We present to you Mohammed Elrazzaz, Professor of the course ‘Tools for Cultural Management’ at the Master in Arts and Cultural Management, who recently published his book in Arabic “al-Andalus: History of the Diaspora” after years of traveling, researching, writing and editing. The book is a study of a very important Mediterranean diaspora that took place in the early 17th century and left an extraordinary imprint on the Mediterranean culture, especially in North Africa, namely the diaspora of the Moriscos (Arabs and Berbers converted into Christianity under the pressure of the Inquisition Courts in the Iberian Peninsula, mostly in Spain).
In his blog “Camel 76” he describes the book:
In the year 711 AD, Muslims conquered the Iberian Peninsula, calling it al-Andalus and sowing the seeds of a fascinating renaissance characterised -mostly- by tolerance, coexistence and an appreciation for the arts and the sciences. With the fall of the last Andalusi Kingdom in Granada to the Catholic Monarchs in 1492 AD, the Muslim rule in al-Andalus came to an end. Faced with discrimination and persecution, the Muslims there (first called mudejars, then moriscos after they converted to Christianity) survived one tragedy after another until the Spanish King Felipe III approved a decree calling for the final expulsion of all the Moriscos between 1609 and 1614 AD. It is estimated that some 350,000 Moriscos were forced to leave, accused -among other things- of practicing Islam in secret, failing to integrate in the Spanish community and conspiring with the Ottomans against the Spanish Crown.
Mohammed was graduated from the same Master in which he is a professor today, capitalizing on his professional experience in the Financial Sector and in International Relations with an academic career in the cultural sector and a natural passion for teaching. In 2008 he was awarded the ‘UNESCO Certificate of Appreciation’ for his efforts in promoting culture in Egypt. He holds a degree in Hispanic Studies (University of Granada, 2009); and works since 2013 for the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean in Barcelona.
It is our honor to recognize the hard and deep work of this dearest professor, who at the age of 40 could plant a tree, have a son and write a book.
