The Muslim Minority in the Portuguese Kingdom (1170-1496): Identity and Writing

The historical perspective of the Portuguese Muslim minority (just like that of the Jewish one) was subjected to a mediated discourse, based mainly upon the documentation that was produced or controlled by the Christian powers. Even so, it is possible to trace the identity marks of this minority in the written records, mainly in the production of Islamic Law or in other documents that recorded services rendered to the Portuguese king in Islamic territories. A bipartite identity is expressed in Portuguese, in the adscription of Muslims to the King and the Realm, in their assumption of the legal status of mouros forros (free Moors), and in Arabic, as garīb, in their relationship with the Islamic umma.