Minorities
Minorities
This chapter analyzes both Muslim minorities under non-Muslim rule and non-Muslim minorities under Muslim rule. The issue of minorities in the Islamic world is complex. The minorities are not restricted to Jews and Christians, some minorities belong to religious communities that existed before the emergence of Islam (Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, Hindus, Buddhists). Others were related to Islam when they came into being but developed into distinct religions (Yazidis, Nusayris, Druzes, Babis, and Baha'is). Another group considers itself Muslim but has been placed beyond the pale of Islam by the Muslim mainstream (Ahmadis). It is important to note that whatever tolerance was practiced in most historical periods in relation to the Jews, the Christians, the Zoroastrians, and even the non-Arab polytheists were not accorded to adherents of religions that came into being after the emergence of Islam.
Keywords: Muslims, Islam, Muslim minorities, Muslim rule, Islamic political thought
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