Final answer:
Non-Muslims, also known as dhimmis, generally viewed their treatment under Islamic rule as tolerant and flexible, with varying degrees of autonomy and allowed religious practice, despite some legal and social restrictions like the jizya tax and limitations on interfaith marriages.
Step-by-step explanation:
Generally, how non-Muslims viewed their treatment under Islamic rule varies depending on the region and context, but many historical accounts suggest that the Islamic rulers tended to be tolerant and flexible, as opposed to being consistently harsh and oppressive. During the early expansion of the Islamic empire, particularly during the Abbasid period, non-Muslim communities, also known as dhimmis, were granted a certain degree of autonomy and allowed to follow their religious practices, adjudicate their cases in their religious courts, and maintain a degree of communal segregation. These concessions may have been made partly out of practicality, to integrate diverse populations and limit the temptation among Muslims to stray to older, established religions such as Christianity and Judaism.
The caliphs established centers of learning that attracted scholars of all Abrahamic faiths, leading to a period now referred to as convivencia, highlighting the coexistence and interaction between different religious groups. Under Islamic law, religious groups such as Christians and Jews were considered 'protected' people because they were monotheists and, while they paid a special tax called jizya and faced certain legal and social restrictions, they were not compelled to convert to Islam.
However, it is also essential to note that tolerance levels fluctuated and were heavily dependent on the ruler's policies and regional conditions. In some areas and periods, non-Muslims encountered more challenges and discrimination, such as restrictions on clothing, jobs, and social mobility, and compelled payment of additional taxes. Marriages between Muslims and non-Muslims were also subject to Islamic law restrictions, with interfaith marriages requiring the non-Muslim partner to convert to Islam to be considered valid.
Ultimately, while non-Muslims under Islamic rule faced social and legal limitations, there is historical evidence of periods and regions within the Islamic world where different faiths were practiced with a degree of respect and acceptance, which sometimes contrasted favorably with treatments they had received under other rulers, such as the Byzantine Empire.