Portugal’s parliament will vote on whether to naturalize descendants of 16th-century Jews who fled the country because of religious persecution. The motion has the support of the ruling Socialists and is expected to pass. Once it goes into effect, the law will give Portuguese citizenship to descendants of the Portuguese Inquisition, which the Christian church began in 1536 to reduce dissent. Tens of thousands were forced from the country and countless others were forced to convert to Christianity. At the time Portugal had a Jewish population of 400,000. Many Portuguese refugees from the Inquisition moved to Turkey.

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