Part 42
By Harith Ubaidah
Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror’s Treatment of the Defeated Christians
After Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror captured Constantinople, he went to Hagia Sophia. A large crowd had gathered inside, including priests and monks who were praying with the people. When the Sultan arrived, fear spread among the Christians. One of the monks stepped forward and opened the church doors for him.
The Sultan told him:
“Tell the people to remain calm. Do not be afraid. Return to your homes in peace.”
His words immediately eased their fears. The monks who had been hiding came out of their hiding places, and some of them even embraced Islam.
He then announced:
“From this day forward, this church is a mosque. The Friday prayer will be held here next week. Make the necessary preparations.”
Workers then began converting the building into a mosque. The paintings and crosses were removed from its walls, and the images inside the church were erased. A pulpit was built for the khatib. Under Islamic law, this conversion was considered permissible because the city had been taken by force in war.
Sultan Mehmed granted the Christians full religious freedom. They were allowed to continue practicing their faith without fear or interference. They were free to choose their own religious leaders, and a special place was set aside for that purpose. They were also given the right to settle their personal and civil affairs according to their own religious laws. The Sultan extended the same policy throughout the rest of his empire. Religious leaders were allowed to carry out their duties freely, and disputes among Christians were decided according to their own faith. In return for these rights and protections, they paid the jizya tax.
The British historian Edward Shepherd, writing about Ottoman history, tried to distort this great event in Islamic history. Driven by hostility and prejudice, he made a number of accusations against Sultan Mehmed that have no historical basis.
A similar claim appeared in the 1980 edition of the Encyclopedia Americana, which alleged that the Sultan enslaved the Christians captured in Constantinople and sold them in the markets of Edirne (Adrianople). This accusation, too, rests on Crusader narratives. Historical records show the opposite. Sultan Mehmed treated the people of Constantinople with kindness, compassion, and respect, and ordered his soldiers to deal with them in a humane manner.
Many captives secured their freedom by paying ransom. This was especially true of Greek nobles and religious figures. The Sultan personally met members of the clergy, eased their fears, and assured them that their religious beliefs, places of worship, and religious affairs would be respected. He also instructed them to choose a new patriarch.
After consulting among themselves, the Christians selected Gennadius as their patriarch. Once the appointment was made, a large delegation of priests came to meet the Sultan. He welcomed them warmly, treated them with honor, shared a meal with them, and discussed various political and social matters.
That meeting changed the views of the bishops who had met him. Their opinion of the Ottoman rulers and the Muslims was no longer the same. They came away believing they had met a man of integrity, faith, noble character, and deep humanity.
The Romans (Greeks) were equally impressed by the Sultan’s conduct. They too were granted broad religious freedom. Within a few days, the fear that had gripped the city had faded, and people returned to their ordinary lives, living once again in peace and security as they had before.
