Communicating justice: Shari'a courts and the Christian community in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Ottoman Greece
Document Type
Article
Source of Publication
Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations
Publication Date
1-1-2009
Abstract
Using Shari'a court records from Ottoman Salonica and Karaferye, this paper examines the nature of justice as articulated by the state and judges vis a vis Christians. As arbiters of local and state/local relations, the courts were responsible for defining and promoting the state's desire for social harmony, efficiency, and order at the local level while also overseeing the rights and obligations of local populations vis a vis state and local officials. The paper examines the standards of evidence and legal reasoning employed by judges and the relationship between religious law and state law, particularly in the realm of criminal justice. Furthermore, in a bid to assess Christian familiarity with the workings of the law, the paper explores how and when Christians used the courts and the strategies employed by them in the court setting. Ultimately, the Shari'a courts provided a public forum for strengthening communal networks and resolving disputes between Christians and between Muslims and Christians.
DOI Link
ISSN
Publisher
Routledge
Volume
20
Issue
3
First Page
333
Last Page
350
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities
Scopus ID
Recommended Citation
Joseph, Sabrina, "Communicating justice: Shari'a courts and the Christian community in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Ottoman Greece" (2009). All Works. 982.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/982
Indexed in Scopus
yes
Open Access
no