Sacred spaces : the controversial practice of building churches in muslim lands during the mamluk period

Abstract

It is familiarly known among Muslims that Sharīʿa suggests the prohibition of participating in church construction. However, in historical accounts, a number of churches in Arab countries were built during the era of Islam. This led to ambiguities and the perception that the caliphs did not abide by Sharīʿa law then. Therefore, this essay aims to reveal the reasons and motives of those caliphs or other Muslim authority holders allowing the building of churches in Cairo during the Mamluk dynasty. Furthermore, this article seeks the extent to which Muslim authority holders contribute to the church building for Christians and the responses, attitudes and dynamics of Muslim residents around the churches built in their area. By employing the qualitative library method, by making primary and secondary pieces of literature as objects of study and then interpreting them from a historical point of view, this article indicates that life under the Mamluk dynasty was so dynamic. There was a different application for the restriction of building, rebuilding, or reopening churches between society and some sultans. While citizens acted massive attacks and destruction of the churches provoked by the fatwā of the elite, it seems there were also defenses from the authorities for this act of vandalism.