ABU OSMAN AL-JAHIZ'S POLEMIC REGARDING CHRISTIANS IN IX

Abstract

During the Abbasid period, representatives of other nations also participated alongside the Arabs in the development of Arabic literature. Baghdad, as a cosmopolitan city, embraced various ethnic and religious communities. On the other hand, Muslim peoples living over a vast area stretching from the borders of France to China contributed their share to the common cultural heritage. But even though this contribution originated in the Arabic language and was in the spirit of Islam, each nation, each society added its ethnic shades to the all-Muslim culture, brought different notes to the Arabic literature with elements related to its past culture, religious customs and traditions, and way of thinking. If in the first phase of the Abbasid period, non-Arab tendencies prevailed and criticized the past and traditions of the Arabs through satire, in the second phase starting from the third decade of the 9th century, Arab nationalists began to criticize the non-Arab peoples, especially the Persians, attempting to prove their ethnic superiority and ancient cultures. In religious-ethnic discussions, the attitude towards Christians had a special place. Thus, during the Abbasid era, inter-religious relations were not rooted only on the basis of tolerance, but sometimes moved to the level of heated discussions and even religious conflicts. These can be grouped as follows: – The Arabic literature of the Middle Ages has acquired the character of the all-Muslim literature created by various ethnic and religious societies since the Abbasid period. – Christian scholars and writers played an important role in the cultural life of the Abbasid period. – Although some territories incorporated into the Arab-Islamic world as a result of the conquests belonged to Christians, who were considered “People of the Book”, a strong process of Arabization occurred in these regions, ultimately leading to the emergence of Arab-Islamic culture there.