A review by razihecker
Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes by Tamim Ansary

 

a.     Three main Empires in MA: 

                                               i.     Safavid (Persian) – Born out of Shiite resentment and desire to differentiates themselves. Shiites fled out of Ottoman controlled places into Safavid Empire and Sunnies into Ottoman Empire. Additionally, Safavid’s drew on Persian history to differentiate themselves and thus further cemented this Shiite-Sunni difference. 

                                             ii.     Ottoman – Jannisaries (Devirshme system) converted young boys. This was good at first because bought loyalty and actually was a good checks and balances system for ruling elite, but ultimately backfired and crippled Ottoman’s because they were prone to rebellion and couldn’t keep up with military modernization of the west. 

                                            iii.     Moghul – Empire in Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan, actually at first pretty religiously tolerant (esc of Hindus in India) but gradually less so.