. Exiled to Rhodes and sought refuge in British Consulate.

Said Pasha: Former grand vizier. Also known as Little Said Pasha. Extremely energetic and ambitious. He deeply loves his country. Extremely intelligent. Very impatient. He was pro-British before, but now he supports Russians.

Tevfik Pasha, Minister of Foreign Affairs: Lacks diplomatic skills. Although his wife is German, he suspects the Germans.

Memduh Pasha, Minister of Internal Affairs: Very narrow minded, hostile to Christians. From time to time, he worked in line with the British interests. Notorious for his shameless acceptance of bribe.

Ferid Pasha: Grand Vizier. Supported by Germans. He always supports Germany.

Ragıp Pasha, Chamberlain: One of the top people that can influence the Sultan. Made a huge wealth by using Palace's influence. Close to British interests.

Mehmet Nuri Bey: Son of a French man named Chateauneuf. Studied in France. A spy for the Palace. Despite his good looks, he is a degenerate.

The British Foreign Office continued to gather systematic information about Turkish statesmen. (The most recent example is the archives disclosed by WikiLeaks). Other arrogant diplomatic language was found in the archives of 1933-1939, in the form of classified information sent by Percy Loraine to London, who was British ambassador to Turkey, with the note 'on Leading Turkish Personalities'. The letter had unofficial information about 96 administrators, journalists and intellectuals of the newly founded Republic of Turkey:

Yunus Nadi Abalıoğlu: Journalist. Short, fat. Wears butterfly glasses. Can change his mind quickly according to the circumstances. A heartless, spineless man.

Celal Nuri İleri: Journalist. Extremely pro-Western. Smart. Sly. Probably has communist tendencies.

Ahmet Ağaoğlu: Son of a Jewish man of Caucasia who embraced Islam. Worked for Russian secret service. After 1926, he sort of softened his stance against Britain.

Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu: Small stature. Mediocre in looks. Nice wife, speaks English.

Ahmet Ferid: Pro-Bolshevik. Opportunist, has no principles. His attractive wife helped him with his achievements in London Embassy.

Kazım Özalp: Most possibly anti-German and anti-Bolshevik. Poker addict.

İbrahim Tali Öngören: Physician. Ox-headed, short.

Hasan Saka: Was a Bolshevik sympathizer. Unattractive. Rowdy.

Ali Çetinkaya: While he was the Minister of Public Works, worked to nationalize foreign companies.

Fethi Okyar: Has a Mongolian face. Modest man. Has a very attractive wife who speaks English.¹

1. Soner Yalçın, 'İngiliz 'WikiLeaks'inde Ünlü Türkler', (Famous Turks in the British WikiLeaks), Hürriyet, 04.12.2010, http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/ingiliz-wikileaks-inde-unlu-turkler-16452176

Some British Spies That Managed to Infiltrate the Ottoman Empire

Ármin Vámbéry

Hungarian Ármin Vámbéry, who had multiple titles before his name, like traveler, explorer, dervish, lecturer, author and international negotiator, was a professor of oriental languages at the Royal University of Pest. He came to the Ottoman Empire to study Turkology in Central Asia and spied on the Ottoman Sultans for the British deep state. He was raised Jewish, but later converted twice. He first became a Christian, then a Muslim. He spoke five languages.

Despite having lost his faith at a young age, he disguised himself as a dervish traveling around Central Asia. He subscribed to Darwinist/materialist thinking. In 1857, he arrived at Istanbul and began giving private lessons at the Palace. He was constantly by the side of Sultan Abdul Hamid II and gave private French lessons to Midhat Pasha. He was the only person that could gain the trust of Abdul Hamid II in a very short amount of time.

According to Richard Norton-Taylor of The Guardian, 'His putative usefulness for the British was that he had the ear of the sultan of Turkey, "your friend in Constantinople", as his controller in London described him.'¹⁴¹

Sultan Abdul Hamid II called Vámbéry to Turkey in the 1880s. Consequently, he stayed at Yıldız Palace as the Sultan's special guest. When Lord Salisbury saw that Vámbéry was able to enter the Palace, he invited him to the Foreign Office and tasked him with the duty of spying on the Sultan.

Owing to his linguistic abilities, Vámbéry was hired as a translator by the Ottoman Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Recognizing the potential Vámbéry represented, the Western media also hired him as Istanbul correspondent, hoping to benefit from his intelligence and observations. He was received with great enthusiasm particularly in Britain, and dinners were held in his honor; he even received an invitation from Queen Victoria.

The House of Commons raised the question whether there was any truth to the rumors that Vámbéry went to Abdul Hamid II on a special mission assigned by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and if the rumors were true, what the mission involved. The answer was clear in stating that the rumors were completely baseless. However only one month prior, Vámbéry had gone to Istanbul upon instructions from Lord Salisbury and submitted a long, confidential report to the Foreign Office on Abdul Hamid II and the Ottoman Empire.

Sultan Abdul Hamid II said, 'I also wish very much to reach a deal with the British; I will not hesitate to offer the necessary compromises, as long as they are willing, too.' He even offered an alliance to the British by means of Vámbéry.¹⁴²

Charles Arbuthnot

Charles Arbuthnot was the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire between 1804 and 1807. He was also behind the failed operation of the British navy attack on the Dardanelles Strait and its coming to the offshore waters of Prince Islands to threaten Istanbul.

Prior to the Dardanelles Operation of 1808, Russia invaded the Turkish lands of Moldavia and Wallachia without any declaration of war. Urged by the French ambassador Horace Sébastiani, the Ottomans began war preparations against Russia. However, British ambassador Arbuthnot, who was working in liaison with the Russians, issued an ultimatum to the Ottomans, demanding that Sébastiani be removed from Istanbul, a peace treaty be signed with Russia, an alliance treaty with the British be renewed, and British and Russian navy fleets be allowed to freely pass the Straits. Following this ultimatum, the British supported the Russians when they entered Moldavia and Wallachia, and then demanded that Dardanelles forts be surrendered to Britain. Ambassador Arbuthnot said that unless those demands were met, he would go to Bozcaada and come back with the British fleet to start bombarding Istanbul.

Arbuthnot on board, the British navy in Dardanelles sank four Turkish ships, with ten large galleys, and entered the Sea of Marmara to advance towards Istanbul. When the British fleet anchored at Istanbul, there were new demands on the list and the British insisted the Turkish navy be entrusted to the British. This attitude sparked immense outrage, first in the military and then among madrasah students. The people of Istanbul and, finally, the government decided to fight back. Key positions along the shore were arranged as defensive positions and some 300 cannons were placed. At the same time, people of the Prince Islands and fishermen were waging guerilla warfare on the British. This entire defense effort forced the British fleet to retreat. When their final attempt of a threat failed, the British navy withdrew completely. Artillery defense at Dardanelles did not let the British fleet pass through.

Henry Elliot

Another notorious spy who worked for the British deep state was Sir Henry Elliot, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. He was a close friend of Grand Vizier Midhat Pasha, who helped dethrone Sultan Abdülaziz Khan, and caused Egypt to come under British rule by issuing the edict that allowed Egypt to borrow money from foreign creditors. Elliot was one of the architects of the coup of 1876 and the Russo-Turkish War (1877-78).

When Midhat Pasha became Grand Vizier after the coup, he held the 'Constantinople Conference" (aka the Shipyard Conference) in Istanbul with the participation of the British. In this conference, which was meant to prevent war, the Ottomans were pressured to give independence to Serbia and Montenegro, as well as autonomy to Bosnia Herzegovina. Britain knew perfectly well that the Ottomans would never accept such conditions and that they would declare war instead. Indeed, when the agreement requirements were disclosed, it was again Britain that urged Midhat Pasha to resist, promising that in case of war, he could trust Britain. Finally, what Elliot (in other words, the British deep state) wanted came true, and the Ottoman Empire and Russia declared war against each other. This war caused the Ottoman Empire one of its greatest territorial losses. Once again, those familiar tactics were in play and the 'peace' agreement was signed with the mediation of the British.

One of the most notorious tactics of the British deep state is egging on two sides, making them fight and then mediating a peace agreement between them. Similarly, the Treaty of Karlowitz of 1699, with the Ottoman's first major territorial losses in the West, was signed under pressure from British Ambassador William Paget, 6^th Baron Paget. The Treaty of Passarowitz, signed after the Ottoman-Venetian and Austro-Turkish Wars of 1715-1718 and which also saw Ottoman territory losses, was also signed with British ambassadors as the mediators. All of these treaties were actually the result of British deep state policies. This shouldn't be surprising - it has always been the British deep state that secretly set the stage for the conflicts and provoked the wars. The real winner after these treaties has always been the British deep state. The Ottoman Empire, on the other hand, came one step closer to destruction every time it was forced to sign a treaty at the instigation of the British deep state.

Austen Henry Layard

Henry Layard, who succeeded Henry Elliot as the British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, was another spy that worked disguised as an ambassador. Having been appointed as a Privy Council member by the Gladstone government, Layard is considered the person that ensured British control over Cyprus via the Cyprus Convention of 1878. Even though he seemed to be pro-Turkish, his main policy was making Russians and Ottomans fight and weaken each other, thus playing into the hands of the British deep state. Abdul Hamid II granting certain facilities to the British deep state, which would make it easier for Britain to gain control of Cyprus, made Layard's job much easier.

Layard informed Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, the then British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs that, according to Islamic tradition, for an administrator to be removed from the position of Caliph and dethroned, he had to be mentally ill. A scheme based on this information brought about the dethronement of Sultan Murad V, to be succeeded by Abdul Hamid II, who had to give into the pressure of the British deep state. This was a grim example of how the British deep state could change even the Ottoman Sultans using its spies. 

7. Sycophants of the British Deep State

Throughout its history, the British deep state has seen hypocrites as its most effective tool in its never-ending quest of gaining control over different regions, of inciting riots, staging coups, of overthrowing governments and spreading perverted ideologies. After identifying a country as a target, the British deep state actively seeks out greedy individuals with self-esteem problems for its following of sycophants. These people, due to their inferiority complex, are usually ready to adopt an anglophile character to the extent of obsequiousness. Most of the time, promises of insignificant positions, money or other assurances to be later forgotten, are enough to convince these people to do anything. These people are hypocrites, who sell their countries, abandon their religion and are capable of committing inconceivable evil for personal gains.

In the process of gaining control over India and provoking Arabs against the Ottoman administration, these minions proved most useful for the British deep state. Not surprisingly, they played an important role in the fall of the Ottoman Empire. However, the threat of traitorous hypocrites didn't end with the fall of the Empire. On the contrary, such hypocrites are still present today and continue to be handpicked by the British deep state for their greedy, impressionable and obsequious characters. These people are the main reason behind the horrible developments that took place in countries like Iraq and Syria. It should be remembered that Turkey is certainly not immune to this threat. There are many hypocrites in Turkey that seek to build ties with and serve the British deep state, at the expense of their countries. Therefore, it is crucial to take lessons from the past and correctly identify people with such traitorous characters.

The Ottoman Admirers of England

The British deep state has actively supported the movements in the Empire that it believed could weaken the unity of the Ottoman society. For instance, it set up and supported the famous 'Young Turks' and 'Committee of Union and Progress'. In addition, many destructive developments in the Empire, such as the uprising of Ali Pasha of Ioannina designed to weaken the central government, and the coup staged by Midhat Pasha on March 31, were also planned and directed by the British deep state.

The British deep state has used local elements as well. Certain 'anglophile' Ottomans considered their personal interests above those of the Islamic world and the Empire, and turned into implementers of sly British deep state plots concocted in dark London dungeons and cisterns. Throughout its history, the British deep state has never encountered any difficulty sourcing such traitorous hypocrites in the targeted countries and then manipulating them. The situation was no different in the Ottoman Empire.

Let's have a look at some spies that worked for the British deep state in the Ottoman Empire:

'English' Said Pasha

Known as 'English' Said Pasha for his deep admiration for everything English, Said Pasha played significant roles in wars that proved devastating for the Empire in the 19^th century.

After returning from his navy training in Britain, he rose through the ranks quickly and became the Minister of Navy. He was responsible for the Ottoman navy during the Russo-Turkish War (1877-78). However, because of gross negligence by the command of the navy, the capital came face to face with the risk of invasion in only five months. The war ended with disastrous results for the Ottomans, who had to cede Bulgaria, North Greece, Macedonia and Serbia to Russia and its allies.

Major mistakes made by the Turkish fleet in the Danube River also played a role in the Ottoman defeat. Interestingly, a British officer, Hobart Pasha, was in charge of the fleet at the time, while 'English' Said Pasha was the vizier. The Danube stretch was the only defensive line that could stop the Russian army from getting to Istanbul. However, the Ottoman army in Danube was heavily defeated because the British admiral was serving not the Ottoman Empire but the British deep state.

As a result, the Russian army reached Yeşilköy (San Stefano), coming very close to capturing Istanbul. In the meantime, Romania and Serbia declared their independence and the kingdom of Bulgaria was founded. The Russians annexed Kars, Ardahan and Batum, which brought the Turkish rule in Caucasus to a definitive end. As a result, some 1.5 million Circassians had to flee to Turkey. Britain also secured Cyprus as a protectorate, which later would be used as a logistics hub for the Armenian riots.

English Said Pasha was also assigned the task of reconstructing the region following the Zeitun (Armenian) rebellion. The developments in the region will be explained in more detail in the chapter on the British deep state and the Armenians.

Abdullah Cevdet

Abdullah Cevdet was possibly the most ardent supporter of Darwinism and its promulgation in the Empire. Although religious when he was young, he was introduced to materialist-Darwinist ideology at the Medical School. During those days, biologic materialism was spreading fast among the medical students, and affected Cevdet as well. With his articles, he tried to prove his erroneous idea that 'biologic materialism would in time take the place of religion'.

Cevdet was also one of the founders of the 'Society of the Friends of England'. During the years when Istanbul was under occupation, he informed on many patriots involved in the independence movement and led to their arrest by the British. He also played a significant role in the Society for the Rise of Kurdistan, which worked closely with the British authorities. Abdullah Cevdet maintained that Kurdish people should have seceded from the Ottoman Empire, and is therefore usually considered as one of the architects of the idea of 'autonomy for the Southeastern Anatolia'. He was manipulated by the British deep state for its plans to divide the Ottoman Empire and create conflict between Kurds and Turks.

It was Abdullah Cevdet who started the practice of giving license to women to work as prostitutes in brothels. About the Battle of Gallipoli, he shockingly said, 'civilization came to our doorstep, but we turned it back'.¹⁴³

During his education at the medical school, following the advice of Ibrahim Temo and acting together with Hikmet Emin of Konya, İshak Sükuti of Diyarbakır and Mehmet Reşid of Caucasus, Abdullah Cevdet founded the Committee of Ottoman Union, which would later transform into the Committee of Union and Progress. In 1908, he translated and published Reinhart Dozy's two-volume book entitled Essai sur l'Histoire de l'Islamisme in Egypt, which was then under the control of the British evolutionist Lord Cromer. This book, which was full of slanders about our religion and our beloved Prophet (pbuh), caused a huge uproar in the Ottoman society [our beloved Prophet (pbuh) is above such slanders]. In the articles he wrote in the early 1900s, he maintained that the Ottoman Empire should be ruled by the British and claimed that Britain had the world's most civil and honest government.¹⁴⁴

Journalist and publisher Zekeriya Sertel said that Abdullah Cevdet was a British spy and he once informed on Sertel and his friends due to a meeting they had.

Abdullah Cevdet, citing the relationship of British imperialism with Spain, said: 'since it is going to be inevitable to be incorporated by spheres of influence that great states are trying to create, it will be expedient to choose British among the options'.¹⁴⁵

Furthermore, he propagandized the Bahá'í faith supported by the British (the Kurdistan newspaper was being printed in a Bahá'í printing house supported by certain circles in Cairo).

Midhat Pasha

Midhat Pasha, influenced by the British deep state, plunged the Ottoman Empire in a war with Russia. He was also one of the three plotters of the coup that dethroned and caused the martyrdom of Sultan Abdülaziz. Interestingly, he was also behind the riot that led to the coup. It is also known that he had planned the coup with the British ambassador Elliot.¹⁴⁶

During his first term as the grand vizier, he signed a decree that allowed Egypt to receive foreign loans, which ultimately caused Egypt to come under British rule. Ármin Vámbéry, known as a British spy of the Abdul Hamid II era, was the French tutor of Midhat Pasha.

It is also known that during his time as the governor of Baghdad, he sought to bring the Kuwait Emirate under British rule.

Kamil Pasha

Having spent 9 years as grand vizier, Kamil Pasha was another Ottoman officer that was called 'English' for his anglophile nature. His visit to London in 1851 for an exhibition left him with a lifelong admiration for England. This admiration was such common knowledge, from spies' reports to embassy notes, that the matter was discussed everywhere. When he was assigned to Rhodes while he was the governor of Izmir, he sought refuge in the British Consulate. Only after the Sultan gave a personal assurance, he returned to Istanbul.

When he was the Izmir governor, Kamil Pasha worked with the British to create an autonomous region in Izmir, just as in Egypt. Many historians believe that Abdul Hamid II secretly supported him in this endeavor.

His final term as the Grand Vizier ended when he had to resign at gunpoint by Enver Pasha. He then sought refuge with his close friend Lord Kitchener, British Consul-General in charge of Egypt at the time.

Damad Ferid Pasha

Damad Ferid Pasha rose through the ranks very quickly, and secured a post in the Ottoman Embassy in London despite his relatively insignificant previous positions in the Foreign Office. As one of the signatories of the Treaty of Sèvres on behalf of the Ottoman Empire, he ordered the destruction of 90,000 containers of ammunition kept in Ottoman military warehouses in Istanbul, in line with the instructions of the British. He then sent an army of thugs consisting of people like Ahmet Anzavur to Anatolia to fight the Nationalist Forces of the Ankara government.

One of the co-founders of the Society of the Friends of England, he had Dürrizade Abdullah Efendi issue a fatwa for the execution of Mustafa Kemal and his comrades on April 11, 1920.¹⁴⁷

According to the last grand vizier Tewfik Pasha, Ferid Pasha was more loyal to Western world then the Westerners themselves. An article in the daily Tevhid-i Efkâr described him as follows:

After he returned from London, he became a Westerner and almost turned hostile to Islam. He would always quote Greek and Latin proverbs, superstitions and mythology in his speeches, lectures and writings. (...) To sum it up, he turned completely Western, but remained a cosmopolite man devoid of any sense of patriotism.¹⁴⁸

Mahmud Raif Efendi

He was the first diplomat to serve as chief clerk in the Ottoman Embassy in London. Due to his anglophilia, he gained the nickname 'English Mahmut'. He instigated the Kabakçı Mustafa Rebellion of 1808, which brought death to him as well. This rebellion caused the deposing and subsequent murder of Sultan Selim III, after which Istanbul became a lawless city controlled by thugs for almost one and a half years. During this time, the Wahhabi riot broke out in Arabia but the Ottomans failed to quickly suppress it because of its domestic problems. The effects of this rebellion are felt to this day. Raif Efendi's book on his trip to Britain clearly demonstrates his deep admiration of that country.

Young Ottomans or the New Ottomans

Sultan Abdülaziz's opponents organized as Young Ottomans, under the leadership of Midhat Pasha, who was behind the coup of 1876. Ali Suavi, who attempted another coup a couple of years later, did so with his wife, who was also a British spy. This group was the beginning of Young Turks and the Committee of Union and Progress. Young Ottomans believed that the Ottoman Empire could only be saved with the help of the British.

Young Turks, İsmail Kemal Bey and Damad Mahmud Celaleddin Pasha

As a continuation of Young Ottomans, this group later turned into the Committee of Union and Progress. Most Young Turks were supported by the British deep state. When in 1899, İsmail Kemal Bey, Damad Mahmud Celaleddin Pasha and their sons fled to Europe, the Young Turk movement began to assume a pro-British stance. Those Young Turks that believed in the necessity of British intervention in Ottoman lands later split from the core society and founded the 'Ottoman Society of Promoters of Freedom', and tried to stage a coup with the help of the British, but failed.

Prince Sabahaddin, who was considered one of the names behind the 31 March Incident, was the son of Damad Mahmud Celaleddin Pasha. He argued that the Ottoman state system should be modeled on the British system. Another Young Turk, Ahmed Rıza, who was the son of 'English' Ali Rıza Bey, one day came across a British ambassador who was going to Sarayburnu; he untied the horses drawing the ambassador's cart and tied himself in their place. That was the shocking extent of the anglophilia of those sycophants.

Nevertheless, when the Committee of Union and Progress finally came into power, it failed to secure the support it expected from Britain. Because the real intent of the British had been supporting the opposition and radical anti-state movements to create an atmosphere of conflict around the empire, which, to a large extent, it achieved.

Dervish Vahdeti and the 31 March Incident

Dervish Vahdeti, who was one of the significant leaders of the 31 March Incident, was in truth a Cypriot spy working for the British. Prior to the riot, he was making provocative claims like 'religion was being lost' in his newspaper Volkan. It should be noted that Grand Vizier 'English' Kamil Pasha was also a writer at the same paper. During the riot, Vahdeti gave long, fiery speeches to provoke people in the Sultanahmet Square. Chanting the slogan 'we want sharia', Vahdeti split the country into two and caused a military coup. The truth is, he had never been a religious person.

In his newspaper, he frequently spoke of his fondness of the British and said that Cyprus under British rule had become a little Switzerland.

Ahmet Yemin (Yalman), a young Turkish journalist back then, wrote about Dervish Vahdeti's relations with the British and the role Britain played in the 31 March Incident:

... The Cypriot petitioner named Dervish Vahdeti was in truth handpicked by the British intelligence service, was trained as a riot agent and was tasked with founding Volkan Newspaper, the Committee of Union of Mohammedians and provoking people. Although Volkan seemed to pursue an Islamist, liberal, humanist policy, it was a front to conceal its pro-British line, which had been its main task all along. That was a classical method used by the British spies.¹⁴⁹

Vahdeti was, in truth, a Darwinist who wasn't religious at all. However, he had a duty given to him by the British deep state and, true to his duty, he managed to gain influence using religion, led a pro-sharia movement and incited a wide-scaled riot. Author Sina Akşin explains the basic qualities of Vahdeti with the following words:

Islamist qualities, liberal views, pro-constitution approach, humanist and Western-leaning opinions… Vahdeti was knowledgeable about Western scholars to the extent of quoting Dreyfus, Zola and Darwin in his pieces. He was protective of old fugitives and exiles, was vehemently against the civilian leaders of the Committee of Union and Progress, most notably Ahmed Rıza. Nevertheless, he was supporting Sabahaddin Bey and Kamil Pasha. Therefore, he had a pro-British stance. Dervish believed that the best policy would be the British policy.¹⁵⁰

The 31 March Incident was co-planned by Vahdeti and his British allies. The true goal was creating turmoil in the country in an attempt to further weaken the Ottomans. One account of British agents' support to Vahdeti can be found below:

Dervish Vahdeti, who played an active role in starting the riot, did everything in his power to inflame the rising, and his Committee of Union of Mohammedians and its publication Volkan newspaper, acting together with other opposition parties, managed to provoke the media against the Committee of Union and Progress. In his sedition, he enjoyed support from Cypriot Kamil Pasha and British spies.¹⁵¹

Friends of England during the Occupation of Istanbul

The Society of the Friends of England represented the zenith of the pro-British attitude some Ottoman statesmen adopted. This organization was founded while Istanbul and Anatolia were under occupation and helped the British efforts against the independence movement. The book will examine later the particular activities of this society. However, for now, let's see the politicians that were members of this group and the roles they played in the political arena of 'occupied Istanbul'.

Tewfik Pasha, who succeeded another co-founder, Damad Ferid Pasha, as a grand vizier, was also an anglophile. In his first remark in office, he made it clear that his goal was 'rebuilding our old friendship with Britain'.

On November 22, 1919, when he was in London as the Ottoman Ambassador, he explained his plan to build an Ottoman-British alliance on defense issues and continued saying that, 'Turkish nation, from the Sultan to the people trust Great Britain and wouldn't be able to show that trust to any other nation.' As he was uttering these words, Britain was drawing up the Treaty of Sèvres at the Paris Peace Conference and making plans to share the Ottoman lands.

Tewfik Pasha even once said to Lord Curzon, the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, "His Imperial Majesty [the Sultan] was deeply convinced that the only hope for his country and his throne lay in a revival of the old relations between Turkey and Great Britain, to which he was ready to agree in any manner that might be thought best...."¹⁵²

Tewfik Pasha's peace offer was as follows:

Britain and the Ottoman Empire will sign a treaty, according to which, Ottomans will leave the protection of the freedom of the Straits to Britain, to be in favor of all nations. For this purpose, Britain might use her own soldiers or Turkish security forces. Turkish government will put the Turkish gendarme at British disposal. Furthermore, it will transfer the management of the required land strip for the protection of the freedom of the Straits, to Britain.

Such an alliance will dispel for good any thoughts prevalent in India and in other regions that Britain is hostile to the caliphate and that it wishes to destroy Turkey. The agreement will be strong proof that the opposite is true and will show to the whole Islamic world that Britain is the defender and ally of the caliphate.¹⁵³

Ahmed Izzet Pasha, who formed the first government in Istanbul after the Armistice of Mudros, couldn't provide necessary support to the Nationalist Forces, and despite his previous promises to Ankara government, he continued to serve in the Istanbul government. During his meeting with John Godolphin Bennett, one of the officers of the British occupying forces in Istanbul, he said that if he was convinced that Britain had friendly intentions towards Turkey, he could make Mustafa Kemal meet with the British commander in chief and would do everything in his power to find a common ground regarding the evacuation of Anatolia by the Greeks and that he would try to persuade Mustafa Kemal. It is clear that the occupation of Anatolia by the Greeks was a plan of the British deep state, and its members could have stopped it if they wished. This fact will be examined in greater detail in the chapters regarding the Treaty of Sèvres and the Treaty of Lausanne.

Loyal Servants of British Imperialism in the Ottoman Political Scene

During the years leading up to the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Istanbul government consisted mainly of politicians that thought salvation lay in an alliance with Britain. These people believed that their future depended on the mercy of the British imperialism. For instance:

* Mustafa Resid Pasha, who was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, claimed that he was speaking not only for himself, but also for his colleagues in the government, the Sultan and most of the people, and told the British High Commissioner Webb that the general desire was towards a British rule.¹⁵⁴

* Ali Kemal, the Minister of Internal Affairs, said to British Admiral Calthorpe that he believed that salvation lay in British rule, regardless of how it happened.

* Ahmed Reşid (Rey), who briefly served as the Minister of Internal Affairs as well as a member of the Peace Committee, wished for the acceptance of the British leadership on behalf of Damad Ferid Pasha and said that the policy of the current government was based on the trust of Turkish government in the British support.

Ali Kemal, who served as the Minister of Education and Minister of Internal Affairs in Damad Ferid Pasha government, was the great-grandfather of Boris Johnson, the incumbent UK Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. Ali Kemal was being paid by Abdul Hamid II to spy on the Young Turks. Clearly, it wasn't enough to stop him from conspiring the 31 March Incident, which led to the deposition of Abdul Hamid II.

Ali Kemal argued that Turkey should have accepted a British mandate. A sworn enemy of Atatürk, he also actively worked to stop the Nationalist Forces. Some of the remarks he uttered about Atatürk and the Nationalist Forces were as follows:

Shaking hands with Mustafa Kemal is tantamount to reaching out to thugs. They keep fighting with a makeshift army [referring to Nationalist forces]. These crazies keep saying they want independence. Remember that old Arab proverb: 'What the victor wants, what the victor gets'. That's it.

[Referring to the Turkish army fighting the war of independence] They are being blocked in every way, they have low spirits, most of them are barefooted, they lack weapons, they have a couple of trucks but all of them are useless. They have neither fuel nor spare parts. They only have oxen for transportation. [People like] Mustafa Kemal never do anything useful. Thankfully, they are rare. They should be cut off like sick limbs.¹⁵⁵ (Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his brave companions are above such remarks)

Ali Kemal was also a founder of the Society of the Friends of England.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in his famous Nutuk (The Great Speech), wrote the following about the Society of the Friends of England that had Shaykh al-Islam Mustafa Sabri Efendi, who was opposed to the nationalist movement, as their Honorary President:

One of the most important of these, the 'Society of the Friends of England' is worthy of special mention. It does not follow from its name that its members were necessarily friends of England. In my opinion, the founders of this society were people who thought, before anything else, of their own safety and their own particular interests, and who tried to secure both by inducing Lloyd George's Government to afford them English protection. I wonder whether these misguided persons really imagined for a moment that the English Government had any idea at all of maintaining and preserving the Ottoman State in its integrity?

At the head of this Society were Vahdettin, who bore the title of Ottoman Sultan and Caliph, Damat Ferit Pasha, Ali Kemal, Minister of the Interior, Adil Bey, Mehmet Ali Bey and Sait Molla. Certain English adventurers, for instance a clergyman named Frew, also belonged to this Society. To judge from the energy the latter displayed, he was practically its chairman.¹⁵⁶

Clearly, Atatürk was keenly aware of the British deep state spies and anglophiles within the Ottoman Empire and immediately recognized their true aim as dismembering the Empire. Realizing the magnitude of the danger, Atatürk began to build his plans to defend and save the country together with true patriots, and launched the war of independence.