Purpose:
Throughout human history, minorities of various sorts have experienced discrimination. After the 300s CE, the Roman Empire (and then the Byzantine Empire
which followed it) was predominately Christian, including the emperor and other government officials. As a result of this Christianization, Roman Law came
to discriminate against non-Christians, particularly against Jews. Likewise, in the 600s, Arab Muslims conquered much of the Middle East and North Africa.
Over time, Muslims became the majority religion in these areas of the world. Christians and Jews who lived under Muslim rule also experienced
discrimination. For historians, Roman Law, which dealt with Jews under Roman Law in the late Roman Empire and under the Byzantine Empire, and the Pact
of Umar, which dealt with Christians and Jews under Muslim rule during the Abbasid Caliphate, provide important details about this discrimination.
First, read selections from Roman Law on the treatment of Jews. ( https://go.view.usg.edu/content/enforced/2445807-
HIST_1111_Dev_2021_CO/Units/Unit%206/JewsAndLaterRomanLaw.pdf )
Also, read the Pact of Umar ( https://go.view.usg.edu/content/enforced/2445807-HIST_1111_Dev_2021_CO/Units/Unit%206/Pact%20of%20Umar.pdf )
Next, answer all of the following questions:
- How did Roman Law treat Jews living in the Byzantine Empire? In what specific ways did it limit their lives?
- How did the Pact of Umar treat Christians and Jews living in the Abbasid Caliphate? In what specific ways did it limit their lives?
- Did religious minorities fare better under Byzantine or Abbasid rule? Give reasons for your answer
