Citizens or dhimmis

I am responding to Dr. Mehmet Fuat Ulus’ letter (Letters, Nov. 15) in which he claimed that Jews were granted equal citizenship by Ottoman sultans.

Jews who were expelled from Spain were given refuge by the Turkish sultan, but weren’t they required to accept dhimmi status as a condition of moving to Ottoman territories? Jews who were dhimmis would have been valued by sultans because under sharia they could be taxed more heavily than Muslims. Dhimmi status is not equal citizenship.

Jim Silverman | Pittsburgh

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