MALAYSIA-OTTOMAN RELATIONS

During the Ottoman era, the Ottoman caliph’s influence extended far eastward into Southeast Asia. There are numerous accounts of regular interactions between the Malay Sultanates and the Ottoman Empire, mainly involving the former’s request for military assistance and political support from the latter, as opposed to da`wa or maritime trade.

The people of the Malay Archipelago had generally favorable views of the Ottoman Empire, which they called “Rum” (great world kings). Malay historical records recall several storied instances of interaction, including the account of Hang Tuah, the fifteenth-century Malaccan warrior who was sent to “Stambul,” the capital of Rum, to purchase cannons.

After the fall of Malacca in 1511 at the hands of the Portuguese, the Aceh Sultanate (1496-1903) rose to become the new center of Islam in Southeast Asia. During the reign of Sultan Suleiman (r. 1520-1566), the rulers of Aceh sought military and political help from the Ottomans as a counterweight against Portugal. This cooperation continued for centuries. When the Dutch invaded Aceh in 1873, for example, the Ottomans offered to serve as a mediator.

From the nineteenth century onward, relations between the Malay Sultanates and the Ottomans remained intact, bolstered by close personal ties between Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor (1833-1895)—who made several visits to Istanbul—and Sultan Abdul Hamid II (1842-1918). On the occasion of Sultan Abu Bakar’s visit in 1890, he and his brother, Engku Abdul Majid, married Turkish women. These marriages not only further strengthened the bilateral relationship but produced a line of mixed Malay-Turkish descendants, which included the renowned scholars Naquib al-Attas and Ungku Aziz, as well as the late Tun Hussein Onn, the third prime minister of Malaysia.

The above clearly shows that Malaysia and Turkey have shared ties for centuries. Although they do not enjoy geographical proximity, they were able to establish mutual historical links. The success of this relationship can be partially explained by the fact that the Malay Muslim community during the Malay Sultanates considered the Ottoman Sultan as the caliph, a world Muslim leader.

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20/12/2019: 3.05 pm