Islamophobia: The Hypocrisy of Modern Spain
Mia Reddy
Islamophobia: The Hypocrisy of Modern Spain
Mia Reddy
Embedded Files
Mia Reddy
Many people not only in Spain but across the world are unaware that Muslim communities have been present in Spain since the 700s. In the Middle Ages, Muslims from North Africa took over the south of Spain, occupying a region known as al-Andalus. The Islamic Golden Age lasted from the 8th century to the 14th, in which Muslims in al-Andalus prospered and contributed significantly to intellectual endeavors and advancements. However, the region existed in constant turmoil with the Christians to the north. By the early 1400s, the Christians had successfully fragmented al-Andalus and gained control of nearly all of Spain. The Catholic monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel promised religious tolerance, but in reality Muslims and Jews suffered under their rule. Ferdinand and Isabel exiled those who did not convert to Christianity and established the Spanish Inquisition to police those who did convert (Davies).
Despite those efforts and more over the years, Muslims and their cultural impact have not been erased from Spain. One might expect that by the 20th and 21st centuries, religious tolerance would finally exist in Spain. However, there seems to be a culture of ignorance and denial surrounding the Islamic population and their roots in the country. This essay closely examines the extent to which Muslim tolerance exists in modern Spain. With this concept, it is crucial to consider the different perspectives of the government, the public, and the Muslim community itself. I argue that although tolerance seems to exist on paper, Spaniards in general do not appreciate or accept Muslims.
The governmental perspective
Over the course of the 20th century, the Spanish government made some changes that suggested they were supportive of their Islamic community. Chamorro and Lorente, authors of “Muslims or immigrants? The Institutionalization of Islam in Spain (1860-1992)”, point to various documents and treaties to support their argument that religious tolerance was indeed achieved little by little. The authors first offer two key elements of the current establishment of Islam in Spain. In 1860, the Treaty of Wad-Ras allowed Muslim and Jewish peoples to settle in the southern area of Spain. A few decades later, the Spanish Protectorate in Morocco from 1912 to 1956 authorized the Moroccan government to have social and religious control in that area. Chamorro and Lorente state that by the time the Protectorate ended in 1956, Muslims had their communities well-established with strong organization. Additionally, in 1967 the government passed a law for the right to religious freedom, and Islam was recognized as the second religion of Spain.
However, a law was passed in 1985 that in many ways contradicted the religious tolerance the Spanish government had been seemingly projecting. The Law on the Rights and Freedoms of Foreigners in Spain considered immigration to be a temporary situation, which jeopardized the citizenship and safety of Muslim immigrants and even native residents in some cases (Pérez). This sparked a movement of social activism among Muslims and other immigrant communities in Spain. The movement gained enough momentum that by 1987 they succeeded in getting the government to recognize the Spanish nationality of the majority of Muslims who requested it, through a royal decree of exceptionality of the immigration law (Chamorro). This action can certainly be interpreted two ways. On one hand, it is a significant achievement that Spanish Muslims were granted nationality and therefore legitimacy in the eyes of the State. On the other hand, it seems incredibly unfortunate that this occurred just 30 short years ago, and only after momentous social activism. Indeed, Muslim activist organizations pressed onward to fight for their rights not explicitly guaranteed by law. This culminated in 1992 with the Cooperation Agreement.
An image from the BOE (Boletín Oficial del Estado) of the Cooperation Agreement document, signed by President Felipe Gonzá. lez Marquez in Madrid on the 10th of November 1992 (Ley 26/1992).
Photo: Public Domain
The signing of the Cooperation Agreement by the Spanish government and the Islamic Commission of Spain represents an important turning point in the development of contemporary Islam in Spain (Chamorro). The agreement begins by briefly discussing the fundamental rights of equality and religious freedom. According to the agreement, the Organic Law of Religious Freedom can be extended to the Muslim community due to those rights and the large number of believers of Islam in Spanish society (Ley 26/1992). After negotiations between the State and the Islamic Commission of Spain, the fourteen articles of the Cooperation Agreement were formed. This document is extremely significant because its terms are evidence of how much the state was willing to grant Muslims.
As it turns out, the articles of the agreement cover a broad range of topics, suggesting that many of the Commission's demands were in fact granted. Among the fourteen, some notable articles guarantee the rights of Imams, the protection of mosques, the teaching of Islamic religion, recognition of Islamic holidays, and more (Ley 26/1992).
The existence of these laws and documents throughout the 20th century seem to suggest that in general, the Spanish government was moving toward tolerance of Islam. As Chamorro and Lorente see it, tolerance was achieved in 1992 with the signing of the Cooperation Agreement. However, an argument cannot be made in favor or against this without considering more than one perspective one this issue, which is why the governmental outlook must be compared to those of the Spanish public and the Spanish Muslim community themselves.
The public perspective
Public opinion is significantly influenced by mass media as well as the opinions of authority figures. In order to determine public opinion of Spanish citizens on the topic of the Muslim community, it is appropriate to consider the rhetoric of a popular poltical party as well as the national mass media.
In particular, the rise of the conservative party Vox reveals that islamophobia still persists in Spain to this day. Founded in 2013, its ideology is ultranationalist and nativist, as well as antifemenist and racist. According to an article by Sebastian Rinken, “immigration figures prominently on the nationalist training program, including proposals that both express and foster misgivings towards those who profess the Muslim religion” (Rinken). Clearly, anti-muslim sentiment is not simply a commonality among conservatice Vox supporters, rather, it is an explicit part of their political agenda. The party has directly called for the expulsion of Muslims from Spain and the closure of mosques. Specifically, an article from The Arab Weekly states that “Vox advocates stoke fears of Muslims imposing sharia in southern Spain, turning the cathedral in Cordoba back into a mosque and forcing women to cover up. Hatred of Islam is part and parcel of the appeal of Vox, fear of immigrants particularly in Andalusia” (Ghiles). Interestingly, Andalusia is a region with deep Islamic roots and is populated by a high proportion of immigrants. It is very difficult to believe that Vox rhetoric could penetrate that region, but the fact remains that Vox won the regional parliamentary elections of 2018 in Andalusia with nearly 400,000 votes. But support for the party is not confined to Andalusia. Spain’s fourth general election in 2019 resulted in an extreme increase in Vox’s share of the vote, from 10% to 15% (Ghiles). An increase in Vox supporters directly implies that more and more Spaniards harbor anti-Muslim sentiment.
Although not every Spaniard is islamophobic, every Spaniard is certainly exposed to islamophobia. The information disseminated by popular mass media and news outlets has an effect on those who consume it. An analysis by Sara Piquer Martí of news from the Spanish national newspapers El País and La Razón reveals that they perpetuate negative stereotypes about Muslims. Martí affirms that “there is a close relationship between the media discourse and the existence of Islamophobia” (Martí). Most notably, Muslims usually appear in the Spanish press only in the context of a conflict. Despite the fact that this is a disproportionate representation, it influences Spaniards to associate Muslims with conflict. Further, this contributes to the atmosphere of “otherness” that the media fosters in regard to Muslims. Through linguistic and iconographic strategies, the media creates a culture of “them versus us” which separates Muslims from other Spaniards. More specifically, the language used to describe Muslims and their actions typically have negative implications, and the images that accompany them are improperly or insufficiently contextualized.
The text that goes along one image “talks of terrorism and religious fanaticism within ‘our territory.’ They speak of London as a ‘jihadist paradise’, where Islam becomes a threat” (Martí). This commentary is blatant islamophobic rhetoric, generating otherness and upholding ultranationalist ideals. This is problematic because there is no way of knowing whether these people are extremist or not, and it causes an inherently non-threatening Muslim tradition to be associated with danger and terrorism (Martí).
The increasing momentum of the political party Vox and the disproportionately islamophobic articles published by the media are direct implications that the Spanish public harbors anti-Muslim sentiment. This is in stark contrast to what the government had been trying to portray.
The Spanish Muslim perspective
The Muslim Association for Human Rights (AMDEH) is a legal entity created by Muslim activists and academics in 2018 with the purpose of promoting human rights for Muslims in Spain. AMDEH is a legitimate and reputable organization that has a perspective on the current experiences of Spanish Muslims. The entries in their website and blog reflect the sentiments of Muslims across the country about actions by the Spanish government and society. In fact, many of the entries shed light on and condemn acts of anti-Muslim racism in Spain. One of the most recent posts, from April of 2021, summarizes and reflects on a report by the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. The Special Rapporteur points out that the Spanish government does not condemn islamophobic actions, preventing Muslims from enjoying their human rights. It is alarming that Muslim communities and individuals have been more and more affected by anti-Muslim acts over recent years. The AMDEH backs the Special Rapporteur in urging the state, society, media, employers, and the United Nations strive to prohibit and condemn religious hatred (AMDEH).
The simple fact that this organization exists and this entry in particular exists are evidence that there is a lack of tolerance for Muslims in Spain. Acts of islamophobia are ongoing, and the government turns a blind eye. The AMDEH and its supporters feel obligated to expose these acts because their safety and livelihoods are in jeopardy and the law has not been upheld to protect them.
This image is the logo of the Muslim Association for Human Rights,
depicting a dove symbolic of peace (AMDEH)
It does not seem that islamophobia in Spain will dissipate anytime in the near future. Change needs to take place on a systemic level, and there will be pushback against this. Spain doesn’t even have a good example to follow in its neighbor, France, a country that also harbors deeply rooted islamophobia. The government needs to do its job and actively uphold and enforce the rights and protections of the Muslims that call Spain their home. It is unacceptable to declare that tolerance has been achieved solely because laws were passed and rights were supposedly granted. The words must be backed by action, otherwise it is all a facade. A hypocrisy is being upheld in Spain, in which the government professes religious tolerance but neither it nor its people are actually accepting of non-Christian religions. Prejudice and islamophobia in particular are deeply embedded in the country's history, and unfortunately, passing a law cannot erase or rewrite that history. When it comes down to it, Vox is only building on the same intolerance that originated five centuries ago.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse