Iberian medical-murder accusations hit converted Jews but mostly spared converted Muslims

Evidence

This chapter seeks to explore the nature of the conspiracy theory prevalent in early modern Spain and Portugal relating to the medical murder of Christians by secret Jews and Muslims. It compares how this myth affected the judeoconversos and the moriscos differently and asks why one group— the judeoconversos—became the principal target of such accusations while the other—the moriscos—was apparently mostly spared. — James Renton, Ben Gidley (eds.), Antisemitism and Islamophobia in Europe, 357

Categorization

• QUESTION: This asymmetry — why judeoconversos but not moriscos became the medical-murder scapegoat — is the chapter’s central puzzle and worth chasing through the ensuing argument.