Islam should speak for the new constitution

Constitutions are a very important topic within contemporary discussions of Islamic thought. This discussion, starting with the initiatives of Tunisian Hayreddin Pasha, continues until today. Tunisian Hayreddin Pasha was the grand vizier to Sultan Abdülhamid II, who started modernization in Islam. Ahmet Cevdet Pasha is another pioneer of the pursuit for a new constitution within Islam. He too, was a grand vizier to Sultan Abdülhamid II. He did not get along well with Tunisian Hayreddin Pasha. However, he was a pioneer of a new constitution that integrates with Islam in modern times. He crowned this with the Mecelle, an Ottoman code of civil law. The Mecelle is a great piece of work in terms of the relationship between Islam and modern law. It is a shaping of Islam which embraces the problems of contemporary times and takes a constitutional form. On the other hand, it is the resolution of tradition and modern constitution. The Mecelle is a constitutional experience that feeds off historical and theological depths and embraces contemporary developments. Therefore, it continues to be a resource for Islamic societies. Beyond being a pure constitutional text, it has become a source for the state, politics, the individual, law, justice et cetera.