The jihad call of 1914

In the chapter on the Islamic union, Shakib Arslan presents what followed the Ottoman sultan's declaration of his call to holy war (jihad) at the end of 1914, after Turkey entered the war. ¹

He notes that the Allies portrayed the call as a cry in a wilderness. He holds that the reality was otherwise, and that Muslims in many regions responded to it, even if the response was delayed on the surface. ¹

He links this to the Muslims' estimate of Turkey and Germany in the war, and presents his view that the leaders of the Muslims understood the limits of the strength of the Ottoman state. ¹

This is the author's opinion and his testimony, and it is a matter of dispute. It needs to be compared with Ottoman, British, and French documents, and the date of the declaration needs a source on when the Ottoman state entered the war. It needs a further source.