Yahya - Justice and Tolerance in the Qur'an (2003)

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JUSTICE AND TOLERANCE IN THE OUR'AN
Turkish lands, which were then ruled in compliance with
Islamic justice, provided great comfort for people of all
religions. Non-Muslims living in Ottoman territories in
Anatolia and Europe experienced no interruption in their
social and religious lives. 25 Thanks to the strict adherence of
Ottoman sultans to the Qur'an, no distinction was made
between people because of their race, language and ethnic
origins, and people of different descent enjoyed social justice.
In his book, The Ottoman History, historian ‹smail Hakk›
Uzunçarfl›l› stresses that non-Muslim people considered the
strong tolerance of the Turks as a salvation:
The respect of the Turks for the religious feelings of non-Muslim
communities was the main cause why these people considered the
Ottoman administration as a saviour. 26
European historian Richard Peters expresses how Muslim
Turks exercised exemplary justice in the countries they
conquered:
For ages, Turks ruled many nations but never attempted to
assimilate them. They granted them their freedom and allowed
them to live by their religious principles and culture. 27
All these examples evinced the Muslim Turks'
unwillingness to exploit conquered lands. They respected the
rights of all peoples under their rule. Both Seljuks and
Ottomans took it upon themselves to protect every
individual living within their territories. Thus it was that
people of different nations and religions lived in peace
without coming into conflict with one another. If the
Ottoman leaders had not adopted a just attitude towards
these people, they would certainly have failed to found such