Anwar G. Chejne.
Albany: SUNY Press, 1983.
ISBN: 0-87395-606-0

For nearly a thousand years after the crossing of the Straits of Gibralter by the Arabs in 711 A. D., Islam had held a special and significant place in the lands of Spain, but its position was never as secure as it was in North Africa or Mesopotamia. In Spain, Christian peoples never quite gave up their desire for control, and opposition to Muslim authority soon turned into movements of re-conquest. Reconquest did not inevitably lead to the expulsion of the Muslims, however: in 1119 Alfonso 1 of Aragon had permitted the Muslims, known as Mudejars because of their decision to live in Christian lands, to be governed by an official of their choice, in accordance with Islamic law. But religious tensions soon turned the subordinate peoples into a beleagered minority and their numbers further decreased as they began to escape for North Africa. In 1499 even Granada was taken, and it seemed that the region, which had once seen the co-existance of Jews, Christians and Muslims, was slowly turning exclusively Catholic. In 1525, Charles V, who had promised that he would not forcibly convert the Aragonese Muslims, now offered them a choice between baptism and expulsion. Opting to remain in their homeland the new converts in fact maintained their original faith in Islam in secrecy. These pseudo-Christian-Muslims--recognized as Moriscos--their way of life, their faith and practices, are the subject of Anwar G. Chejne's discourse.
     The picture painted by Chejne of the daily existence of the Morisco is difficult to imagine. To all who did not know, he was a baptized, church-going, confessing, Christian and Catholic who not only accepted the doctrine of transubstantiation, but even acknowledged the powers of their numerous saints. But those who belonged with his community knew only too well the secret practices undertaken to nullify the obvious christian ones. The baptized babe was brought home and immediately bathed in warm water to wash off the baptismal oils and then re-christened with an Arab name. The Morisco would not eat pork and would fast during the month of Ramadan. Naturally, the Christian viewed his newly converted brother with considerable skepticism.
     Needless to say, the Moriscos way of life impacted on their identity. Perhaps the most obvious effect was seen on language. When their ancestors had first visited Spain, they had brought with them an Arab culture, and the Arabic language had soon become the lingua-franca of the entire peninsular. With the Christian reconquest the Mujedar had managed to hold onto that Arabic language, but not the Morisco. With the destruction of their mosques and schools it was inevitable that Romance- Aljamiado--their Spanish dialect written in Arabic script should become their means of self-expression. In time that too changed, and the knowledge of Arabic was retained only by the few religious scholars who continued to study the Quran and the Islamic traditions.
      At the same time the scientific and intellectual skills which had seen the growth of philosophical and medical expertise in the hands of such as Ibn Rushd (Averroes) and Ibn Sina (Avicenna) were now reduced to faith in Quranic passages and a superstitious reliance on the magical nature of auspicious letters and numbers.
     The tale of the Moriscos is a sad one: Examining their self expression Chejne reveals numerous idiosyncracies in their lifestyle which only one who has been closely connected with the community could know about. Particularly fascinating is the information concerning their beliefs which have now become adapted to suit the life of the Morisco. Taqiyya or dissimulation becomes a legally justifiable aspect of their practice of Islam, for instance, and traditions are transmitted which assert the primacy of Spain: "God will protect all Muslims from any evil and those living in al-Andalus are better than those living in Mecca."(page 26). As interesting is the primacy of place given to `Alî, the cousin and son in law of the Prophet, despite their acceptance of the Sunni and Mâliki practices.
     What was it that enabled the Morisco to persevere and maintain his Islamic identity? According to Chejne, the believer's self perception had much to do with it: "The Morisco . . . had historical consciousness about his past Islamic ascendancy, and by extension, about his place in history. This produced strong pride in past Islamic accomplishments and faithfulness to Islamic values and practices but also the unshakeable belief in the Morisco's ultimate deliverance."
     Resistance to assimilation on the part of both the native Christians and the new "converts" led to the exile of the Moriscos from Spain which had disastrous economic consequences for the land, so vital was the contribution of the Morisco to the region. Many left for North Africa and other parts of the Mediterranean world, though even then, a few lingered on. Was their expulsion inevitable? While agreeing with Braudel that their extinction had much to do with the clash of cultures, Chejne does not fail to explain that European hostility was not unmixed. Nevertheless he believes that the attmepts to ameliorate injustices were regrettably sporadic, and more importantly that, "even the policy of moderation appears never to have deviated from the main objective of eradicating the whole Morisco personality."
      The Moriscos is an important book if only because it brings together information about a people that very few of us know anything about. The careful scholarly objectivity with which Chejne examines their life as a minority struggling for survival in a context of religious conflict is to be commended.