Abdul Hamid II, The Last True Ottoman Sultan (2, 3), Dr Yaqub, Contemporary Issues Series

The Muslim world is in disarray. Disunity and division permeate every fibre of its being. Its lands have been usurped by foreign colonisers. The leaders are weak and easily manipulated by alien powers. Muslim lands are more or less bankrupt, carrying massive debt burdens that only seem to grow. Though this description fits the current situation, the year here is not 2020 but 1876. The difference is that in 1876, Sultan Abdul Hamid the Second took the mantle of Muslim leadership and in 2020 he is only a long lost memory. The descendant of a certain Ertugrul Ghazi, Sultan Abdul Hamid became Caliph in 1876. He is renowned for reviving the zeal of the Muslim world at a time the Caliphate was falling to European encroachment and nationalism. By instilling the love of Islam into the hearts of his people, he was able to unify their ranks and repel any potential division. Paying off 90 of the Empire s debts, building the Hijaz railway from Istanbul to Madinah and protecting the Holy Lands from European Imperialis