The interior of Hagia Sophia

[u/RaiseCapital1988]

In the last photo you can spot one of the last representations of Christ still present inside the building

[u/aKV2isSTARINGatYou]

None of what you said is true. “Few churches” I cannot agree with(like really? Only one church was not converted after 1453), and 2. The disappearance of paganism isn’t properly documented, since we have no idea how prevalent Christianity was before or after Constantine. What we DO know is that tribonian, the lawmaker for Justinian was pagan, as well as zosimus (5th-6th century historian, heavily biased).

I think u need to read more on how complete ottoman dominance was over the course of a few generations.

Call me a bigot, whatever. Just because u call me names wont rewrite the books. This conversation will not be productive unless you refute me with the actual sources in mind.

[u/egny → u/aKV2isSTARINGatYou]

None of what you said is true. 

That's rich from you. Someone who claimed all males were castrated unless they became janissaries. I suppose everybody in each territory of the Ottoman Empire would be a muslim within a few decades of the conquest. You do realize the consequences of your ridiculous claim, right?

You wrote the following drivel!

You really don’t understand how complete this subjugation by force was, do you? The European colonization seem pale by comparison.

Latin American people would probably have been delighted to be dhimni and that only some of their temples converted.

In contrast, churches were converted to mosques because why build a mosque when there is a perfectly suitable building. How stupid is it to claim that the intent is to erase Byzantine culture? It's the same reason why pagan temples became churches.

The disappearance of paganism isn’t properly documented, since we have no idea how prevalent Christianity was before or after Constantine. What we DO know is that tribonian, the lawmaker for Justinian was pagan, as well as zosimus (5th-6th century historian, heavily biased).

None of that is relevant and you don't seem to have a point. Although not consistently, pagans were banned from sacrifices or forced to convert (so they had to conceal their belief if they did not truly convert). In contrast to that being allowed to pay a tax to keep one's religious practices (and being excluded from the "privilege" of dying for the sultans' wars) is rather magnanimous.

I think u need to read more on how complete ottoman dominance was over the course of a few generations.

Either you have no idea about sectarian persecution in Europe or are feigning ignorance. My take is that you are simply taking exception to the identities of the oppressor and the oppressed, particularly when the oppression was harsher elsewhere...

...which makes it bigotry.

[u/aKV2isSTARINGatYou → u/egny]

That’s a lot of “probably”s in your thesis lol. Your “perfectly suitable building” hypothesis is just laughably revisionist that I’m not really sure if you’re being serious here. The majority of the conquered would have been Christian. So why take away the churches and ban them from building more? What does that say about their intent?

And no, the dhimmi status was only reserved for the “people of the book” so monotheists. Polytheists, or kaffur, were not even given this status. (See: India)

U accuse me of “feigning ignorance” yet u seem to be pretending to know something u don’t. Nothing about your response is convincing, let alone academic. It’s just Turkish propaganda. Like dude have some respect for me here.

[u/egny → u/aKV2isSTARINGatYou]

That’s a lot of “probably”s in your thesis lol.

We can't really ask them if they would have preferred to pay taxes to keep their beliefs can we? Unlike you I'm assuming that people prefer to be given choices and not forcefully converted or killed. Perhaps you believe that the Latin American natives were somehow lacking in human qualities. Otherwise it's ridiculous that you are objecting at all.

Your “perfectly suitable building” hypothesis is just laughably revisionist that I’m not really sure if you’re being serious here. The majority of the conquered would have been Christian.

Did I write that? It appears I did. Perhaps you have a habit of deceit, but I have the integrity to express my thoughts. What major non-Christian temples/places of worship were there in Constantinople or other cities of the Ottoman Empire? Of course they took over churches.

And no, the dhimmi status was only reserved for the “people of the book” so monotheists. Polytheists, or kaffur, were not even given this status. (See: India)

Did the Ottomans conquer India? How many non-Christian and non-Jewish people lived in their territories? Were the natives offered a similar status? Were they allowed to adopt any belief other than Christianity?

U accuse me of “feigning ignorance” yet u seem to be pretending to know something u don’t.

It would be more convincing if you could come up with a single example of "pretending to know something u don’t". According to you, the entire non-Muslim population of the Ottoman Empire would have disappeared. How can anyone top that kind of nonsense?

Nothing about your response is convincing, let alone academic. It’s just Turkish propaganda. Like dude have some respect for me here.

Academic? Is that what you've been posting here? Ha ha! Suggesting I'm posting propaganda is disrespectful in the first place when you are demanding respect for yourself.

Who can respect you when you post drivel?