The Mezquita-Garaje, Mezquita-Sótano, and Islam in Spain Since 11-M
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HAOL, Núm. 17 (Otoño, 2008), 147-158 ISSN 1696-2060 THE MEZQUITA-GARAJE, MEZQUITA-SÓTANO, AND ISLAM IN SPAIN SINCE 11-M Lauren Beck Mount Allison University, Canada. E-mail: [email protected] Recibido: 10 Julio 2008 / Revisado: 16 Julio 2008 / Aceptado: 23 Septiembre 2008 / Publicación Online: 15 Octubre 2008 Abstract: This introductory study attempts to This is no different in Spain, where freedom of situate the representation of Islam and Islamic information is a highly valued commodity. In space in modern-day Spain within an historical the late 1970s, after Franco died, reforms were context that reveals the subversion of Islam in quickly installed toward the creation of a Spain by traditionally Catholic governments. cohesive constitution that would eventually Through comparative examinations of how acknowledge the regional communities as information about Islam was collected, unique and autonomous. Linguistic differences, distributed and controlled between the 16th freedoms of expression, and religious freedoms Century and today, an overarching socio- were also acknowledged throughout this political organization emerges that is shared by a process, and a list of religious institutions spiritualized autocracy and a modern democracy became the mandate of Spain’s Ministry of in light of dictatorial practices and cultural Justice, a mandate that still exists today in the control. form of the Registry of Religious Entities. This Keywords: Mezquita, mosque, Islam, morisco, registry is now online and, as we will discuss, is Muslim, Catholic, Democracy, Spain, 16th one example of how democratic Spain Century, 21st Century, 11-M, dictatorship. subordinates Islam to Catholicism in ______________________ information collection and distribution practices. Census data, along with government-based n the past, my work has treated early modern statistics publications, are used by the media and issues concerning the representation of educational institutions every day in Spain. As a Hispanic people and space. I have turned category of information, census and I th recently to the issue of the hidden and secret demographic data was also collected in 16 mosque in 16th Century Spain, and have become Century Spain, and a comparison of how Islam aware of this phenomenon in Spain today. It is was represented then and now will demonstrate through this lens that I approach the topic of similarities between the two periods and contemporary dictatorship with respect to the administrations in terms of information representation of Islam within western management and Islam in Spain. democracies, particularly since 9-11 in the United States and Canada, the 2004 Madrid We will explore other ways that democratic bombings, and London bombings that followed. cultures subvert Islam in an apparent attempt to In these respective democracies, we have seen control it within their realms. This comparative over the last few years a marked increase in the study will reveal common policies and practices general public’s knowledge of Islam, and this is toward Islam and the space occupied by Islam in due to an increase in the media’s circulation of Spain. Furthermore, we will see that controls on information. Many of the questions and issues information and information circulation are we will address here are well articulated in the common in democratic cultures and media, which has ensured that all western governments, as they were in 16th Century peoples know that Muslims attend mosque municipal government and throughout the several times a day, or wear hi’jabs, or choose to Kingdoms and Empires led by Spain. Dictatorial live according to Shar’ia, among other popular practices in this broad, historical sense can topics pertaining to Islam in the western media. afflict any western democracy, particularly © Historia Actual Online 2008 147 The Mezquita-Garaje Lauren Beck when the polemics of Islam and westernization, comúnes in traditional Muslim dress and in or Islam and Christianity, are involved. clothing a Spaniard would wear, respectively, which suggests that moriscos, Muslims and 1. BACKGROUND: MORISCO AND Catholic Spaniards still could not be MUDÉJAR COOPERATION WITH THE distinguished one from the other. This TURKS, INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC observation heightened the urgency with which TERRORISM, AND IMMIGRATION the Catholic authorities controlled the possibility of secret worship. It also led in part to the After the rapid conquest of Spain by Muslims expulsion of all moriscos between 1609 and that began in 711, a reconquest was waged by 1614 from Spain. Catholics almost immediately through local skirmishes as early as 718. By the mid-13th During this same period, the Ottoman Empire Century, Islam had been confined to had reared up across the world, touching the Old southeastern Spain, known then as the Nasrid World continents of Africa, Asia and Europe, kingdom of Granada, which managed to protect and having taken the city of Constantinople in its sovereignty for nearly 300 years before 1453. Throughout the 16th Century, Spain was Granada fell to the fervent efforts of reconquest flanked by the Ottomans to the south across the in 1492. The Muslim population living under Maghreb as they moved from east to west; and Catholic rule, the mudéjar population, was throughout the Mediterranean and within the restricted in how and when it could worship, but Strait of Gibraltar and Atlantic by the Turkish was not yet forced to convert to Catholicism. fleet and the Corsairs. The greatest population of The economic and social incentive to convert moriscos still lived in southeastern Spain led to some voluntary conversions; most other (especially before the 1568/9 morisco revolts), conversions were forced and/or legislated within and it was suspected that they would assist the the first 10 years of Catholic resettlement in Turks with any incursion into Spanish territory. Granada. Moriscos, or new Christians, saw their Despite professing the Catholic faith, the mosques turned into churches and administrative moriscos were associated with the Turks by the buildings or houses, leading to the establishment Catholic decision-makers because of the faith of secret mosques in order to sustain Muslim that was perceived to be common between both worship under Catholic rule. groups: Islam. Therefore, after the 1568/9 morisco revolts, the moriscos were forced to The Catholic leaders were aware of possible transmigrate to other parts of Spain in order to gatherings taking place in private homes and ensure that they would not have access to stores, and demanded that doors be left open on regions where they could support the Turks, and Muslim calendar days in order to ensure that no that the population was more thinly distributed. private worship occurred. During the first half of The transmigration also mitigated labour the 16th Century, the moriscos were instructed in shortages experienced in many parts of Spain, the ways of Catholicism; schools for morisco and integrated the moriscos into a labour class children were built, and sermons developed to upon which Spain depended. The early 17th- reach the adult convert. But, a challenge greater Century expulsion left in its wake an even than the establishment of morisco infrastructure greater socio-economic crisis that lasted well ensued. Many moriscos had the same skin into the next century. colour, hair colour and language capabilities as Christians who had lived in the area for the last Spain today continues some of these policies few decades. The illustrations that accompanied toward Muslims, who are no longer forced or the 13th-Century work Cantigas de Santa María compelled to convert to Catholicism, and who demonstrate that the Muslim populations should enjoy more freedoms than their 16th confined through the reconquest to the south of Century counterparts as a result of democratic Spain did not always have darker skin colour reform and the guarantees of the Spanish and eyes than the Catholic crusaders. In both the constitution. However, two factors influence the 15th and 16th Centuries, mudéjares were forced treatment of Muslims in Spain: international to wear crescent moons on their person in order Islamic terrorism and immigration from the to be differentiated from the Catholic African continent. The former characterizes and population. Frans Hogenberg and Georg Braun suspects all Muslims of possible terrorist links comment on this reality in a 1575 vista of and activities, especially if these Muslims were Granada in the second volume of the Civitates not born in Spain and exhibit racial, ethnic and orbis terrarum. They depict two moriscos 148 © Historia Actual Online 2008 Lauren Beck The Mezquita-Garaje linguistic differences apart from Spain’s general for the purpose of finding food or work, and can population. be encountered in most Spanish cities, and particularly along the southern coast, in small This attitude recalls the 16th-Century outlook on groups. A high unemployment rate for Turkish and morisco collaboration in attacks on immigrants from countries where Islam Spanish soil, and can be related to the dominates is common in Spain. A recent study assumption of al-Qaeda involvement in the found that immigrants from traditionally Madrid bombings (after the Basque group ETA Christian countries had greater integration into was dismissed as a possibility) when unaffiliated the labour market because they were usually participants were to blame. In fact, the illusion employed before immigrating or had a specific of al-Qaeda involvement was sustained by the skill set required in the target country, whereas government’s later conclusion that the attacks immigrants from non-Christian countries who were “al-Qaeda-inspired.” This facilitates the moved to Christian countries had higher perception that any Muslim who is not a unemployment rates2. The results of this study member of al-Qaeda might be inspired to suggest that individuals from non-Christian and emulate its action or goals, whereas a non- undemocratic countries have difficulty Muslim would not be suspected of being integrating into a country such as Spain. inspired by al-Qaeda or its agenda.