▁Ott oman ▁authorities , ▁after ▁the ▁con quest ▁of ▁Constantin ople , ▁the ▁Ott om ans ▁largely ▁allowed ▁the ▁Orth odox ▁church ▁to ▁function ▁unh inder ed , ▁except ▁during ▁periods ▁when ▁the ▁church ▁was ▁considered ▁polit ically ▁suspect ▁and ▁thus ▁suppress ed ▁with ▁exp uls ions ▁of ▁b ish ops ▁and ▁se iz ure ▁of ▁property ▁and ▁reven ues . ▁Con version ▁during ▁Ott oman ▁times ▁was ▁various ly ▁due ▁to ▁calculated ▁attempts ▁to ▁improve ▁social ▁and ▁economic ▁status , ▁due ▁to ▁the ▁successful ▁pros ely t izing ▁by ▁mission aries , ▁or ▁done ▁out ▁of ▁des per ation ▁in ▁very ▁difficult ▁times ; ▁in ▁the ▁latter ▁case , ▁the ▁converts ▁often ▁pract iced ▁c rypto - Christ ian ity ▁for ▁long ▁periods . ▁During ▁the ▁Ott oman ▁period , ▁most ▁Christians ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁most ▁Muslim s ▁employed ▁a ▁degree ▁of ▁syn cret ism , ▁still ▁pract icing ▁various ▁pag an ▁r ites ; ▁many ▁of ▁these ▁r ites ▁are ▁best ▁preserved ▁among ▁myst ical ▁orders ▁like ▁the ▁Be kt ashi . ▁ ▁Un like ▁some ▁other ▁areas ▁of ▁the ▁B alk ans , ▁such ▁as ▁Bulg aria ▁and ▁Bos nia , ▁for ▁the ▁first ▁couple ▁centuries ▁of ▁Ott oman ▁rule , ▁up ▁until ▁the ▁ 1 5 0 0 s , ▁Islam ▁remained ▁conf ined ▁to ▁members ▁of ▁the ▁co - opt ed ▁arist ocracy ▁and ▁a ▁couple ▁scattered ▁military ▁settlement s ▁of ▁Y uru ks ▁from ▁An atol ia , ▁while ▁the ▁native ▁Alban ian ▁pe asant ry ▁remained