Her Christian faith reportedly caused suspicion that she was behind his tolerance towards Christians and Jews, which went as far as the appointment of a Christian, Isa ibn Nasturus, as vizier. Al-Aziz's love for her was great, but scandalized pious Muslim opinion, especially at a time when al-Aziz was at war with the Byzantines in Syria. It is known that al-Sayyida al-Aziziyya refused to convert to Islam. Al-Sayyida al-Aziziyya was a Melkite Christian, most likely of Byzantine Greek origin, possibly from a family of the provincial aristocracy of Sicily who were captured in the wars against the Byzantines there sometime before 965. 'the Lady of al-Aziz') frequently mentioned in the sources. Her mother was an unnamed Jarya concubine ( umm walad), who is most likely to be identified with the al-Sayyida al-Aziziyya ( lit. She was born in September/October 970 at the palace-city of al-Mansuriya in Ifriqiya (modern Tunisia), to the prince Nizar-the future fifth Fatimid imam– caliph, al-Aziz Billah ( r. 975–996).
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