Dhimmitude is a neologism borrowed from the French language. It is derived by adding the productive suffix-tude to the Arabic noun dhimmi, which refers to a non-Muslim subject of an Islamic state.
The term has several distinct, but related meanings depending on the author; its scope may be historical only, contemporary only, polemical only, or both. It may encompass the whole system of dhimma, look only at its subjects (dhimmis), or even apply it outside of any established system of dhimma. The term has also been called a myth[1] or Islamophobic.[2]
The term was coined in 1982 by the LebanesePresident and Maronite militia leader Bachir Gemayel, in reference to perceived attempts by the country's Muslim leadership to subordinate the large Lebanese Christian minority. In a speech of September 14, 1982 given at Dayr al-Salib in Lebanon, he said: "Lebanon is our homeland and will remain a homeland for Christians… We want to continue to christen, to celebrate our rites and traditions, our faith and our creed whenever we wish… Henceforth, we refuse to live in any dhimmitude!"[3]
The concept of "dhimmitude" was introduced into Western discourse by the writer Bat Ye'or in a French-language article published in the Italian journal La Rassegna mensile di Israel in 1983.[4] In Bat Ye'or's use, "dhimmitude" refers to allegations of non-Muslims appeasing and surrendering to Muslims, and discrimination against non-Muslims in Muslim majority regions.[5]
Ye'or further popularized the term in her books The Decline of Eastern Christianity: From Jihad to Dhimmitude[6] and the 2003 followup Islam and Dhimmitude: Where Civilizations Collide[7] In a 2011 interview, she claimed to have indirectly inspired Gemayel's use of the term.[8]
Mark R. Cohen, a leading scholar of the history of Jewish communities of medieval Islam, has criticized the term as misleading and Islamophobic.[2]
Bernard Lewis, Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, states that,
"If we look at the considerable literature available about the position of Jews in the Islamic world, we find two well-established myths. One is the story of a golden age of equality, of mutual respect and cooperation, especially but not exclusively in Moorish Spain; the other is of “dhimmi”-tude, of subservience and persecution and ill treatment. Both are myths. Like many myths, both contain significant elements of truth, and the historic truth is in its usual place, somewhere in the middle between the extremes."[1]
An expansion of the definition of Dhimmi is found at http://www.archons.org/pdf/issues/DHIMMI.pdf. Mark Cohen is know for receiving benefits from Saudi Arabia for its literary activism.