Why was the Ottoman Empire considered in a positive sense to be multiethnic?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Rather than view their territory and identity within the empire in terms of religion (western Europe viewed itself as Christendom rather than as individual states), the Ottoman Empire recognized is heterogeneity and ethnic diversity. Like the Roman Empire, which contained many different peoples, the Ottoman Empire incorporated people of various places, cultures, religions, and languages into one multicultural entity. While men and women of Turkish descent held a privileged position in Ottoman society, other ethnicities were not precluded from positions of status. Jews and Christians could reject conversion to Islam and still achieve wealthy and powerful positions. Converts to Islam received full rights and privileges in the Muslim world, regardless of heritage. However, admittedly, most non-Turkish people entered the empire at a disadvantage, often as slaves or with lower status. Even with the use of slavery in various capacities (Muslims were forbidden to enslave other Muslims), sultans began to rely entirely on slaves to bear their children, and once a son was born, the mother would be freed, often to exert considerable influence over her son. By definition, a sultan's mother after the fifteenth century had to be of a different ethnic origin (because she was initially a slave), contributing to the wider perspective of the sultan's understanding of the ethnic makeup of his empire.