Korva is a scroll of the internet’s best ideas.
Every person chooses their religion
Kuchlug's Persecution
It grew out of his first campaign outside Mongolia. The Uyghurs of western China were ruled by Kuchlug, a son of the Naiman king Tayang Khan. Kuchlug had been a Christian, converted to Buddhism, and outlawed Islam for his Muslim subjects. Knowing the Chinese emperors were too weak to protect them, the Uyghurs sent a delegation asking Genghis Khan for help. He sent a detachment, which drove Kuchlug out, caught him, and killed him.
A New Law
Genghis Khan then made the first law he ever made for people outside Mongolia. It built on the one for his own tribes, which outlawed kidnapping and selling women to cut down on feuds. The settled peoples fought over religion instead. His new law allowed every faith its institutions, and it also held that each person could choose a religion and no one could force them.
Practical Reasons
His reasons were practical. His mother and his wife had both been kidnapped, he knew the harm it caused, and he treated religion the same way. Minorities flocked to him. Giving Sunni and Shiite, Christians and Jews equal rights also kept any one group from dominating the others or uniting against him.
How did Jebe win over Kuchlug's subjects?
After the Mongol detachment under Jebe defeated Kuchlug in 1218, it moved to the city of Kashgar. Kuchlug had forced the Muslims there to convert to his religion or change their dress. Jebe announced that everyone could follow their own religion. The chronicles say the people of Kashgar welcomed the Mongols and opened their mosques.
Did Mongols tax religious leaders?
Genghis Khan exempted clergy from taxes and labor duties. Edicts to the Taoist master Changchun in the 1220s granted him and his followers that exemption. Buddhist monks, Christian priests, and Muslim scholars later received similar charters from Mongol rulers. Under Mongol rule religious leaders were among the groups who paid no tax.
More from Lex Fridman Podcast
