How can I summarize Christian-Muslim relations? Let’s just say it’s complicated. Whether we lay the blame on Muslim wars of expansion or retaliation by Christian crusades, both religions share blame for mistreating one another.
Muslim Moors conquered the Iberian Peninsula (now Spain and Portugal) in the early 700’s and exercised dominion over its Christian population until 1492. Many Christians, fearing reprisals, became Muslims, some in name only. One Christian group, known as Mozarabs (meaning “like an Arab”), refused to convert. They adopted the Arabic language and customs but only in ways that didn’t violate their Christian conscience. In the words of one leading Mozarabic bishop, “It was wise for us to comply with all things that do not hinder our faith.” Mozarabic Christians were regarded as second-class citizens. They could not hold high rank in the government or military. They were allowed to practice their religion privately but were forbidden to give public expressions of their faith. They had to wear distinctive clothing to identify themselves as non-Muslims and were restricted in social contact with wider Islamic society. Mozarabic men were denied by law to marry Muslim women since women were expected to practice the religion of their husbands. While some Mozarabic Christians urged greater accommodation to Arabic culture, others resisted assimilation at any level. Fifty monks were executed in the ninth century for defying the Muslim ban to proselytize and bear public witness to Christ. How did the Mozarabic Christians prevail for seven centuries in maintaining their Christian identity, cut off from Christian influence in Europe? They developed a rich Mozarabic liturgy and forged a strong corporate identity as the body of Christ. We join in one of their ancient advent prayers: