PORTRAITS FROM THE PAST-"NEITHER GOOD CHRISTIANS NOR LOYAL SUBJECTS"

By 1526, Islam was banned throughout Spain, yet many Moriscos secretly continued to practice their religion. For the most part, as a people, they replaced their cultural identity.

At first, the Moriscos' lip service to Catholicism was tolerated.  They did, after all, perform a vital function as artisans, craftsmen, laborers, and taxpayers.  Still, the Moriscos' general refusal to assimilate was resented, and they suffered  discrimination from both the government and the common people. Such prejudice may have been fueled by the growing suspicions in the church regarding the sincerity of their conversion. 

Soon, toleration was replaced by coercion.  In 1567, the decision of King Philip II to forbid the Moriscos' language, dress, customs, and traditions was published.  This measure provoked new rebellion and bloodshed.

Spain's rulers, according to historians, became convinced that "Moriscos were neither good Christians nor loyal subjects."  For that reason, they were accused of conspiring with Spain's enemies-the Barbary pirates, the French Protestants, and the Turks-to favor a foreign invasion.  Both prejudices and fears that the Moriscos would eventually  turn traitor  contributed to the decision  of Philip III to expel them in 1609.  In the years that followed, people suspected of being Moriscos were persecuted .  By such ignoble means, Spain became fully Catholic.

Next time: Who Is Behind All Evil?-Are Evil Forces at Work?

From the Awake! magazine, 2014