It seems clear that the Mudejars' distinctively Arabo-Berber
mode of social organization helped to shore up their cultural
boundaries against the acculturative attrition of an
overwhelming Christian presence. These boundaries preserved the
essential element of their ethnic identity, the profession of
Islam. Although social mores and behavior were intimately bound
up with and were to a large extent the product of religious
belief, nevertheless, they in themselves were insufficient to
perpetuate the religious faith of the social group. The decision
of Mudejars to flee the kingdom in 1502–1503 instead of
abandoning Islam was the expression of an intensity of faith
that transcended the more amorphous "Moorish" cultural identity
engendered by repetitive social practice. It is necessary,
therefore, to comprehend how the Mudejars actively instilled and
fostered their Islamic faith and identity. An essential element
buttressing the faith of individual Muslims was the sense of
belonging to a larger community of believ