The battle for tolerance
Yusuf Fernandis, spokesperson of the Muslim Organisation of Spain, tells the story of Islam in contemporary Spain
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The opening of the first mosque in Granada since the Reconquista attended by thousands of the city's Muslims
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There are currently one million Muslims in Spain. Most of them live in the northern region Catalonia and in the capital, Madrid. In the two Spanish cities in the north of Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, the Muslim population is about 40 per cent.
Although there is religious freedom in Spain, which is a secular state according to its constitution, Muslims are not treated fairly. In 1992, Muslims, Jews and Protestants signed an agreement with the Spanish State which gave them some important rights, such as classes in Islamic studies in public primary and secondary schools and visits to prisons, hospitals and military buildings to give Islamic teachings to those who seek them.
This agreement was signed by the Islamic Commission, a body that represents the Muslims from Spain and which is formed by the two Islamic Federations which exist here: the Spanish Federation of Islamic Religious Entities (FEERI) and the Union of Islamic Communities of Spain (UCIDE). The agreement became a law after being passed by the Parliament, but it hasn't been put into practice up to now. For example, the classes of Islamic studies have not started yet. For the past eight years, the Islamic Commission has submitted a list of Muslim teachers to the Ministry of Education which -- up till this moment -- has hired none of them.
The problem here is that there is a strong influence of the Catholic Church on the State and especially on the People's Party (PP), the conservative party which currently rules Spain. Catholicism was the official religion of Spain until the death of dictador Franco in 1975. The actual Spanish Constitution states that all the confessions must be treated in the same way but in practice the Catholic Church has kept most of its influence and privileges.
The majority of the Spanish people are not against Islam, although there is an important section of them who are. The first source of bias against Muslims is the right-wing media as well as some political parties with an extremist agenda. They have launched a campaign against Muslim immigration and try to present it as an "invasion".
But in spite of this vile campaign, most Spanish people feel curious about Islam. The conferences and other activities that are organised by Muslim associations are usually crowded by people who want to know more things about Islam.
As a Spanish Muslim, I feel moved and happy for the new grand mosque of Granada. I think that it is proof that Islam has started to return slowly to Spain again and Muslims begin to have an influence on this society. I think that the opening of the mosque can be an opportunity for the Granadians to know that Islam is an important part of their history and culture. Spain has an important Islamic heritage which has been ignored for centuries. I think that the mosque could be essential for the interreligious dialogue in the city too.
Based on an interview by Omayma Abdel- Latif.
