Research Paper on Religious Rules

Introduction

Religious clashes were a significant challenge to the Mughal, Ottoman and Safavid empires. The three were among the greatest empires that towered over the world between the 15th and 17th centuries (Sarafan, 2011). The trio of leaders used different ideologies to manage the religious divisions in their empires, and the successful systems led to the greatness of the empires. Ottoman used the millet system, Safavid used the state religion system while Mughal tried to manage the vast Hindu population. The rise of the Mughal, Ottoman and Safavid empires is attributed to functional religious systems administered by the renowned rulers.

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Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman administration used the Millet system to empower different religious orders. Muslims were the majority in the Ottoman Empire and Ottoman though it wise to design the Millet system in favor of the non-muslims. The Millet system was meant to protect the minority groups of the Jews and Christians. The Christians, therefore, used the Canon law to govern the sub-groups of Catholics, Evangelical, and Apostolic. On the other hand, the Jews used the Halakha while the majority of Muslim administered the Sharia (Aviv, 2016). The key benefit of the Millet system was that it protected the right of the citizens as well as the freedom of worship for the different religious groups. The system, however, had a drawback in that it created political conflicts between the Muslim and Christian Administrations (Aviv, 2016).

Safavid Empire

The prime religion in the Safavid empire was Shi'a Islam, which dominated between 1501 and 1722 (Authors, 2009). Safavid declared Shi'a Islam the state religion and this meant that the rulers suppressed all other forms of Islam as well as other religious groups. The Sunni Muslims were the primary victims of the state religion system as the conversion process led to the loss of lives. The Safavids vandalized shrines and any other infrastructure that belonged to any other form of religion(Authors, 2009). The rulers influenced the religious leaders who propelled the Shi'ism religion across the region who became puppets to the government. The only positive outcome of the state religion was that it ended the theocracy system which wasn't popular with the citizens. Establishment of Shi'ism brought clarity to issues relating to political and religious mandates.

Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire is remembered for administering a tolerant religious policy especially at a time when other rulers used systems that oppressed other forms of religion. The Mughals were Muslims while the population comprised mainly of Hindus. The regime advocated for equality across Muslims, Hindus and different religious types. Akbar, one of the leaders then abolished the Pilgrimage tax among other taxes that had been imposed on non-Muslims (Hollinhead, 2018). Non-Muslims also benefited from appointments to high positions in the government. The Mughal Empire also financed the building of places of worship belonging to the non-Muslims. The main setback was that the regime clashed with the elite Muslim community who didn't support the tolerance towards the non-Muslims. However, towards the last years of the empire's ruling, the tolerance policy weakened to some extent (Sarafan, 2011).

Conclusion

The three great empires used different religious policies, which achieved different goals. Ottoman's and Mughal's system shared similarities since they advocated for religious equality and freedom for worship. Mughal's empire tolerance policy is however viewed as the most popular and effective religious system. Safavid's system is highly criticized since it was characterized by oppression and bloodshed. The Millet system, state religion, and tolerance policy have therefore been the subject of study especially as they made significant contributions to the growth of the Muslim empires.

References

Authors, B. (2009). BBC - Religions - Islam: Safavid Empire (1501-1722). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/safavidempire_1.shtml

Aviv, E. (2016). Millet System in the Ottoman Empire - Islamic Studies - Oxford Bibliographies - obo. Retrieved from http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195390155/obo-9780195390155-0231.xml

Hollinhead, B. (2018). Religious Toleration in Mughal India. Retrieved from https://owlcation.com/humanities/Religious-Toleration-in-Mughal-India

Sarafan, G. (2011). Muslim Hindu Religious Interactions in the Mughal Empire: The Birth and Death of a Cohesive Culture. Retrieved from http://sensiblereason.com/muslim-hindu-religious-interactions-in-the-Mughal-empire-the-birth-and-death-off-a-cohesive-culture/