 During the Almohad persecution, the Jewish philosopher Maimonides wrote his "Epistle on Apostasy", in which he permitted Jews to feign apostasy under duress, though strongly recommending leaving the country instead.There is dispute amongst scholars as to whether Maimonides himself converted to Islam in order to freely escape from Almohad territory, and then reconverted back to Judaism in either the Levant or in Egypt.He was later denounced as an apostate and tried in an Islamic court.