Depictions of Aurangzeb's reign—characterized by temple destruction, Sikh oppression, and the jizya tax—conformed much more closely with the prevalent picture of the Ottomans, the exemplar of Muslim prejudice and tyranny. For most, though, this last great Mughal provided the exception that proved the rule, his stereotypical Muslim intolerance for non-Muslims standing in unwelcome contrast with the remarkable inclusiveness of his predecessors Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan.

XREF: Connects to wider historiography on Mughal religious tolerance versus the Aurangzeb narrative, and Orientalist framings of Islamic empires.

Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ Th…, loc. 129