| dc.description.abstract | Islam presents a policy of religious tolerance, rooted in teachings on the universal nature
of man, his free relationship to God, and the divine origins of other religions. The
prophet Muhammadsa separated his authority as a religious leader from his position as a
governor, creating a religiously diverse society from the very start. This contrasted to
the Christian world, where men were regarded to be born in original sin, only to be
redeemed by Christ through the one true Church. Ever since the Byzantine Empire,
Christian rulers had governed by the motto ‘One State, One Law, One Faith’, leading to
horrendous persecutions of heretics. Throughout history, persecuted Christians have
noticed the contrast to the tolerance within Islam. When, in the 16th century,
persecutions in Europe became unbearable, Christian advocates of tolerance referred to
the Ottoman Empire as the model to adopt. The example of the empire was offered in
debates on tolerance from Hungary to Germany, France, the Netherlands and Great
Britain, up until the 18th century, by tolerance advocates such as Sebastian Castellio,
Francis Junius, John Locke and Voltaire. The Netherlands became a junction, adopting
not only the Ottoman model of religious diversity, but also receiving political and
military support from Ottoman sultans. | en_GB |
