Final answer:
Islamic Empires dealt with religious minorities by recognizing them as dhimmis, allowing religious freedom within constraints, requiring a jizya tax, and restricting public roles and social mobility. Conversion to Islam was gradual, influenced by pragmatic and fiscal factors, without forced conversions for financial reasons.
Step-by-step explanation:
The way Islamic Empires traditionally dealt with religious minorities was through a system where non-Muslims, or dhimmis, were allowed to practice their religion with certain restrictions and protections under Islamic rule. Typically, dhimmis were required to pay a poll tax called jizya, and while they had autonomy in practicing their faiths and could maintain their own religious courts, their public lives, social mobility, and employment opportunities were limited. During the Abbasid period, non-Muslims could not marry Muslims unless they converted, and children had to be raised Muslim if their father was Muslim. In the Iberian Peninsula, Muslims under Christian rule faced certain discriminatory practices, but they were still allowed to practice Islam to some extent.
The dhimmi system, intended to integrate religious minorities while maintaining Islamic dominance, recognized the status of monotheistic religions such as Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism as predecessors to Islam. Conversion to Islam was usually a gradual process, influenced by factors ranging from genuine religious attraction to pragmatic advantages in taxes and social status. Nevertheless, Islamic rulers often avoided forcing conversions to preserve the financial benefits of the jizya tax from dhimmis.