Abdulkadir Damolla is a Uyghur writer, poet, politician and scientist

In this weekly lecture series, we would like to introduce you to Uyghur writer, poet, politician and scientist Abdulkadir Damola.

The independence struggle of East Turkestan (i.e. Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region) has a complicated fate and is the result of the combined effect of ethnic, cultural, religious and geopolitical factors. The second half of the 19th century was the most turbulent period in the history of East Turkestan. Due to the oppression of the Manchu Empire, riots broke out. Abdulkadir Damola was born in such an era. It is known that he was born in the Dagarik region of Kashgar in 1862. He received his primary education at Hazrat Sultaniye Madrasah in his hometown. His son studied at Khanlyk Madrasah in Kashgar. Okayaka participated in the meetings of scientists in the scientific centers of the time, such as Bukhara and Samarkand, and benefited greatly from their experience. In 1891, he continued his studies in Khokant and then studied in Bukhara for 8 years. During his studies, he studied literature, history, geography, logic and accounting with Islamic scholars. He studied Arabic, Persian and Urdu. Abdulkadir Damola, who went to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage in 1907 and returned to Turkey from there, was influenced by Ismail Gaspillar’s ideas. Abdulkadir Damola, who returned to Kashgar after completing his studies, saw that his mother tongue education was poor and religion was not well educated, so he tried to put his educational philosophy into practice. Thus, the Jedi movement in Kashgar first began with the support of Abdulkadir Damola. Jadit schools are schools that teach sciences such as history, geography, literature, mathematics and calligraphy, instead of the existing “Usuri-Ghadim” system, which only teaches Arabic and religious education.

Thus, in East Turkestan, the movement of preparation, training and awakening to save the people from illiteracy and captivity began. The Jedi ideas and concepts were accepted and supported by the people. Abdulkadir Damola, who had been working tirelessly, said: “This era is not an era of ignorance and indifference, but an era of awakening and sobriety! This is an era of science, not an era of ignorance, evil, selfishness, ignorance. Sleep is the brother of death. Oversleeping during this period will lead to destruction and death.” He spoke to the Turkestan people’s pursuit of knowledge and explained the innovative educational system of the mosque madrasah. As a result of this struggle, the school was opened along with the “Jeditchilik” movement. The school began to provide education in 1885. People called it the “New School”. Turkish teachers led by Ahmet Kemal Ilkul from Istanbul taught there. Abdulkadir Damolla, in addition to teaching and serving as principal in these schools, also wrote textbooks for the schools. It especially stressed the importance of girls’ education. He expressed this idea in his writings. “Girls are the mothers of the future. An illiterate mother and an educated mother contribute differently to the culture of the nation.” He stressed the role of women in education. That is why they opened separate schools for girls.

At that time, Christian missionaries also participated in publishing works in the region together with the Uyghurs. Kazakh Bibles were published in churches and distributed to the people of the region. Later, in 1905, Swedish missionaries opened a publishing house in Kashgar called “Western Ocean”. The publishing house prints Bibles, textbooks, maps, letters, and in recent years, money at the request of the government. Recognizing this, Abdulkadir opposed Damol, carried out explanatory work among the people and took actions to make them stand up against him. In 1910, with the support of philanthropists, he founded the “Nur” publishing house in Kashgar. But in 1914, the government closed all these schools. In those difficult days of 1918, Abdulkadir Damol went on pilgrimage to Tashkent, Ufa, Gaza, the Urals, Turkey and Egypt. After this long journey, he returned to his homeland due to the easing of the political situation in East Turkestan and was appointed Mufti of Kashgar. On August 14, 1924, he was killed by an assassin while continuing his educational work. 60 years after Abdulkadir Damola’s death, Hevir Tumir, the first book about him, wrote: “The death of Abdulkadir Damola has deeply saddened the people of Kashgar. The day he died was a violent day. The sky exploded, the stars fell, the lightning flashed, and the rain poured down. The earth was destroyed, and the mountains were destroyed. The world became one, people’s tears flowed, and the fire in their hearts burned. Abdulkadir Damola was a great scholar. The whole world is crying for him.”

Abdulkadir Damola wrote several works and published them in Ufa, Tashkent, Kokand and Kashgar. Abdulkadir Damola left behind his great cave and 16 works after his death. He was a leader who was born to educate and educate his people. He raised intellectuals in this cave and regarded struggle and unity as the first conditions and mandatory obligations for a free life.