‘Dhimmi’ Status: How Did Jews Fare Under Islamic Rule?

A frequently heard view from many historians — Muslin historians in particular — has been that Jews living under Islamic rule fared far better than their coreligionists living under Christian rule. While that may have been true to an extent, the bar for comparison set by Christians was abysmally low. During the millennium of Muslim rule over Jews, there definitely were many ups and downs. The mass Jewish presence in Muslim countries — where they had lived for many centuries under second-class dhimmi status — came to an end following the establishment of the State of Israel.
 
Quote: “God has entangled us with this people, the nation of Ishmael, who treat us so prejudicially and who legislate our harm and hatred…. No nation has ever arisen more harmful than they, nor has anyone done more to humiliate us, degrade us, and consolidate hatred against us.” — Maimonides
 
Quote: “Although Jewish life improved under Islamic rule, an interfaith utopia did not exist. Jews still experienced persecution. Under Islamic Rule, the Pact of Umar was introduced, which protected the Jews but also established them as inferior. Since the 11th century, there have been instances of pogroms against Jews. Examples include the 1066 Granada massacre, the razing of the entire Jewish quarter in the Andalucian city of Granada. In North Africa, there were cases of violence against Jews in the Middle Ages, and in other Arab lands including Egypt, Syria and Yemen.” — Wikipedia
 
Sources: Wikipedia, The Jerusalem Post
 
Learn more about the history of Jews under Muslim rule on Wikipedia. >>
 
Read “What Do You Know? Dhimmi, Jewish Legal Status under Muslim Rule.” >>
 
Read “Maimonides on Jewish humiliation under Islamic rule.” >>
 
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