What is the connection between Izz ad-Din al-Qassam and Turkey?
The "Al-Qassam Brigades" of Hamas, which carried out the Al-Aqsa Flood operation targeting Israel and throwing not only the Middle East but the entire world into turmoil, are among the most discussed armed groups in recent days. Habertürk columnist Murat Bardakçı explained who Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, the man who gave his name to this armed group referred to as the "Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades," was and what his connection to Turkey is.
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Hamas, "Al-Aqsa Flood" surprised Israel and the world with its operation. The group that carried out the operation was Hamas's military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades .
Writing an article about the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Habertürk columnist Murat Bardakçırevealed that Izz ad-Din al-Qassam served as a battalion imam in the Turkish Army during the years of the First World War.
HERE IS THAT ARTICLE BY MURAT BARDAKÇI:
"Since it is mentioned in almost every news report concerning Gaza, It is highly unlikely that you have not heard of the "Qassam Brigades"; you must have heard of them. But do you know who Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, the man who gave his name to this armed group—sometimes referred to briefly as the "Qassam Brigades" and sometimes by its full name, the "Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades"—was, and what his connection to us is? Let me tell you: He was an
Ottoman citizen; when Italy invaded Libya in 1911, Upon the occupation, he wanted to go to Libya to fight alongside the resistance fighters, even composed a march against the occupation, and served as a battalion imam in the Turkish Army during the years of the First World War!
With his full name Muhammad Izz ad-Din bin Abd al-Qadir bin Mustafa al-Qassam was born in Syria, near Latakia in 1882. His father, who was the guide of the Qadiriyya order in the Latakia region, was a madrasa teacher and a judge in the Sharia court. He studied at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, and after returning to his homeland, he worked as a professor in madrasas and also served as a preacher in mosques. He entered politics, or rather began his resistance, following the Italian invasion of Libya in 1911, and after being killed by the British in 1935, he became one of the symbolic figures of Palestinian independence.
HE BEGAN COLLECTING AID FOR THE RESISTANCE
Following the Italian occupation of Libya, al-Qassam first organized protest demonstrations and began collecting aid for those resisting the occupation; he formed a group of volunteer mujahideen to go and fight there, and together with about 250 volunteers, he crossed from Syria to Iskenderun, spending a month looking for ways to reach Libya to join those fighting against the occupiers, among whom were Mustafa Kemal and Enver Bey, who would later become Enver Pasha.
However, due to the lack of transportation options, the subsequent outbreak of the Balkan War, and the Ottoman Empire being forced to sign a treaty with Italy and withdraw from Libya, he was compelled to return to his homeland. When the World War broke out in 1914, he applied to the Turkish authorities to become a soldier and was appointed as a battalion imam...
During the occupation of Libya, al-Qassam also composed an anthem that began with the words, 'Ya Rahim, ya Rahman / Unsur Mawlana as-Sultan / Waksur a'dana al-Italiyan,' meaning, 'O Merciful, O Compassionate / Grant victory to our master the Sultan / Defeat our enemy, the Italians.' The 'master, the Sultan' mentioned in the second line of the anthem was the Ottoman ruler, Sultan Reşad...
He was also an influential Qadiriyya Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, who was a sheikh, was among the few Arabs who Arab Revolt during the Ottoman Empire did not betray and remained loyal to. After the Middle East separated from Turkey following the First World War, he turned a brand new page and dedicated his life to liberating Arab lands from British and French rule...
'HE TRIED TO WARN THE PEOPLE'
First, Syria occupying the French and began to struggle against them; upon learning that he would be tried with a demand for the death penalty, he moved to Palestine in 1921 and established an organization in Haifa to fight against the British occupation. He tried to warn the public not to sell land to Jews arriving from abroad and focused all his efforts on the struggle against the British occupation.
After the organization he founded began its operations, the British, on November 20, 1935, Nablus and Jenin raided the militia headquarters near there; Izz ad-Din al-Qassam lost his life in the ensuing clash, and his funeral was held the next day in Balad al-Sheikh, near Haifa.
The clash in which al-Qassam lost his life is considered the starting point of the Palestinian uprising, and the reason his name is given to some militia groups is that Izz ad-Din al-Qassam was one of the pioneers of Palestinian independence...
If you would like to learn more about the adventurous life of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, whose name has come to the agenda again these days thanks to the recent events in Gaza, take a look at the entry on 'Izz ad-Din al-Qassam' written by Mustafa Bilge for the Encyclopedia of Islam published by the Diyanet, and obtain the research titled 'The Life and Thought of Izz-Id-Din al-Qassam' in the second issue of the London-based 'İslamic Quarterly' journal from 1979...
Behind all the problems experienced today in the Balkans, the Caucasus, and especially in the Middle East lies the fact that the liquidation of the Ottoman Empire could never be completed in a full and proper manner, and the reason why Izz ad-Din al-Qassam's name is still on the agenda lies in the fact that the imperial legacy was plundered in an unjust manner.