Islam and Christianity in Georgia During the Safavid Period

Abstract

The primary focus of the article is to examine the religious lan­dscape in 17th-century Georgia. It addresses two independent yet int­er­connected issues: the challenges faced in the expansion of Islam among the Georgian populace and the factors that impeded the eff­ectiveness of Catholic missionaries in their efforts to promote Cat­holicism in Georgia. In the first instance, the objective factors are em­p­hasized, explaining why Islamic nations—specifically, Safavid Iran—chose to compel the feudal elite to convert to Islam, often resu­lting in only superficial adherence to the faith. They were, how­ever, unable to mandate that the entire population adopt Islamic beliefs. The text explores various facets of the interactions between Muslims and Chr­istians, though it pays limited attention to the role of conv­erted Geor­gians in Safavid Iran. In the second case, it is highlighted that a signi­ficant barrier to the spread of Catholicism was the disr­egard for local specifics, coupled with the often arrogant attitude of Catholic miss­ionaries. This attitude was characteristic of European Cat­holicism to­w­ards Eastern Christianity during this period, partic­ularly in dealings of Catholic missionaries with local Orthodox clergy and populations. The reasons behind the failure of Catholicism's expansion are exam­ined through the lens of Edward Said's concept of ‘Orientalism.’