FEW WORDS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE ARAB SOCIETY UNDER THE OTTOMAN OCCUPATION

Abstract. Since the 19th century in the Arabic world, there appeared a political movement that called on doing a critical review of the current societal model and on revising some fundamental principles which were primary to the society. This has led to a certain modernization of the State (Army, etc.), the creation of schools, the abolition of slavery, the call upon reviewing the feminine condition, etc.

This current, though, didn’t have only partisans, for its opposing members, it has to be rejected because it was a threat menacing to destroy the society. This current was perceived as a menace against an important side of the society, which was the religion.

This thinking has brought a discourse that focused on specific terms and showed their incompatibility with the religious speech.

In this paper, we will introduce the interpretation made by one of the most notorious cheikhs of the Zeitouna mosque, the cheikh Tahar Ben Achour (1879-1973), of two of the most important words, “freedom” & “equality” in his book “The Foundations of the Social system in Islam”.

We will also narrow this interpretation to Tâhtawi’s1 preceding one.

Keywords: Political speech, Religious speech, freedom, equality, Coran interpretation

Another great cheikh of the famous egyptian mosque Al-Azhar.