Bat Yeor

In this study of the legal and social condition of Jews and Christians subjected to Islamic rule (the dhimmis), Bat Ye’or examines various religious and historical sources, using the new term `dhimmitude’ to describe their common history and legal status. Some of the laws derive from the special status institutionalized by the Church Fathers for Jews; once Islamized, these laws were incorporated into Muslim jurisprudence applicable for Christians and Jews alike. Dhimmitude is thus discussed from the perspective of Muslim theology, and also in regard to Christian attitudes to both Jews and Zionists.

In this study, Bat Ye’or gives an analysis of the dogma and strategies of jihad, offering a vast panorama of the history of the Jews and Christians under the rule of Islam. A pioneer in a virgin field of research for which she has coined the term “dhimmitude,” the author has included a documentary section illuminating the process of Eastern Christianity’s Islamization. In two waves of Islamic expansion, the Christian and Jewish populations of the Mediterranean regions and Mesopotamia, who had developed the most prestigious civilizations, were conquered by jihad. Millions of Christians from Spain, Egypt, Syria, Greece, and Armenia; Latins and Slavs from southern and central Europe; as well as Jews, were henceforth governed by the shari’a (Islamic law). A knowledge of this historical background is essential in order to understand contemporary events.

Indispensable to the Western observer for a full understanding of the complexities of the conflicts in the Middle East, this study analyzes and documents the historical, social, and spiritual realities of the dhimmi peoples_ the non-Arab and non-Muslim communities subjected to Muslim domination after the conquest of their territories by Arabs.