The Muslim Struggle for Civil Rights in Spain: Promoting Democracy Through Migrant Engagement, 1985-2010

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This book looks at how Muslims in Spain have changed legislation linked to religious pluralism and immigration and have fortified Spain s frail history and practice of democracy since 1975. Spanish Muslims have achieved this through active civil engagement and a persistent struggle for rights and for status as immigrants and as citizens on par with ethnic Spaniards. Muslims have interacted with Spanish popular traditions, challenged Eurocentric historical narratives, and used Spanish concepts such as convivencia (peaceful coexistence) and arraigo (rootedness) to expand the prevailing construction of belonging. The Muslim struggle for civil rights took off in earnest in Melilla with its historic ties to the Islamic Kingdom of Fez up to 1497 between 1985 and 1988, when Muslim residents questioned nativist control of the enclave. Subsequently, from 1989 to 2001, on mainland Spain, Muslims formed independent organizations, pushed for national regularization of undocumented residents, and proposed modifications to immigration laws. A primary focus of the book is on how devout Muslims lobbied to institutionalize Islam in Spain, fought for the right to construct mosques despite heavy nativist resistance, and balanced women s rights in the Muslim community and broader secular context. The author also examines the ways that Muslims have interrogated the memory of the Moor in Spanish history and in popular festivals, such as the Festival of Moors and Christians, and how this has played out in regions with strong nationalist traditions, such as Catalonia. The book concludes with a survey of the writings of Muslim immigrants in Spanish and in Catalan, and how these works have publicized the everyday experience of migration in Spain." Front Cover About the book & About the Author Title Page Copyright Contents Preface by Series Editor, Tim Rees Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Introduction The Migrant Experience and the Transition to Democracy in Spain Democracy, Inclusion, and Citizenship Repositioning Democratization in Spain Islam and Democratization in Spain 1 The Fight for Citizenship and Inclusion in a Borderland City: Melilla, 1985–1988 A Critical Borderland City The 1985 Immigration Act Muslim Melillans Muslim Women Activists Spanish Nativism In the Shadow of Morocco, but a Long Way from Spain From Constitutional Patriotism to Sedition Repercussions 2 The Struggle for Voice, Status, and Rights in Mainland Spain, 1989–2005 Finding an Independent Voice “I could only think about papers” Racism and Migrant Rights When “Exceptional” Becomes “Ordinary” The World Upside Down Twisting the Government’s Arm Achievements and New Challenges 3 Religious Pluralism, Secularism, and Women’s Rights, 1968–2010 From State Catholicism to Religious Pluralism The Construction of Spanish Islam “Worthless Piece of Paper” Conflicts Over Women’s Rights The Public Practice of Islam in Spain 4 Mosque Building, Catalan Nationalism, and Spain’s Politics of Belonging, 1990–2010 Mosque Building and Nativist Resistance in Spain Barcelona and the Mosque that was Never Built A Path Towards Peace or “Ravalistan”? Muslim Immigrants on Catalonia’s Nationalist Fault Lines The Spectrum of Possibilities for Muslims in Catalonia Osona: the Rise of the PxC and the Collapse of Convivencia Interculturalism 5 Reclaiming Islamic Spain: from the Córdoba Mosque to the Festival of Moors and Christians, 1965-2010 Islam in Spain’s Memory Debates The Córdoba Mosque-Cathedral and the Limits of Convivencia The Festival of Moors and Christians Interpreting the Festival of Moors and Christians “Mooricization” The Festival of Moors and Christians in Democratic Times “We are Not Fanatics” Dynamics and Alternatives Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index Back Cover