I know this is a very broad topic, as the Ottoman Empire lasted for hundreds of years. I hope it's okay to ask it though. I searched and didn't find a similar question in here, but if it's a repost, I am sorry.
I have read, that Christians and Jews were allowed to follow their beliefs under Ottoman and therefor muslim rule and were even able to reach higher levels in the bureaucracy. But were there any ramifications?
For exapample: I read somewhere, they had to pay additional taxes, but is there any truth to that? If so, was that all? Did the women have to wear a hijab or burqa? Were they allowed to join the military or were they considered a risk because of their differing beliefs? Were they generally considered equals as long as they didn't break the law(s) or were they second/third class in a way? I think you catch the drift my question is going. Thank you.
Keep in mind that I am not a historian, so I don't know quite as much information Christians, Jews and other people of differing religions in the Ottoman Empire as an expert in Middle Eastern history might.
The Jannisaries (elite soldiers and officials in the Ottoman army and government) were usually Christians.
There was also the millet system, meaning 'nation' in Arabic. The millet system allowed non-Muslims to organize into their own sort of 'nation', which allowed them to prosecute criminals according to their own religion's laws instead of the Ottoman's Islamic laws (unless the crime occurred between people of differing millets, which is when the Ottoman's Islamic law would be used instead, or if the criminal was a Muslim).
Non-Muslims were also allowed to speak their own language under the millet system.
Millet leaders were elected religious leaders who would lead their millet. Millet leaders were allowed build their own churches and schools, and were allowed to collect taxes within their millet. Millet leaders would ultimately report to the Sultan. If there was a problem with a millet, the Sultan would talk to the millet leader.
However, the millet system was abolished in the 1800s.
Please check out Enrico_Dandolo's reply to my comment. He or she seems to know much more about this subject than me.
http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/files/Slaves_of_the_Sultan.pdf
http://lostislamichistory.com/non-muslim-rights-in-the-ottoman-empire/
The millet system was indeed revolutionary in its openness...but that is in relationship to medieval Christianity...
Yes, there were additional taxes. It's called jizya.
Often, there were restrictions of the building/repairing of places of worship.
No, women were not required to wear Muslim clothing, but Jewish men were usually required to wear some form of distinctive clothing. Sometimes there were restrictions on whether they could ride horses/other animals.
Yes, they could join the army, and there are many examples of Jews and Christians rising to high position in the Muslim military/administrative structure.
No, they weren't precisely equal: in the event of a dispute between a Muslim and a non-Muslim, the case defaulted to the Muslim court--in addition, their ability to serve as witnesses was distinctly limited.
tl;dr : The Ottoman Empire (and Islamic empires in general) were FAR, FAR more tolerant of religious minorities than any other religious empire--see medieval spain, eastern europe, etc. That doesn't mean that they their legal structure was a version of contemporary humanist law. Just because they were better than everyone else at the time, doesn't mean we should romanticize the period. And just because they were perhaps not up to contemporary standards is not a reason to demonize it.
"Our Place in Al-Andalus" by Gil Anidjar, and "The Ornament of the World" by Maria Rosa Menocal are also good books, though they are focused on the status of minorities in modern-day Spain rather than the Ottoman Empire. Many of the same rules held.
Note: my expertise is in Jewish history, hence the additional vagueness regarding Christians in this period.
Also I want to add that while Christians did pay more taxes, Muslims also had to give some of their wealth to charity too plus Christians didn't have to serve in the army unless they decided to convert.