The role of the Baghdad Ashrafs Syndicate in encouraging jihad during World War I

With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the Ottoman Empire entered a comprehensive military conflict alongside the Axis powers in an attempt to regain some of its declining status on the international stage. The Arab states, including Iraq, were part of this conflict by virtue of their political affiliation with the Ottoman Empire, which at the time was a major cultural and civilizational center in the province of Baghdad. Events unfolded in a complex manner, particularly in light of growing nationalist sentiment, increasing British influence in the Gulf and Basra, and the declining prestige of the Ottoman Empire among some of the population.In this tense political and religious context, the role of the Ashrafs Syndicate emerged. This body included descendants of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which enjoyed a high symbolic and spiritual status in Iraqi society. The Ottoman authorities sought to capitalize on this status by coordinating with the Ashrafs Syndicate to issue a fatwa declaring jihad. This fatwa aimed to mobilize popular and religious support for the war and legitimize the fight against the Christian European powers, led by Britain and France. The declaration from Baghdad was part of a campaign launched by the Ottoman Empire with the support of scholars, not simply a political struggle between empires. This declaration had a significant psychological and moral impact on the popular base, helping to mobilize people behind the Ottoman Empire, despite the ethnic and sectarian divisions and disparities that pervaded the Iraqi social