Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah
Unlike western European governments of the era, advancement in Fatimid state offices was more meritocratic than hereditary. Members of other branches of Islam, like the Sunnis, were just as likely to be appointed to government posts as Shiites. Tolerance was extended to non-Muslims, such as Christians and Jews, who occupied high levels in government based on ability, and this policy of tolerance ensured the flow of money from non-Muslims in order to finance the Caliphs' large army of Mamluks brought in from Circassia by Genoese merchants. There were exceptions to this general attitude of tolerance, however, most notably by Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, though this has been highly debated, with Al-Hakim's reputation among medieval Muslim historians conflated with his role in the Druze faith. Christians in general and Copts in particular have been persecuted by Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah; the persecution of the Christians included closing and demolishing churches and forced conversion to Islam. With the succession of Al-Zahir li-i'zaz Din Allah, the Druze faced a mass persecution, which included a large massacres against the Druze in Antioch, Aleppo, and other cities.