Treatment of the Jews by the Moors.
The Barbary Jews are, in every sense of the word,
complete slaves to the Moors. They are obliged to
wear a particular costume to distinguish them from
the Mahometans, and can on no account wear a red
cap or yellow slippers, the same as the Moors. If they
should be bold enough to do so, a very severe punish-
ment would be the consequence. Neither are they
permitted to adopt the European costume without
eqpecial leave from the sultan himself, which is
sometimes granted as a matter of very great favour.
The Jews wear a black skull-cap on their head,
and black slippers : the latter they are compelled to
take off when they come within ten yards of a mosque
or sanctuary, and to proceed barefooted by it. No ex-
ception is made to this regulation, whatever may be
the wealth and consequence of the individual, or the
state of the weather and streets. The Jews through*
out the country are held in the greatest contempt by
all classes of the Mahometans. The Moorish boys,
who are usually extremely insolent, even to Christians,
treat the unfortunate Israelites with the greatest
effrontery and wanton cruelty, sensible as they are
that they will not be punished, and being encouraged
in this behaviour by their parents. I have, on more
than one occasion, seen a Moorish boy about ten years
of age step up to a Jew in the street, and, having
stopped him, kick, and slap him in the face, without his
venturing to lift up a hand and defend himself. Should
he dare to do so, his hand would be cut off, as being
raised against one of their true believers. The poor
man was obliged to content himself with crying out,
addressing his little persecutor at the same time by the
title of sidi^ or master, and supplicating him to let him
pass. As to the unfortunate Jew boys, they make their
appearance with fear and trembling where any Moorish
children may chance to be playing, being considered as
fair game, much in the same light as a dog, and are sure
to be well thumped and pelted. It is in consequence
of this system of persecution that the Jews of Tetuan
and some other towns — Fez, for instance — have a
separate quarter or town to themselves, the only com-
munication with the Moorish town being by gates,
which are shut at night. By these means they are very
much protected from the ill-treatment and insults of
the Moors, particularly on the sabbath, when they do
more as they please than on any other day, as no
Moor is then allowed to enter their quarter and molest
them.. Sometimes they depend so much on the security
they enjoy on their sabbath, that they venture now
and then to put on a hat of European make, although
subject to the risk of being reported to the governor,
and either heavily fined or receiving the bastinado
for their infringement of the general regulation on this
head.
.
)
, or I wouldn't have believed it!
