“The Conquest of Istanbul” as an ideological reading tool: In the context of ISIS perception

Bayram Çınar

Makale detayları

“The Conquest of Istanbul” as an ideological reading tool: In the context of ISIS perception

Yazarlar:

Bayram Çınar

Yayıncı:

Ankara University

Ana Başlıklar:

Din Antropolojisi

Dergi:

Antropoloji Issue 50, pp.85-100

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001348716

pISSN:

0378-2891

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 Social events are often evaluated in relation to other occurrences, with a common tendency to detach them from their immediate context and link them to unrelated narratives, making them part of a larger story. This process removes events from their natural course, leading to ideological reinterpretations of social phenomena. The conquest of Istanbul and the literature surrounding it have similarly been extracted from their historical context and repurposed for ideological interpretations. Two primary sources contribute to this decontextualization: religious texts and mythological material. Numerous narratives conveying the same message have placed Istanbuls conquest within the literary tradition of Fiten wa Malāḥim eschatological and apocalyptic literature. The mythological elements in the conquest narrative emerged through this process, as certain accounts associating the conquest with end-times scenarios were integrated into Muslim tradition and transmitted alongside historical records. The interwoven nature of these narratives has created challenges for later interpreters attempting to analyze them. In this framework, Salafi groupswho claim adherence to Muslim tradition while adopting decontextualized interpretative approachesexemplify ideological readings of Istanbuls conquest. The modern Salafi movement, particularly groups like ISIS, has asserted that Istanbul has not yet been truly conquered. While this claim may seem surprising, it is rooted in theological and mythological codes underlying this particular worldview. The effort to reconquer Istanbul based on Fiten wa Malāḥim traditions is one of the more striking ideological interpretations observed in recent times. This example illustrates how marginal groups within the Muslim tradition draw from specific intellectual sources to expand their influence.

 Social events are often evaluated in relation to other occurrences, with a common tendency to detach them from their immediate context and link them to unrelated narratives, making them part of a larger story. This process removes events from their natural course, leading to ideological reinterpretations of social phenomena. The conquest of Istanbul and the literature surrounding it have similarly been extracted from their historical context and repurposed for ideological interpretations. Two primary sources contribute to this decontextualization: religious texts and mythological material. Numerous narratives conveying the same message have placed Istanbuls conquest within the literary tradition of Fiten wa Malāḥim eschatological and apocalyptic literature. The mythological elements in the conquest narrative emerged through this process, as certain accounts associating the conquest with end-times scenarios were integrated into Muslim tradition and transmitted alongside historical records. The interwoven nature of these narratives has created challenges for later interpreters attempting to analyze them. In this framework, Salafi groupswho claim adherence to Muslim tradition while adopting decontextualized interpretative approachesexemplify ideological readings of Istanbuls conquest. The modern Salafi movement, particularly groups like ISIS, has asserted that Istanbul has not yet been truly conquered. While this claim may seem surprising, it is rooted in theological and mythological codes underlying this particular worldview. The effort to reconquer Istanbul based on Fiten wa Malāḥim traditions is one of the more striking ideological interpretations observed in recent times. This example illustrates how marginal groups within the Muslim tradition draw from specific intellectual sources to expand their influence.

 Social events are often evaluated in relation to other occurrences, with a common tendency to detach them from their immediate context and link them to unrelated narratives, making them part of a larger story. This process removes events from their natural course, leading to ideological reinterpretations of social phenomena. The conquest of Istanbul and the literature surrounding it have similarly been extracted from their historical context and repurposed for ideological interpretations. Two primary sources contribute to this decontextualization: religious texts and mythological material. Numerous narratives conveying the same message have placed Istanbuls conquest within the literary tradition of Fiten wa Malāḥim eschatological and apocalyptic literature. The mythological elements in the conquest narrative emerged through this process, as certain accounts associating the conquest with end-times scenarios were integrated into Muslim tradition and transmitted alongside historical records. The interwoven nature of these narratives has created challenges for later interpreters attempting to analyze them. In this framework, Salafi groupswho claim adherence to Muslim tradition while adopting decontextualized interpretative approachesexemplify ideological readings of Istanbuls conquest. The modern Salafi movement, particularly groups like ISIS, has asserted that Istanbul has not yet been truly conquered. While this claim may seem surprising, it is rooted in theological and mythological codes underlying this particular worldview. The effort to reconquer Istanbul based on Fiten wa Malāḥim traditions is one of the more striking ideological interpretations observed in recent times. This example illustrates how marginal groups within the Muslim tradition draw from specific intellectual sources to expand their influence.

 Sosyal bir olay nadiren yalnızca kendisidir; genellikle başka olaylarla ilişkilendirilerek değerlendirilir. Yaygın bir eğilim olarak, bir olay doğrudan ilişkili olmadığı hadiselerle ilişkilendirilerek bağlamından koparılıp daha büyük bir resmin parçası hâline getirilir. Bu süreçte, söz konusu olay doğal mecrasının dışına çıkarılır. Böylece sosyal vakıalar, ideolojik okumalara konu olacak biçimde yeniden kurgulanır. İstanbulun fethi ve bu fethi konu edinen literatür de sözü edilen mecrası dışına çıkarılmak suretiyle bu türden ideolojik okumaların malzemesi hâline getirilmiştir. Bu olayı mecrasından çıkaran materyale ilişkin olarak iki kaynaktan söz edilir. Bunlardan ilki, dinî kaynakların sağladığı veriler diğeri ise, mitolojik materyalin imkan verdiği yorumlar olduğu bilinmektedir. Aynı mesajı taşıyan birçok rivayet, İstanbulun fethini Fiten ve Melâhim literatürünün bir parçası olarak ele alma zorunluluğunu doğurmuştur. Fetih anlatısının mitolojik ögeleri bu aktarım süreçlerinde muhtemelen meydana gelmiştir. Zira İstanbulun fethini ahir zaman anlatılarıyla birlikte aktaran bazı rivayetler, Müslüman geleneğe dâhil olmuş ve tarihsel verilerle birlikte nakledilmiştir. Aktarımların çoğu zaman birbirine karışan yapısı, sonraki dönemlerde bu metinleri yorumlamaya çalışanlar açısından zorluklara yol açmıştır. Bu çerçevede, Müslüman geleneğin parçası olduğunu iddia eden, ancak metinleri yorumlarken bağlam dışı yaklaşımlar benimseyen selefi yapıların İstanbulun fethine dair ideolojik değerlendirmeleri de, söz konusu yorumlara örneklik teşkil etmektedir. Selefî geleneğin modern temsilcilerinden IŞİDin, İstanbulun henüz fethedilmediği yönündeki söylemi şaşkınlık uyandırsa da bu görüş söz konusu zihniyetin arka planındaki dinî ve mitolojik kodlarına dayanmaktadır. Fiten ve Melâhim rivayetlerine yaslanarak İstanbulu yeniden fethetme çabası, yakın dönemde karşılaştığımız dikkat çekici ideolojik okumalar arasında yer almaktadır. Bu örnek Müslüman gelenek içinde marjinal yapıların hangi fikrî kaynaklardan beslenerek yayılım gösterdiğini gözler önüne sermektedir.

Makale detayları

“The Conquest of Istanbul” as an ideological reading tool: In the context of ISIS perception

Yazarlar:

Bayram Çınar

Yayıncı:

Ankara University

Ana Başlıklar:

Din Antropolojisi

Dergi:

Antropoloji Issue 50, pp.85-100

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001348716

pISSN:

0378-2891

Theology

Hadith of Ni’me’l-ceyş

Conquest of Istanbul

ISISTeoloji

Ni’me’l-ceyş Hadisi

İstanbul’un Fethi

İŞİD.

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Bayram Çınar

Yayıncı: Ankara University

Ana Başlıklar: Din Antropolojisi

Dergi: Antropoloji Issue 50, pp.85-100

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 6/2025

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001348716

pISSN: 0378-2891

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Bayram Çınar

Yayıncı:

Ankara University

Ana Başlıklar:

Din Antropolojisi

Dergi:

Antropoloji Issue 50, pp.85-100

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001348716

pISSN:

0378-2891