Ottoman Empires And Islam Comparison

From 1517 to 1918, the city of Jerusalem was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans brought about a period of renewal and peace that had not been seen in decades. At the time, the Ottoman Empire was one of the largest in the world and it had a very advanced government system. Jerusalem was governed by the Ottomans and was subject to their laws and leadership. The Ottoman government had a legitimate leader, laws and enforcement, government shaped economy and revenue collection.

At this time, the government system in the Ottoman Empire was a monarchy. It was comprised of a civil and military administration. Both were ruled by the sultan, as they called him. The sultan had absolute authority. This authority, however, was shared.

The Ottomans followed Shariah which is the fundamental concept of Islam. Total submission to the will of Allah is the cornerstone of Islam. The goal of Shariah is to gain favor in heaven. It regulates a relationship with the state and with God which is very unusual for the time. It tells that one must do not only what is in the law but also what is in good conscience. Shariah law was not written by men as other law was and is. It was written by God. Islamic lore tells us that Allah spoke to the prophet Muhammed and gave him his law. Muhammed then spread that law to the people and created Islam. It is that same law that the Ottoman legal system accepted over its people. Shariah law was not the only law in the Ottoman Empire though. The sultan could also make laws. The laws proposed by the sultan had to be approved by a committee, but they were rarely rejected. In the provinces, governors could make laws as long as they did not clash with those of Shariah or the sultan. These laws were enforced by the Martolos. The Martolos were armed policemen who collected taxes, ran border control and enforced laws. The laws were also enforced in court. The Ottomans had three courts: one for Muslims, one for non-Muslims, and the "trade court". These courts gave out punishments to those who broke the laws. While there were separate courts, sometimes issues for one group would be solved in a different court. The judges called qadi

For a long time, the only way to trade with civilizations such as India and China was to go by land through the Empire. When a trader would arrive in a city, he was charged a portion of his goods for bringing them through the area. This was bad for the trader, but it was good for the empire. A lot of income was generated this way and trade was part of the reason the Ottomans were so prosperous. However, when the sea route around the Cape of Good Hope was found, trade slowed down. More and more Europeans started to go by sea and less by land through the empire. This brought about an economic decline. One way the government influenced this economy was through the military. During its period of expansion ending in the early 1600’s, the Ottoman Empire was capturing many new territories. For every new territory they conquered, they gained even more wealth. It was during this time that the economy was at its highest. This was all due to government shaping. The whole economy itself was shaped by the government. The state performed the basic economic functions of the empire. They developed new trade routes which helped the local businesses but more importantly, helped the state. The state’s aim in economics was to increase revenue, but not at the expense of businesses. They did tax their citizens, but most of the taxes were placed on foreigners traveling through the empire for trading purposes. The Ottoman Empire brought in income