Ahl Al-Kitab ("People of the Book," in Arabic)

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AHL AL-KITAB ("People of the Book," in Arabic)

Arab term used to designate those who practice a revealed religion (Judaism, Christianity, and later Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, and even Buddhism) and who are accorded the status of dhimmi in a Muslim country. Christians and Jews enjoy a certain reciprocal respect, in the sense that each possesses a portion of the truth to which the three monotheistic religions lay claim.

SEE ALSO Dhimmi.