Abstract
Although Islam had a deep presence in the Iberian Peninsula between the eighth and fifteenth centuries, Muslims have only recently emerged as a substantial religious minority in contemporary Spain. A recent study that combines data on national origins with data on naturalizations estimates that there are roughly 1.7 million Muslims currently residing in Spain, 69 % of whom are foreign nationals (Observatorio Andalusí 2013). Other notable religious minorities include Protestants (~1.5 million), Orthodox Christians (~ 500,000), Jehovah’s Witnesses (~100,000), and Jews (~ 40,000) (Pérez-Agote 2010).1 Moroccans constitute the largest sub-group within Spain’s Muslim population as a result of the geographic proximity of the two countries, as well as historical linkages forged during Spain’s colonial endeavors in northern Morocco. In certain parts of the country, there are also sizable Pakistani, Senegalese, and Algerian communities.
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Notes
- 1.
Since Spain’s constitution prohibits the collection of official data on religious identity, these are rough estimates. The fact that, according to the Observatory of Religious Pluralism, there are 3164 registered Protestant associations and just 1239 Muslim associations suggests that there are actually more Protestants residing in Spain than Muslims (the Observatory’s website may be found at: http://www.observatorioreligion.es/). This difference may, however, reflect disparities in the level of associational development of each religion.
- 2.
For a review of current debates surrounding the utility of national state-church models for understanding processes of religious accommodation, see Finotelli and Michalowski (2012).
- 3.
Specifically, provisions regarding state-church relations in the Spanish constitution were modeled on Art. 137 of the Weimar constitution of 1919 (later incorporated into the German Basic Law of 1949) and Art. 7 and 8 of the Italian constitution of 1948.
- 4.
See, “En Estudio Una Reforma de la Ley de Libertad Religiosa.” El País, January 14, 1978.
- 5.
This information was acquired from an interview conducted with Riay Tatary Bakry on July 4, 2013.
- 6.
The term “cathedral mosque” refers to large, purpose-built mosques with visibly Islamic architecture (Maussen 2009).
- 7.
These municipalities included Marbella, Fuengirola, Pedro Abad, Granada, and Malaga.
- 8.
Macpherson, Ana. “Joan Gaspart: Barcelona Necesita un Casino y una Mezquita para Captar Más Visitantes.” La Vanguardia, September 11, 1994.
- 9.
The controversy that emerged surrounding a project to build a mosque in Granada’s Albaicin is an exception in this regard (Rosón Lorente 2008).
- 10.
Still today, courses on Islam are offered only in a select few regions, and solely at the primary school level A recent report states that just 46 teachers have been hired in all of Spain to teach courses on Islam in public schools, despite the demand for an estimated 400 teachers. Moreover, such courses are offered in only 6 of Spain’s 19 regions (including Ceuta and Melilla). Courses on Islam are notably absent from public schools in Catalonia, despite the fact that it is home to Spain’s largest Muslim population (Observatorio Andalusí 2013).
- 11.
This information was obtained from a personal interview with José María Contreras, the former director of Spain’s Directorate General of Religious Affairs and the first director of the Foundation for Pluralism and Coexistence, on July 5, 2013.
- 12.
The Foundation does not, however, fund activities that are strictly religious in character. Rather, it provides support for organizational needs and activities which relate to culture, education, and social integration.
- 13.
Catalonia is generally considered to be a “nation without a state” and has been engaged in an ongoing struggle for political autonomy from the Spanish state (McRoberts 2001).
- 14.
This information was obtained from a personal interview with Cristina Monteys, a civil servant who has been involved with the administration of the OAR since 2002 (when it was still the Interreligious Center of Barcelona). The interview was conducted on May 15, 2013.
- 15.
In addition, each of UCIDE’s 18 regional federations joined the CIE independently after the passage of the Royal Decree-Law.
- 16.
Specifically, UCIDE’s regional federations were not granted independent votes, despite their independent status within the CIE.
- 17.
The parents of a 16-year-old student who was expelled from a school in Puzuelo de Alarcón (Madrid) in 2010 for wearing a hijab filed a lawsuit challenging the school’s decision. In spite of their efforts, however, the school’s decision was backed by a district court and subsequently upheld by Madrid’s Supreme Court. Similarly, in 2011 the parents of a 10-year-old Muslim student who was forced to transfer from a school in Arteixo (Galicia) for wearing the hijab contested the school’s decision and filed a lawsuit against the school’s director for his treatment of the matter.
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Astor, A. (2015). Governing Religious Diversity Amid National Redefinition: Muslim Incorporation in Spain. In: Burchardt, M., Michalowski, I. (eds) After Integration. Islam und Politik. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-02594-6_13
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