ABSTRACT
The Ottoman Empire was one of the most tolerant Muslim states to ever exist, since Ottomans followed the Hanafi rite of jurisprudence, the most liberal of the four rites. In the Ottoman Empire, conversion also involved voluntary communal or individual conversion for better economic and social status, less taxation, and the privilege of belonging to the victorious class. Ottoman rule endowed the Dhimmis with religious, organizational, and somewhat judicial autonomy in managing their inner domestic affairs. The main characteristic of the social relations between Muslims and Dhimmis in general, and Jews in particular, was the scorn, disgust, and abhorrence Muslims demonstrated toward the Dhimmis. In the case of the Greeks, religion-based hostility was intensified by economic and social rivalry. Once the Turkish Republic was established, it became a smaller country but with much more homogeneity regarding origin, culture, and religion: the majority consisted of Turks and Muslims.
