Muslims Living Under Christian Rule: Arabic Preaching in 13th-Century Spain

FAIN: FA-57835-14

Linda Gale Jones
Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona 08002 Spain)

I am writing The Mudejar Preacher of Aragon: Defending the Faith, Mediating between Cultures, a book that edits, translates and studies a rare anonymous 13th-century manuscript of Arabic sermons from the Crown of Aragon (MS C/3 Bibl. TNT, Madrid). The preacher alludes to being "here in this peninsula under Christian domination," showing that he and his audience were Mudejars, Muslims living under Christian rule. Whereas most studies on the Mudejars rely on more abundant Christian archival sources, my book provides a firsthand account of the Mudejar experience. I argue that the preacher consoled and empowered his community by creating a moralizing discourse justifying and heroizing life as model Muslims in a Christian land. I will use the NEH grant to do the library research on Mudejar interactions with Christian missionaries and other Muslims needed to write two chapters. The resulting book will clarify the role of religion in helping Muslim minorities adapt to social change.