The situation of Christians was not the same. Some had religious links with the Byzantine Empire, and may have incurred suspicion in times of war. They did not have the same close-knit communal organization as the Jews; in parts of the countryside they may not have been deeply Christian. In some places Christianity died out completely, although not for a long time; in others it remained as the faith of a minority.

A description of Christianity in the Middle East, Northern Africa and Spain during the 10th Century AD from: A History of the Arab Peoples,
Albert Hourani pp.47-8