What is a millet system?

Millet, (Turkish: “religious community,” or “people”), according to the Qurʾān, the religion professed by Abraham and other ancient prophets. In medieval Islāmic states, the word was applied to certain non-Muslim minorities, mainly Christians and Jews. read more

The millet system is closely linked to Islamic rules on the treatment of non−Muslim minorities living under Islamic dominion . The Ottoman term specifically refers to the separate legal courts pertaining to personal law under which minorities were allowed to rule themselves (in cases not involving any Muslim) with fairly little interference from the Ottoman government. read more

The millet system was developed to protect the rights of tolerated clients within the Muslim community. Emon, Anver M. Religious Pluralism and Islamic Law: Dhimmis and Others in the Empire of Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. read more

The millet system was adapted and organized by Ottoman Sultan Fatih Mehmed II following his conquest of Constantinople in 1453. There were four millets or communities/administrative units based on religion - Muslim, Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Jewish. read more