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Modern historians routinely cast the Fatimid era in Egypt and Syria as a time when flourishing non-Muslim communities enjoyed an unusual degree of influence in the state. To complement the theme of this special issue – the real and perceived influence of minority out-groups in medieval societies – this essay examines representations of non-Muslim influence in the Fatimid period by post-Fatimid Sunni authors. Such representations do not reflect pervasive hostility among Sunni historians to Shiʿis or non-Muslims. Instead, they are quite diverse and not pervaded by sectarian antagonism. They are best understood within the contemporary 'social logic' of the works that contain them. At times their authors simply transmitted earlier sources intact; at others they had narrative goals that superseded their implicit views of either the Fatimids or their Jewish, Christian and Samaritan subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the treatment of Jewish and Israeli history in post-World War II Turkish textbooks. Jewish and Israeli history remains largely relegated to the margins in the books. The Jews of Arabia are shown in an antagonistic role during the advent of Islam, while the Jews of the Ottoman Empire are generally subsumed under the category of non-Muslims. The Ottoman reception of the Spanish (Sephardi) Jews is used to exemplify Turkish tolerance. The subject of the Jewish Holocaust is usually avoided. The older textbooks strike a more balanced approach towards Israel than the recent ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The paper deals with particular tactics, established during the Fatimid era, and thus additional to the traditional ones they already possessed, which permitted the Jews to define their niche within Fatimid society. It presents three of these tactics: l. Production of historical and genealogical documents in order to ameliorate the status of dhimmls and to achieve an intermediate position of privileged dhimml. This is illustrated by an analysis of a Geniza document designed as a historical bill of rights accorded by the Prophet Muhammad to the Jews of Khaybar. 2. The writing of literary-liturgical oeuvres that respond to current persecutions through a messianic interpretation hidden behind laudatory expressions to the Fatimid ruler. It is illustrated by an analysis of the liturgical composition known as "The Egyptian Scroll." 3. Practices of mourning and repentance intended to cope with mass fear, illustrated through a record of testimony from 1030 about a traumatic event that almost took place in Ramla, but was prevented by a dream. Although the three tactics seem to be very diverse, they all responded to the Fatimid reality and used its language and norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores some implications of the "Asia" setting of Chaucer's Prioress's Tale. Its method is literal and historicist. Its argument is that the tale is meant to present real, not figurative, Jews; that Chaucer had opportunity to meet and know about Jews outside of England (which had expelled its Jews in 1290); that "Asia" in Chaucer's day was under Islamic control and Europe was threatened by Islamic invasion; that Jews were often viewed as allied with, or even interchangeable with, Muslims. The paper considers some recent scholarship on the tale and ends with interpretive options that follow from a literal historicist reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is intended as an epilogue and concludes the papers of this collection by analyzing their content from the specific vantage point of a comparison with parallel developments and phenomena in the Maghrib and particularly in Islamic Spain (al-Andalus). The issues studied in the collection are thus reviewed in a wider geographical and chronological context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is usually accepted among modern scholars that the Mamluk period marked a drastic decline in the position of non-Muslims. Jews and Christians were exposed to increasing persecutions and, inter alia, could not serve as great physicians unless they converted to Islam. Against these assumptions, the article discusses new data regarding three Jewish court physicians from the first half of the 8th/i4th century. Despite being under a strong pressure to convert, these doctors gained honorable positions and a high social status in the Mamluk sultanate. As erudite physicians and skillful practitioners, they were integrated with the highest circles of the political, military and especially intellectual Muslim elite of their time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical research on Jewish and Christian minorities within the Muslim world typically refers to the notion of dhimmi in which religious tradition formulates the relations between Muslim rule and subjects. Rulers should protect the life and property of religious minorities, while members of these communities must accept certain restrictions appropriate to their status. During the second half of the 20th century, anthropologists in North Africa were able to directly observe and interpret Jewish-Muslim interaction among the dwindling number of Jews who still lived in the region. They were impressed by the ability of both Muslims and Jew to create individualized ties that crossed communal boundaries, and suggested that this type of interaction be understood in terms of patron-client relations. This paper explores and discusses this paradigm, and argues that webs of patronage should be seen as complementing the older scheme in which dhimmi status sets the parameters for viewing a person's place in society, rather than providing an alternative to it. This elaborated perspective is exemplified with data from Jewish life in Libya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how and why non-Muslim dhimmīs were employed in a variety of important posts during the 'Abbāsid period, notably as viziers (wuzarā') and secretaries (kuttāb). One of the aims is to show that Jews and Christians were employed in the state administration to the extent that some of them were able to achieve the second highest office after the caliph: the vizier. It is argued that, despite certain legal restrictions outlined by Muslim jurists, dhimmī employment in the government had long been an established policy. The first section discusses the juristic debate on whether non-Muslims could be appointed to public office. The second examines examples of non-Muslim viziers and the nature of their political power. The final section offers possible explanations as to why non-Muslims were needed to help the caliphs administer this governmental office. The article concludes with a brief reflection on the significance of this study for the discussion of the nature of state–religion relations in early Islam. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]