Özet:

Abdürreşid İbrahim is an extraordinary person in Turkish/Tatar and Ottoman history with his ideas, religious-political activities and travels. Japan has a special place in his long journey to Asia in 1908, where his spent the winter and spring of 1909. Abdürreşid İbrahim has been treated as a special guest in Japan due to his respected personality and his sincere relations with Japanese nationalists who embrace Asian expansionism. During his time there, while trying to get to know Japan in religious, political and social aspects, he was able to explain Islam to almost every Japanese he met and dialogue with. On his behalf, he thought that a Islamizing Japan would be a strong support for Tatars under Russian occupation. The moral maturity of the Japanese, their close position towards Turks and Muslims, and their rapid progress as a nation of the Orient were amongst the factors that encouraged him. Abdürreşid İbrahim established a dialogue with the leading people of the society such as statesman, soldier and journalist in Japan and enable many of them meet Islam. In his presentations, he tried to convey the essence of religion by using a simple and clear style. Japanese who he is in relation with, presented kind reception towards him and also some of those accepted Islam. Although Japanese conversions have been overshadowed by political accounts, Abdürreşid İbrahim’s activities in Japan are important for the analysis of the ideas and invitation strategy of a Muslim Turkish intellectual in the early 20th century.