"When #Jewish #immigration to #Brazil is mentioned, many immediately think of the large urban centers in the South and Southeast. Few know, however, that one of the most fascinating chapters of the Jewish #diaspora in the country began thousands of kilometers away, along the banks of the #Amazon rivers.

It was in the early 19th century that the first #Moroccan #Jews arrived in the Brazilian Amazon. Coming mainly from cities such as #Tangier, #Tetouan, and #Casablanca, they brought with them far more than merchandise: they carried centuries of history, a rich religious and cultural tradition, and above all, the hope of starting anew.

Descendants of #Sephardic Jews expelled from the #IberianPeninsula—especially from #Spain during the #Inquisition in the late 15th century and later settled in North #Africa—these families fled persecution and political instability in #Morocco. Their destination was a distant, lush, and virtually unknown land: the Amazon."

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/from-morocco-to-the-amazon-the-extraordinary-journey-of-moroccan-jews-in-brazil/

M’Crie quotes an Inquisition victim who cried out to God, preferring cannibals to his baptized tormentors. M’Crie—a Reformed historian—neither flinches nor excuses it. The title says it all: the Reformation’s heirs were the primary targets, and they’re the ones who preserved the memory. If you’re Christian, don’t be a fiend. If you’re not, consider who kept this story alive, and why.

#reformed #reformedtheology #presbyterian #christian #inquisition

Alt...

Black graphic with a portrait of Thomas M'Crie (1772–1835) beside a quote from *History of the Progress and Suppression of the Reformation in Spain*: "Oppressed and worn out with a mode of living so different from what he had been used to, he [Constantine Ponce] was heard to exclaim, 'O my God, were there no Scythians, or cannibals, or pagans still more savage, that thou hast permitted me to fall into the hands of these baptized fiends?'"

Why the Inquisition Built the Surveillance State

https://clairesalerno.substack.com/p/why-the-inquisition-built-the-surveillance

The real motive behind web 2.0, web 3.0, the cloud, AI, and panopticon nonsense is to identify and isolate heretics.

"They began with the network. If you can find one suspected heretic and interrogate them about their associations, who they speak to, who they share meals with, whose homes they visit and which neighbours are sympathetic, you can build a list of names."

"Then, you visit each of those people on the list and ask them the same questions. From this you can build a map of the entire community, identifying relationships and flagging suspects."

"They used the social fabric of communities and rewarded those who denounced others. They reduced penalties for cooperation, and built the assumption that staying silent is itself suspicious."

"They made it so the rational choice for any individual in the community is to inform on neighbours before neighbours inform on them. This creates a self-policing community. The community does the work, with the institution as the receiving authority."

"Think about that for a moment, because it describes the current digital surveillance apparatus exactly."

#Inquisition #Surveillance #Panopticon #Privacy #Cathars #Censorship