Turkish Sultan Abd Al-Majid (1823-1861)

ABD AL-MAJID (Abdul Mejid;18231861), sultan of Turkey from 1839 to 1861. On Nov. 8, 1839, a short while after he ascended the throne, he proclaimed the Hatt-i-Sherif, a declaration of rights for all citizens, guaranteeing the properties and honor of all citizens without distinction of religion or race. In 1855 Abd al-Majid abolished the poll-tax which had been levied upon Jews and Christians since the Arab conquest. However, a special tax known as Badal (substitute) was levied on non-Muslims in lieu of conscription, and was in effect a poll tax under another name. In 1856 the sultan published a new declaration of rights, the Hatt-i-Hemayun, which unequivocally endorsed the Hatt-i-Sherifs equality of rights for non-Muslim citizens, specifying: freedom of religion and worship, the right to hold public office, admission to government and military schools, membership in municipal and provincial assemblies, the establishment of mixed tribunals to judge criminal and commercial offenses in which non-Muslims were implicated, the acceptance of evidence from members of all religions, the omission of expressions of disgrace and discrimination from documents, and authorization to reorganize the millet so as to strengthen its secular functions. [Encyclopedia Judaica]