Barcelona, May 16th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
One of the more radical branches of Islam, 'salafism', is spreading among Moroccan immigrants in Spain, especially in Catalonia. Security forces have noted the arrival of 15 extremist Moroccan imams who have taken control of mosques in the provinces of Tarragona and Barcelona, in north-east Spain.

According to a police source: "the salafists could have a planned strategy for Catalonia whereby they gain control of a majority among immigrants there." They are investigating to find out who is behind the movement, and where the imams get their considerable financial backing. The vast majority of Muslims in Catalonia are more moderate in their beliefs, but the new imams seek to turn them to a more radical interpretation, whereby they encourage them to shut themselves into their own religion and demonise any attempt at integration with the rest of society.

The process has been growing for the last 2 years, spreading up from the Alicante region where there were some Algerian salafists. Police say their strategy to gain control is always the same; they try and discredit the local imam in the eyes of the immigrant community, interrupting his sermon and saying he has no idea what he is saying. They attack his sermons with religious arguments. The newcomers arrive with plenty of money, and if unable to oust the local imam from his mosque, they rent another building and try and woo Muslims away to their own mosque.

Once they have a mosque under their control, they try to spread their ideas. The imams act independently as if it was a spontaneous action, so that it does not look as if there is an organisation behind them. They remain out of the public system - by not sending their children to school, by keeping private health care and they do not register their presence with the authorities. This way they stay beyond the control of anyone but themselves.

Castellón, May 16th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
The Socialists in Castellón have asked the city Council to freeze all municipal aid to the Catholic Church until it returns to the Council a piece of land given them five years ago.

By way of an answer, the Councillor for Culture, Miguel Angel Mulet, says there are no loans pending with the Catholic Church, and they have put pressure on the bishopric to return the land by changing its status from residential to educational use. The Council plans to build a Primary School on the site.

Santiago de Compostela, May 16th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
One of the Catholic Church's statues of Spain's patron saint Is to be removed from Santiago Cathedral so as not to offend Muslims. It is traditionally known as 'James the Moor-killer.' It shows, in an absurd combination, the apostle James (Santiago in Spanish) - sword in hand - triumphing over the Saracens, represented by a handful of terrified turban-clad heads under the feet of James' white horse.

This is perhaps not the place to discuss the anomalies of one of Jesus' disciples fighting battles against the Moors, several centuries after his death, nor how he actually came to be in Spain when he had previously been beheaded by Herod. Yet the emblematic statue - not the only one of James in the cathedral, but one of the most venerated - has been deemed inappropriate in the modern climate of doing everything one can to appease Muslims.

The statue Is to be taken to the Cathedral Museum, and will be replaced by another sculpture by the same man, José Gambino, showing James as a pilgrim rather than as a warrior. The atmosphere of fear after the Madrid bombings has probably hastened the change, but Cathedral authorities were quick to point out that the image of James the pilgrim was of more universal acceptance.

Madrid, May 16th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
The new Head of Religious Affairs with whom evangelicals and other religious minorities will have to deal throughout the current term of office, is Mercedes Rico, a career diplomat.

The post is an official one covering relations between the state and religious groups, including the Catholic Church. The Justice Minister commented that "it is clear that we are heading towards a situation of growing pluralism and diversification in religious confessions", and sees Rico's appointment as a sign of the importance they attach to relations with these groups.

Rico, the first woman to hold the post, was born in 1945 in Madrid, and has worked at the United Nations in New York, in Costa Rica, and in Rome. She has also worked for the Foreign Ministry, including running the Human Rights Office there. Pedro Tarquis, Director of A.C.Press and Media spokesman for the Evangelical Alliance, said he thought Rico's appointment was positive, especially given that she has served as a diplomat in at least one country with a Protestant majority. He hoped this would mean she would have an adequate view of Spanish evangelicals, and not as the marginal minority as they are so often represented in Spain.

Madrid, May 19th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
About a thousand people from different religions and from none, joined In a commemorative act 2 months on from the terrorist attack In Madrid, called 'Train of life'.

The act was organised by the Inter-religious dialogue platform (IRDP) to show solidarity with the relatives of the 192 victims, and to state that religion cannot be used as an excuse to commit terrorist atrocities. Three trains left Madrid for Alcalá de Henares where several passages relating to peace and against war - from different religious books - were read out. While the 'trains of death' on March 11th travelled Into Madrid, these 'trains of life' went In the opposite direction.

A silent march was held from Alcalá railway station to the local university, where a statement was read out calling on religions to work for peace and reject violence. The peace demonstration was attended by Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and Moslems, the last group represented by the Imams from the three mosques In Madrid. A Rumanian Adventist choir sang for peace and the meeting ended with a rendition of 'Ode for Joy'. A spokesman for the Islamic Federation In Spain said he sympathised with the victims' families, and said the message of hope and dialogue should characterise relations between different religions. The event was organised by 14 cultural, social and religious groups.

Madrid, May 16th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
The government is studying different legal reforms which guarantee religious freedom and public safety, but although they will act within the limits of the Constitution, the Muslim community may expect to be affected by the measures.

Justice Minister, Juan Fernando López, will set the new Head of Religious Affairs, Mercedes Rico, the task of finding a suitable formula to control excesses without curtailing religious freedom unnecessarily. The government says it wants to operate with the greatest parliamentary consensus possible, in adopting measures agreed with Islamic Councils in other European countries, though adapting specific measures to the situation in Spain.

One area which requires attention is the Register of religious groups, which includes some more like cults than religions. The issue of Islamic financing will also be examined, but López insisted that Rico's appointment had nothing to do with control nor the desire to censure religious freedom.

Madrid, May 19th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
The Catholic Church Is prepared to accept that homosexual couples have legal rights, as long as they are not considered equal to a married couple nor a traditional family, according to a statement made by Antonio María Rouco, Chairman of the Spanish Episcopate.

Marriage, said the Archbishop of Madrid, "contributes In an Irreplaceable way to the growth and stability of society", which Is why It enjoys "the recognition and support of the State."  However, he added that "homosexual couples who live together can never generate these characteristics, and cannot be recognised as offering a social dimension similar to that of a marriage or of a family. It Is not a question of denying anyone's rights, but rather defending clearly the rights of the family."

The Catholic nuncio In Spain, Monsignor Monteiro, observed that homosexuals already possess rights such as health care, just as any other citizen. In this sense their comments were similar to those made by the Archbishop of Seville - and reported In this bulletin - last month. Yet they stopped well short of the Archbishop's view that there "are many types of family" and that one cannot regulate that It must be made up of a man and a woman. This last opinion goes against the official view that marriage Is sacred, and that homosexuality breaks natural, moral law. Therefore It may never be approved.

Madrid, May 16th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
The government has stated that the revision of its agreement with the Vatican is not a priority. This is bad news for evangelicals and others who long to see the discriminatory measures which favour the Catholic Church overhauled.

Justice Minister, Juan Fernando López, said "The revision of the accords with the Vatican is not specifically mentioned in our election manifesto." He added that there were issues to discuss with the Catholic Church, particularly questions of finance and Religious Education, but that these formed part of the normal political agenda of the government. As to the suggestion that Islamic imams should be more closely monitored, the Minister said there was as yet no formal proposal, and that the Law of Religious Liberty remained valid. It covers such aspects as the extent of the existence of different religious groups in Spain.