‘Ottoman scouts' return to Istanbul, this time to aid post-quake operations in Türkiye

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ADANA, Türkiye (AA) – A contingent of erstwhile “Ottoman Scouts” from Lebanon “returned” to Türkiye in the wake of the deadly earthquakes that hit the country on Feb. 6.

Mahmoud Madi, leader of a 34-member contingent of the Muslim Scouts of Lebanon, said they reached Türkiye on Feb. 11 and the team was deployed in Adana province, from where they shifted to Hatay province for search, rescue and logistics work.

The team comprises 12 rescue personnel and 10 medics besides staff for logistics.

“The strong earthquakes were felt in Lebanon, and our families were scared. Thankfully, there was no damage in our country,” Madi told Anadolu at Adana Airport as the contingent was readying to depart for Beirut via Istanbul.

“Soon after the news of the damage in Türkiye due to the twin earthquakes, my colleague Mr. Wissam Mustafa El Hajjar contacted the Scouting and Guiding Federation of Türkiye and we started packing to come here,” Madi said.

At least 41,020 people have been killed by the two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, the country’s disaster management agency said Sunday.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck 10 other provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Kilis, Osmaniye, Elazig and Sanliurfa.

More than 13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.

The members of the Muslim Scouts of Lebanon worked alongside the Turkish Red Crescent and Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) besides the Scouting and Guiding Federation of Türkiye during past week in the quake-affected areas, according to the Lebanese scouts.

“The situation was emotional, how people were receiving us…how they were looking after us,” said Madi via Fadi Iskandarani, an interpreter who is his colleague.

Iskandarani flew from the UK to join the Muslim Scouts in the post-quake operations.

For their professional and hard work, Madi told Anadolu, “our contingent of Muslim Scouts received applause and claps wherever we went.”

Over 9,000 international search and rescue personnel, including those from Lebanon, flew into Türkiye after the quakes hit its southern provinces.

- 2 South Asian Muslim brothers laid foundation of Ottoman Scouts

It was in 1912 when two Muslim brothers from then British India laid the foundation of Al Kashaaf al Utsmani, or Ottoman Scouts. After World War I, it was turned into the Muslim Scouts of Lebanon.

El Hajjar, the country head of the Muslim Scouts of Lebanon, told Anadolu that Abdul Jabbar Khairi and Abdul Sattar Khairi had come to study at the American University of Beirut in late 19th century.

“After they graduated from the university, they went to England for further studies, where they were introduced to activities of scouts and guides,” he said.

It was in 1908 that the Boy Scouts movement formally began in England.

After the Khairi brothers returned from the UK in 1912, El Hajjar said, “they met their head teacher, Sheikh Mohamed Tawfiq Alhibri, at a Darul Uloom Madrassa (religious school) in Beirut.”

The South Asian Muslim duo was teaching at the school.

“Alhibri was an Islamic scholar, and he accepted the idea, and the Ottoman Scouts were founded in 1912,” he added.

Iskandarani said the ideals of the scouts movement “go well with ethics of Islam.”

A year later, the leadership of the Ottoman Scouts “paid an official visit” to Istanbul, then the capital of the Ottoman State. Current day Lebanon was part of the state of the Ottomans those days.

“At that time, there were no borders, so people (from the Ottoman Scouts) came to Istanbul, trying to meet officials and explain to them their work in that part of the world, which is now called Lebanon,” El Hajjar told Anadolu, showing the first logo of the Ottoman Scouts on his phone.

Fast forward to 2004, the Muslim Scouts of Lebanon formally established relations with the Scouting and Guiding Federation of Türkiye.

“We have held four national training camps with Turkish counterparts in Istanbul, Erzurum, Konya and Canakkale,” El Hajjar said, lauding the camaraderie between the two nations.

Before the contingent flew to the most popular Turkish metropolis Istanbul, the team leader led prayers for the deceased in the worst earthquakes of the 21st century at Adana International Airport.

Over 9,000 international search and rescue personnel, including those from Lebanon, flew into Türkiye after the quakes hit its southern provinces.

Türkiye issued a level-4 alert, calling in international aid.

More than 249,000 search and rescue personnel are currently working in the field, according to AFAD.

Around 100 countries have offered assistance so far, with many having sent rescue teams.