Social Life of Religious Minorities during Buwayhid Era

Buwayhid government provided opportunities for the activities of all social classes such as the followers of the other major Devine religions scattering in most parts of Iran in three geographical areas which were different from the organization of the court and the government and in an atmosphere of tolerance. Buwayhid Rulers supported the religious minorities, especially the elite ones and hired them based on their expertise and efficiency in various social-political sectors as well as in the executive positions in the court and the government. Most of the Christians were engaged in academic activities like the scribes and medicine, Jews were involved in business and currency exchange, Zoroastrians were mostly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry and Sabeans were involved in the academic and practical professions. Despite the contribution of the religious minorities in various fields and the rulers’ attempt to uphold their rights, in some cases, the rights of minorities were violated in different forms of looting, confiscation of property and destruction of their houses and shops. Consequently like the other eras, they were gradually marginalized and deprived of social and political privileges due to some reasons. Based on what was mentioned earlier, the reactions and attitudes of the religious minorities towards Buwayhid tolerance needed to be investigated. The present study implements a descriptive-analytical approach to examine the social roles of the religious minorities in this era.