Starting with
Mehmed II, Ottoman sultans established these centers of education to develop a qualified group of individuals that would constitute a strong bureaucracy and fill administrative roles. The cities became intellectual centers of modernization. Through their studies in the madrasa system, softas aimed to become part of the
ulama, the class of Muslim religious elites within the Ottoman Empire. Still, there was a sense of superiority amongst those from the city, and a general conception of the softas as ignorant. Ultimately, an elite class favored by the sultan and largely inaccessible to the softas formed by the 18th century. In order to compete, it was necessary for softas in the madrasas to attach themselves to high bureaucratic officials or esteemed religious figures who could function as their patrons and recommend them for high posts. Yet, the religious elites condemned the softas, deeming them ignorant and guilty of misrepresenting the Muslim religion. Specifically, they faulted them with overemphasizing the importance of the afterlife and failing to recognize the equal importance of life on earth, rather than considering it transitory. They said this interpretation simplified the human experience and discouraged hard work. ==References==