Castile deliberately blocked Muslim emigration to retain their labor

Evidence

For the Muslims of Spain, now forcibly converted, a new order had thus arrived. The choices were stark: (1) remain and accept baptism; (2) remain, refuse baptism, and become a slave; or (3) leave the country and become a refugee in an Islamic country. The third might appear an easy option, but it was not. In the days after the surrender of 1492 and in some earlier negotiations, the Castilians had been willing to provide transport, even in some cases free. From this point onward, in general (there were exceptions) the policy was to block emigration and certainly not to provide passages gratis. This may at first sight be puzzling, for the emigration of the Muslims, now most of them in theory at least “new converts,” would have removed a political problem and opened the way for further colonization by Old Christians of the lands that once belonged to the Muslims. It would seem that the decision had been reached if possible to retain the services of the inhabitants of these recently acquired territories. — L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, 265

Categorization

• DEFINE: This is the contrast point that makes the whole forced-conversion dilemma concrete for the reader.