The Turks would regularly overtax Christians, subject them to robbery and kidnapping, force them to convert to Islam and otherwise exploit them without any interference. They were in essence treated as second-class citizens and referred to in Turkish as gavours, a pejorative word meaning "infidel" or "unbeliever."[
In addition to other legal limitations, Christians were not considered equals to Muslims: testimony against Muslims by Christians and Jews was inadmissible in courts of law; they were forbidden to carry weapons or ride atop horses; their houses could not overlook those of Muslims'; and their religious practices were severely circumscribed (e.g., the ringing of church bells was strictly forbidden).Violation of these statutes could result in punishments ranging from the levying of fines to execution.
0 التعليقات
Post a Comment