William Gladstone's Attitude Towards Islam

Abstract

During the heyday of British imperialism in the nineteenth century, perceptions and attitudes towards Islam were derived from the British Empire's special relationship with the Eastern Question and long-standing trends in Victorian culture. This article explores the views of William Gladstone towards Islam, which have been the subject of a series of controversial debates among scholars. Although most studies of Gladstone have explored the links between his political development and his Christian faith, they have not analysed the grounds of his doctrines towards the Islamic world. In light of the inflammatory rhetoric that Gladstone employed in the 'Bulgarian Horrors' pamphlet, his indignation over Turkish rulers, and key elements of his policies towards Christian minorities, some historians have presented the view that he was antagonistic towards Muslims. This study argues that Gladstone had always regarded the Ottoman nation states with ethnic-religious differences independently from the Sublime Porte's Islamic character of the state. The origins of his thoughts on Islamic civilization, self-government, and cumulative disillusionment with Ottoman reforms reveal the extent to which his humanitarian feelings, 'religious nationality', and moral foreign policy influenced his thinking about Islamic governance. It further considers how Gladstone's liberal mindset and perceptions of Islam developed since his early life and how these later influenced his connections with other Muslim communities-Afghans, Bosnians, Egyptians, Indians, and Albanians.