October 7, 2005

Ottoman Dhimmitude

By Andrew G. Bostom
Turkey is once again storming the gates of Europe. Not the gates of Vienna, as in 1683, but the political portal at the entrance to the European Union, a borderless economic and political entity which wants to become a superstate counterbalance to America. European opponents of Turkey's membership are soothed with reassurances that the Ottomans were at heart a tolerant lot, so there is no reason to fear a rapidly growing Islamic population added to Europe's declining headcountof citizens. Part 1  in this series examined jihad in Ottoman Turkey's history. Part 2 today examines dhimmitude, the lowly status accorded non—Muslims in Ottoman (and other Islamic) history. Part 3 will appear tomorrow. In examining how the non—Muslim populations vanquished by the Ottoman jihad campaigns fared, it is useful to begin with the Jews, the least numerous population, who are also generally believed to have had quite a positive experience. Joseph Hacker studied the fate of...(Read Full Article)