ISLAMOPHOBIA REPORT

ISLAMOPHOBIA IN Spain
aged through a dual leadership, represented by two association groups: the Spanish
Federation of Religious Entities (FEERI) and the Union of Islamic Communities of
Spain (UCIDE). This dual leadership is reflected in inner tensions both among the
Muslim congregation and with the central authorities; the signing of new articles
of association in 2012 were only partially recognized by the Islamic Commission of
Spain and were then blocked by the Ministry of Justice. In July, 2015 this ministry
decided to promote a draft Royal Decree that would unilaterally modify the structure
of the CIE. Although this Royal Decree has not been finalised, it has sparked
protests which accuse the government of interventionism, of trying to divide the
Muslim community and of discrimination. 37
ON THE SYRIAN REFUGEES
The Syrian refugee crisis has erupted in the political arena with strength, polarising
public opinion and compromising the commitments and principles which the European
countries have asserted on paper. This crisis, which has made the most of the
headlines over the last months, caught the public attention after a series of tragic
shipwrecks in the Mediterranean during the month of April, and particularly after
the photograph of Aylan Kurdi, the 3 year-old boy found dead on the Turkish coast,
spread throughout the world. However, most of the government’s reactions have not
met the high expectations that the population, at least in the short term, had.
In the present case, the Spanish government has adopted several stances under
different arguments, all of them, however, contrary to the acceptance of refugees or
with a view to limit the numbers proposed by the European Union. Its first stance was
that of opposition to the number of refugees being assigned to Spain, , the argument
put forward was the large number of immigrants Spain was already supporting due to
the constant arrival of illegal immigrants to the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla,
both located opposite the Strait of Gibraltar (SOS Racism Madrid, 2015). After
the EU’s September negotiations, 14,931 refugees were finally assigned to the country
(in addition to the 2,740 refugees who had been assigned in May); however, only 13
have arrived at the time of writing this report. This numbers, accepted in September,
should be met within the next two following years (SOS Racism Madrid, 2015).
When regarding the question of the Syrian refugees, it is hard to draw a line between
the existence of Islamophobia and the mere lack of political or social interest.
First of all, it is necessary to point out, as has previously been stated, the fact that Spanish
culture and identity was constructed in opposition to Islam and its presence in the
peninsula. This leads us to believe that because the refugees are Muslim this might result
in a greater mistrust, as they are perceived as a farther “other”, one that entails different
37. Statement of the Spanish Federation of Religious Entities, September 8, 2015: http://feeri.es/manifiesto-por-un-islam-democratico-en-espana/
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