For all their territorial conquests, the Ottoman emperors were not mere blood-thirsty potentates. On the contrary, the Ottoman civilization was reputed for its compassion.
During the Inquisition, in the sixteenth century, at a time when Jews were tortured throughout Europe and hunted down in Spain and in Portugal, Soliman the Magnificent [also known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver] gave them the entire region around the Tiberiades Lake, in Palestine.
Furthermore, Emperor Selim III abolished slavery in 1792 (three years after France, but 41 years before the British Empire, and 71 years before the United States) and, on November 3rd, 1839, Abdulmejid I, my own great-great grandfather, set up a reform which guaranteed security, honor and ownership to all his subjects whatever their origins and beliefs might be. Women were free to participate in the city life.
Renown worldwide for its open-mindedness and for its respect, Istanbul ignored borders in all their aspects – national, cultural, social and religious – and was the first great meritocracy. Thus, it was possible to be at once Ottoman and Greek, Muslim and European. The Anatolians were soldiers, civil servants and farmers; the Greeks, the Armenians and the Jews were shopkeepers. Hence, religion and nationality determined livelihood and were not sources of discord.
This organization functioned to everyone’s satisfaction until Europe interfered in the Empire’s interior affairs and began sowing discord among minorities.
