Edict of Toleration 1844
Encyclopedia
This Edict was largely a result of pressure from British government on the Sublime Porte, urging to stop the persecutions of the Jews. An Irish scholar and author, George Townshend
writes,
Townshend further points out that this document, the Edict of Toleration, was issued by the governing authorities in the year 1844. Worth Smith also mentions this Edict in his Miracle of the Ages. He points out:
This included the Holy Land
, Palestine
. The Turkish Government agreed to permit religious freedom and signed the document which guaranteed that 'The Sublime Porte (Constantinople
) engages to take effectual measures to prevent henceforward' any further religious intolerance. For the first time in twelve hundred years the Jews
were guaranteed the right to return to Israel
in freedom and security.
The original of this Edict can be obtained from the Public Record Office in London:
George Townshend
George Townshend is the name of:*George Townshend , author, promoter of the Bahá'í Faith*George Townshend , British naval commander...
writes,
- ... the strict exclusion of the Jews from their own land enforced by the Muslims for some twelve centuries was at last relaxed by the Edict of Toleration and the "times of the Gentiles" were fulfilled.
Townshend further points out that this document, the Edict of Toleration, was issued by the governing authorities in the year 1844. Worth Smith also mentions this Edict in his Miracle of the Ages. He points out:
- In the year of A.D. 1844 ... the (Muslims) under the leadership of Turkey were compelled by the Western Powers, notably England, to grant religious toleration to all (nations) within their borders.
This included the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. The Turkish Government agreed to permit religious freedom and signed the document which guaranteed that 'The Sublime Porte (Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
) engages to take effectual measures to prevent henceforward' any further religious intolerance. For the first time in twelve hundred years the Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
were guaranteed the right to return to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in freedom and security.
The original of this Edict can be obtained from the Public Record Office in London:
- A translation of the edict, an acknowledgment from Stratford Canning to the Sublime Porte, and an accompanying letter from Canning, dated 23 March 1844, is in Foreign Office, TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, FO78/555/No.49. There are several other letters from Canning in the same volume on the question of the religious intolerance of the Turks. The draft of a letter from the Foreign Office, dated 16 January 1844, which made plain the attitude of the British Government and which provided the direct impetus for the negotiations leading eventually to the issue of the edict, is in FO78/552/No.4.