Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 183

Became the Ottoman Sultan – Episode 183

Stray Spark (2)

Explosions, splattering blood, and screaming people.

The citizens who had come to see the Padishah [Ottoman Emperor] in person were frozen, unsure of what was happening, and only realized the situation when they heard shouts to capture the assassins.

As soldiers drew their swords and surrounded the square, the citizens fell into extreme confusion.

They worried about being caught up with the assassins and getting hurt, which led them to try to distance themselves from the attackers.

The crowded square descended into chaos, and as citizens stumbled over each other, risking casualties, another gunshot rang out.

-Stop!

Yusuf, who had been standing calmly despite the assassination attempt, fired his pistol into the air and leisurely looked around at the surprised faces of the citizens.

His attitude, as if it were nothing, caused the citizens to stop their actions, and the soldiers were able to arrest the assassins without any further casualties.

Although the assassins were captured without significant harm, everyone knew that this was not the end of the matter.

Even the assassination of a high-ranking official would have turned the empire upside down, let alone an attempt to assassinate the Padishah in a public place.

A state of emergency, comparable to wartime, was declared around the capital, and as the empire froze, the results of the investigation were announced.

-According to the intelligence agency’s investigation, the act was committed by those who fanatically believe in Islam, considering the Padishah’s fame a threat to the fame of the great prophet Muhammad….

When the intelligence agency’s findings were revealed, the empire was even more shaken than when the assassination attempt was first announced.

“Could the investigation results be wrong? Even so, I can’t understand why they would try to assassinate the Caliph [leader of the worldwide Muslim community].”

“They wouldn’t lie about something like this. I think it’s possible. Islamic figures haven’t reacted well whenever rumors spread that the Padishah is a prophet.”

The people gathered at the coffeehouse nodded.

They couldn’t formally protest the prophet rumors for fear of being arrested for insulting the Padishah, but those who claimed Yusuf was a prophet were often attacked.

It wouldn’t be strange if that extreme reaction manifested in the worst form: an assassination attempt on the Padishah, and those who were quick to notice paid attention to the expression ‘extreme’.

‘They drew a line to prevent harm from reaching even ordinary believers of Islam.’

‘The problem is, where do they draw the line for what’s extreme?’

The Ottoman Empire was not made up of Muslims alone, and unlike previous Padishahs, Yusuf had abolished discrimination and received enthusiastic support from Christians as well.

If they hadn’t limited the target by using the unprecedented expression ‘extreme,’ the two major religions within the empire could have clashed.

The announcement alone showed that they were approaching this matter carefully, but that didn’t mean they thought it would pass without any changes.

And this thought was spot on.

Clang! Clang!

The pilgrims who had come to Mecca [Islam’s holiest city], the third holiest site in Islam, avoided the soldiers entering the city.

It wasn’t unusual to see Africans in this region, but there was only one person in the Ottoman Empire who led a unit made up of Africans like that.

“Welcome, Prince Murat.”

“It’s unfortunate that we have to meet like this, Sharif [title denoting a descendant of Muhammad].”

Sharif, meaning ‘noble,’ referred to the ruler of Mecca, who was responsible for protecting pilgrims visiting Mecca.

Abu Numay II, the Sharif who quickly chose to submit to the Ottoman Empire after the fall of the Mamluks [a former dynasty in Egypt and Syria] and was granted considerable autonomy in the Hejaz region [region in Saudi Arabia], the eastern coast of the Red Sea including Mecca, Medina, and Jeddah, had a dark complexion.

Even before Murat, a guest had already arrived.

Janissaries [elite Ottoman soldiers] wearing tall hats and armed with muskets patrolled Mecca with a grim appearance, and scenes of bound men being dragged away were also visible.

It wasn’t difficult to recognize them as Islamic scholars like the Ulama [Muslim scholars], and a group of men approached as if they had heard the news of Murat’s visit.

A man with a fierce impression and a large scar on his face paid his respects to Murat.

“It’s been a while, Prince Murat.”

“Thank you for your hard work coming all the way here. Hassan Shaytan Pal Pasha. If I had known you were coming in person, I wouldn’t have made this trip.”

The Sharif’s authority in the Hejaz region was immense.

This was partly because the Sharif was from the same clan as Muhammad and partly because he was an indigenous force that had ruled this place for hundreds of years.

If a mediocre person had come, they would have been unable to overcome the local tyranny and would not have been able to conduct a proper investigation.

‘Hassan is different.’

Hassan was Yusuf’s sharpest sword, and the current situation in Mecca showed just how sharp that sword was.

“Let’s go inside and talk in detail.”

The fact that Hassan was leading the situation despite the presence of the Sharif of Mecca showed how things were going.

Hassan, who had Murat seated in the seat of honor, spoke sharply to the Sharif.

“Sharif, do not forget that you are only alive today thanks to the grace of the Padishah.”

“…I know.”

The Sharif replied weakly.

The place where the most Islamic scholars gather and where religious research is most actively conducted was Mecca, the holy city of Islam.

The perpetrators and accomplices of this incident came from Mecca, so it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Sharif, who was in charge, deserved to have his head cut off several times.

“The investigation results were shocking. I didn’t know there were so many who insulted the Padishah. It seems natural that traitors come from this place.”

“That’s not…”

“Now!”

Hassan, who cut off the Sharif’s rebuttal with a shout, glared with fierce eyes.

“Are you saying there is falsehood in my investigation?”

Hassan’s gaze, who had survived dozens of life-threatening situations, was not something that the Sharif, who had lived peacefully in Mecca all his life, could handle.

There was no way he could say anything more, especially with the entire empire in a rage over the Padishah’s assassination attempt, and he had no choice but to be kicked out after being ordered to leave.

Hassan, who had kicked out the Sharif, sat down in a leisurely manner, as if he had never had a murderous look on his face, and Murat asked.

“How far did Father plan this?”

“What are you talking about?”

“There’s no need to play dumb. There’s no way Father would just let himself be the victim of an assassination attempt.”

There was no way that a man who had survived even when he was a weak youngest prince would be caught up in a sloppy assassination plan now that he held absolute power.

Hassan raised the corners of his mouth at this firm belief.

“The Padishah does not harass innocent citizens. He may do a little prodding to control the variables.”

Murat relaxed his hardened face and stood up from his seat at the words that he had not made an innocent person an assassin.

“That’s all I needed to know.”

“You just got here, are you leaving?”

“This isn’t a situation where I can relieve my fatigue, and my curiosity has been satisfied, so I must return.”

Hassan shook his head as he watched Murat disappear, waving his hand.

It wasn’t something to say to a member of the royal family, but he was eccentric.

***

Since the intelligence agency had such a deep understanding of the assassination plan that its people were among the perpetrators, it was easy to identify those involved.

Not only those directly or indirectly involved in the assassination, but also those who had committed crimes by reacting excessively to the rumors that Yusuf was a prophet during the investigation were identified, and the number reached hundreds.

Among them were many scholars who were usually respected in Mecca, so it was no exaggeration to say that Mecca was devastated, and Yusuf leaned back in his chair after receiving the final report.

“Shemsi Pasha, what is religion?”

Shemsi hesitated to answer, as it was not simply a question about Islam but a more comprehensive question.

“In the end, it is education.”

Allah, heaven, the afterlife, enlightenment, nirvana, etc.

Putting aside these personal beliefs, Yusuf would say that religion is education when evaluating the value of religion in a country.

“Even just looking at the Ten Commandments, you can see that it teaches the basic ethics for people to live like human beings and stabilizes society.”

Islam does not regard the Bible as an absolute authority, so it does not emphasize the Ten Commandments, but as it regards Moses and Jesus as prophets, there are commands similar to the Ten Commandments in the Quran [Islamic holy book].

In an era where public education was not available, religion was an excellent tool for teaching these universal ethics.

Even if you just followed what religion taught, most crimes would not occur.

“But what should we do if that religion shakes society instead?”

“Shouldn’t we correct it?”

“Yes, of course, we should.”

Based on modern standards, Islam has many rough edges.

There are many gender-discriminatory elements such as honor killings, and there are even passages in the Quran that say to cut off the heads of infidels during war (jihad) [struggle or striving].

Jihad is a word that can be used in various situations besides holy war, which means war, so it has the problem of being easy to justify murder.

‘I don’t understand, but…’

Considering the era and surrounding circumstances in which Muhammad spread Islam, I understood why the Quran was excessive.

Muhammad himself faced death several times, so he had to engage in frequent wars, so it was inevitable that he would be more violent than other religions.

But that was then, and it is dangerous to follow the doctrines established to withstand persecution as the number of Muslims has increased as it is now.

“The current situation is good. Anger at extreme Islamic figures is widespread in the empire.”

This expression ‘extreme’ was important.

Perhaps it is because humans are social animals? Muslims were more angry about this incident than people of other religions, and public opinion was formed that they should be severely punished.

As if to prove that they had nothing to do with it by being more angry than people of other religions.

“In the current situation, it may be possible to intervene in the sacred Quran.”

“Even if you have the reputation of being a prophet, it won’t be easy.”

“I don’t even think I can rewrite the Quran.”

Islam does not even try to translate the Quran written in Arabic because the content may be altered.

“However, I can express the contents of the Quran more clearly and gloss over the ridiculous contents that ordinary Muslims can agree with.”

Clearly limiting the situation written as jihad to wartime, or emphasizing the prohibition of murder, one of the three major taboos of Islam, to strictly prohibit honor killings.

There is definitely room for intervention in this direction.

With secular power close to absolute power, the position of the Islamic Pope called the Caliph, and this opportunity where Muslims want change as now, it is an impossible task if missed.

“And I am thinking of abolishing religious laws such as Sharia [Islamic law] that are used in the empire and enacting laws that apply to all citizens.”

Currently, the Ottoman Empire maintains the Millet system [separate legal courts pertaining to different religious communities], in which communities of each religion govern themselves in order to smoothly govern citizens with different cultures and religions.

They are punished based on religious laws such as Sharia, the laws of Islam, as well as taxes.

In particular, many countries still use this Sharia in modern times, and they operate strictly, such as cutting off the wrists in the event of theft like in Saudi Arabia.

Refugees have also organized Sharia police to carry out their own punishments, causing problems.

It is necessary to fix this together this time for the future.

“Rather than declaring the abolition of religious law, it would be better to create a higher law that absorbs religious law.”

“It would be better to do that in order to proceed with as little trouble as possible.”

“It seems like I’ll be busy for a while.”

It was obvious that the managers would receive heavy workloads as there were many things to be fixed by mobilizing Islamic figures who obeyed Yusuf, including Sheikh al-Islam [highest religious authority in the Ottoman Empire].

Yusuf threw meaningful words at Shemsi, who was already thinking about a life steeped in coffee.

“I wish it would be a relief if there was only work to do with internal affairs.”

“…Padishah?”

Yusuf smiled slyly at Shemsi’s gaze, asking what he was planning again.

***

“I will carry out the execution!”

The citizens of the capital looked up at the equipment they had never seen before.

Above the head of the prisoner kneeling on the platform, a sharp blade hung threateningly.

The citizens whispered at the sight of the unfamiliar guillotine.

“The Padishah is truly kind-hearted. How can he send those who deserve to be torn to death so comfortably?”

“He’ll die in one stroke without pain.”

It is usually not easy to cut off someone’s head with a sword in one stroke, so it is common to execute the death penalty by chopping the neck several times like chopping firewood.

Since the most gentle punishment, beheading, is at least this much, there is no need to mention the death penalty involving torture.

It was natural for some citizens to complain that they were dying comfortably, even though they were attempted assassins.

Curses from the citizens poured out on the prisoners, and blood flowed on the guillotine.

Nearly a hundred people involved were executed, and a shout filled with anger at the attempted assassins filled the square.

When the execution was over and people felt that the situation was being resolved as the new direction of reform was announced, a strange rumor spread.

-The Portuguese were involved in the assassination of the Padishah.

With all the accused dead and unable to argue, this strange rumor spread quickly.

It was shortly before the Habsburg mediator arrived.