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| Giaour (turkish - gavur) is a noun in the ], most notable as a pejorative term and offensive ethnic slur for ] and other ] peoples of the ].It was widely used during the days of the ]. | Giaour (turkish - gavur) is a noun in the ], most notable as a pejorative term and offensive ethnic slur for ] and other ] peoples of the ].It was widely used during the days of the ]. | ||
| The word was adaptated into ] from ] ''gdwr'' or ''gbr'', an ]. | The word was adaptated into ] from ] ''gdwr'' or ''gbr'', an ]. | ||
| Giaour has been compared in degree of offensiveness to terms such as ].Like other ], association with violence and discrimination are made which may be considered hate crimes.During five centuries of Ottoman rule bulgarians endured violence and oppression. The Ottomans decimated the Bulgarian population, which lost most of its cultural relics. Turkish authorities destroyed most of the medieval Bulgarian fortresses in order to prevent rebellions. Large towns and the areas where Ottoman power predominated remained severely depopulated until the nineteenth century.The new authorities dismantled Bulgarian institutions at anything above the village or communal level, and merged the separate ] into the ] (Istanbul) (although a small, semi-independent Bulgarian Church did survive until 1767).Bulgarians in the Ottoman empire had to endure a number of disabilities;they paid more taxes and lacked legal equality with ]; they were prohibited to carry arms, their clothes could not rival those of muslims in color, nor could their churches tower as high as mosques.One of the biggest hardships imposed on the bulgarian population was the ], or 'blood tax'.It was the practice by which the Ottoman Empire recruited boys from Christian families |
Giaour has been compared in degree of offensiveness to terms such as ].Like other ], association with violence and discrimination are made which may be considered hate crimes.During five centuries of Ottoman rule bulgarians endured violence and oppression. The Ottomans decimated the Bulgarian population, which lost most of its cultural relics. Turkish authorities destroyed most of the medieval Bulgarian fortresses in order to prevent rebellions. Large towns and the areas where Ottoman power predominated remained severely depopulated until the nineteenth century.The new authorities dismantled Bulgarian institutions at anything above the village or communal level, and merged the separate ] into the ] (Istanbul) (although a small, semi-independent Bulgarian Church did survive until 1767).Bulgarians in the Ottoman empire had to endure a number of disabilities;they paid more taxes and lacked legal equality with ]; they were prohibited to carry arms, their clothes could not rival those of muslims in color, nor could their churches tower as high as mosques.One of the biggest hardships imposed on the bulgarian population was the ], or 'blood tax'.It was the practice by which the Ottoman Empire recruited boys from Christian families by essentially kidnapping them from their homes.They were then forcibly converted to ] and trained as ] soldiers.The word giaour become synonimous with the oppression itself. | ||
Revision as of 09:00, 12 March 2009
Giaour (turkish - gavur) is a noun in the Turkish language, most notable as a pejorative term and offensive ethnic slur for bulgarians and other christian peoples of the Balkans.It was widely used during the days of the Ottoman empire. The word was adaptated into turkish from Persian gdwr or gbr, an infidel. Giaour has been compared in degree of offensiveness to terms such as nigger.Like other ethnic slurs, association with violence and discrimination are made which may be considered hate crimes.During five centuries of Ottoman rule bulgarians endured violence and oppression. The Ottomans decimated the Bulgarian population, which lost most of its cultural relics. Turkish authorities destroyed most of the medieval Bulgarian fortresses in order to prevent rebellions. Large towns and the areas where Ottoman power predominated remained severely depopulated until the nineteenth century.The new authorities dismantled Bulgarian institutions at anything above the village or communal level, and merged the separate Bulgarian Church into the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (Istanbul) (although a small, semi-independent Bulgarian Church did survive until 1767).Bulgarians in the Ottoman empire had to endure a number of disabilities;they paid more taxes and lacked legal equality with Muslims; they were prohibited to carry arms, their clothes could not rival those of muslims in color, nor could their churches tower as high as mosques.One of the biggest hardships imposed on the bulgarian population was the Devşirme, or 'blood tax'.It was the practice by which the Ottoman Empire recruited boys from Christian families by essentially kidnapping them from their homes.They were then forcibly converted to Islam and trained as Janissary soldiers.The word giaour become synonimous with the oppression itself.
See also
- The Giaour, a poem by Lord Byron
References
1.Guillermo, Emil (2004-08-24). "Is SF Soft On Hate Crime?". Hearst Communications Inc. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2004/08/24/eguillermo.DTL. Retrieved on 2007-04-03 2.Bojidar Dimitrov: Bulgaria Illustrated History. BORIANA Publishing House 2002, ISBN 9545000449 3.R.J. Crampton, A Concise History of Bulgaria, 1997, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-567-19-X 4.Dennis P. Hupchick: The Balkans: from Constantinople to Communism, 2002
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