THE RELIGIOUS CONVERSION OF ARMENIANS IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE IN THE 1890S

Abstract

During the reign of Abdul Hamid II, massacres and forced Islamization were central to
the ideology of pan-Islamism. The Sultan believed that the steadfastness of his throne would
only be ensured by the Islamization of the empire, so in parallel with the Armenian massacres,
he used the methods of forcing Islam. Armenians saw the only way out of the clutches of death
in the form of religious conversion. After the massacres of the 1890s, in many cases,
Armenians living in the surrounding villages resorted to conversion, hoping to escape death.
Meanwhile many forcibly converted Armenians tried to reconvert to their religion. Despite the
fact that after the massacres under the pressure from foreign diplomats the authorities allowed
Armenians to reconvert to Christianity, the atmosphere of fear did not allow them to do so
openly, as the lessons of past made them distrust any “permission” of the Ottoman Empire.
Therefore, many did not openly take this step, because they were under public pressure and
death threats. As a result, they became hidden Armenians.