Until the Tanzimat period, the Ottoman legal system was based on Islamic law. In Islamic law, Muslims and non-Muslims take part in different statuses. In other words, the duties and responsibilities of both parties to the state are different. This difference does not mean that non-Muslims are deprived of fundamental rights and freedoms such as belief, worship, education, travel, trade. As a matter of fact, non-Muslims were not oppressed by their beliefs at this time, but rather, they performed their worship freely. Educational institutions also operated on foundations, such as Muslim educational institutions. During the Tanzimat period, changes were made to the Ottoman state structure. Over time, the legal difference between Muslims and non-Muslims has ceased. Education was reformed during the same period. Non-Muslim members were included in the commissions where the new educational system was planned. Training activities were previously performed exclusively on community foundations, while the Tanzimat period was established as well as official public schools (p.p.). Thus, in the field of education, both in the field of administration and understanding, it was taken a step towards a secular structure. The Maarif-e Umumiye Order of 1869, where the educational organisation was organised, allowed non-Muslims to open special schools for their own communities. Again, this legislative arrangement has decided to open the primary schools for each community, and to study the religious courses included in the programme according to differences. In the programmes of secondary schools, religion classes were not included during the period. The same practices continued after Tanzimat. In terms of religious education in later years, the point is that the Islamic religion class has been introduced in secondary school programmes. This is because there are very few non-Muslim students in public schools. Statistical data show that non-Muslims prefer private community schools rather than public schools or foreign schools opened by the United States and European States. A small number of non-Muslim students are exempted from the religious course. Difference is one of the fundamental characteristics of societies as well as human beings. Today, polyculturalism, one of the key notions that is focused on, is neither new in concept or reality. Despite this, growing social relations today for reasons such as communication, migration, etc. have highlighted this concept. How religious education should be carried out by people with different religions living in the same society is discussed in relation to this concept. The article provides approaches to religious education within the multicultural structure of the Ottoman State. To this end, there were primarily religious and historical bases leading the Ottoman State's approach to other religions other than Islam. The subject of religious education, especially in schools opened after Tanzimat, and rights granted to the teaching of non-Islam religions.