20. Persecuting Others Is One Way to Demonstrate Zeal
The Mad Caliph was desperate to demonstrate that being born to a Christian mother did not make him a soft Muslim. So he departed from the tolerance hitherto displayed by Muslim rulers to Christians and Jews. He went on a religious persecution bender, destroying synagogues and churches. His targets included the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem – the one housing the cave where Jesus is thought to have lain before his resurrection.
The lunatic Fatimid ruler also banned pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He added to that by ordering Christians and Jews to wear distinguishing clothing to identify them. Jews were further singled out by Al-Hakim, who ordered that they wear bells, so they could be identified by sound as well as sight.