|
| |
|
|
|
|
Recomendar |
|
|
Agregar a
favoritos |
|
|
Página de inicio |
|
|
¿Quiénes somos? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Muslims
in Spain
Madrid, May 21st, 2004.
There are over 600,000
Muslims in Spain, a minority group in the eye of the storm in
the aftermath of the March terrorist attack in Madrid for which
Islamic extremists were responsible.
The Justice Ministry calculates there are between 200 and 400
Muslim places of prayer in Spain, many of them away from the
traditional mosques. Apart from the large mosques in cities
like Madrid, Marbella or Ceuta, there are a host of places where
Muslims meet to get to know each other, study or pray. These
meeting-places are key to the development of Islamic culture
and Koranic teaching, which is not covered by the state education
system, despite the 1992 accords with religious minorities.
They help newly-arrived immigrants find their feet and maintain
their religion. The only requirement is that the faithful face
Mecca to pray, but the building needs little to make it suitable
for this use, beyond a carpet, shelves to place shoes, and a
caretaker to open and close the building.
Yet the Islamic community in Spain is very diverse and according
to the government, there is very little dialogue or contact
between the ‘official’ Muslim institutions and the unofficial
ones. Anthropologist Jordi Moreras comments: “Faced with the
lack of Islamic teaching, parents look out the small prayer
places so their children can study the Koran and Arabic. The
imams there are not well-known by the rest of the community
and whatever is taught is completely uncontrolled.” Various
experts say that because there is no state assistance, Islamic
countries keen to spread their particular version of Islam are
using this method to try and get a foothold in Spain, and not
even the imams of the large mosques have any power to stop it.
Moderate Muslims claim that the lack of state help is leading
to the growth of fundamentalist ideas and opening the door to
extremist groups. ‘Official’, that is, registered Islam has
existed in Spain since the first religious freedom legislation
was introduced in 1967. Its leading figure since 1971 is Riay
Tatary, a doctor who has taken Spanish nationality. Yet even
there, its first mosque built in Madrid was financed by
Saudi Arabia, home to one of the strictest and most radical
interpretations of Islam.
Tensions increased with the transition to democracy, and the
struggle to represent the official face of Islam in Spain intensified
with the 1989 recognition of Islam as one of the four faiths
historically present in Spain. That same year, the Federation
of Islamic Religious Entities was formed, with 15 federated
Associations. However, the Spanish Muslim Association broke
away and with 16 other groups, formed a rival group, the Union
of Islamic Communities, thus questioning the Federation’s authority.
This made it hard for the government to know whom to talk to,
so they forced them to unite and, in 1992, the Spanish Islamic
Commission was formed as the sole group able to deal directly
with the state on issues affecting the Muslim community. It
is allegedly the most complete agreement existent in Europe,
but experts say it is far from being followed.
Source: EL MUNDO. Editing:
ACPress
Evangelical
Alliance wants to be a voice in Spanish society
Madrid, May 21st, 2004.
Pablo Martínez, President
of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance (AEE), says in the editorial
of the latest issue of ‘Idea’ magazine, that the Alliance is
working actively to increase its voice in Spanish society, especially
on ethical matters and other areas of public debate.
Martínez sustains that the Evangelical Alliances in Germany
and Britain address current affairs on a regular basis, and
offer a Christian perspective in the midst of so much ethical
confusion. He adds that the AEE does not aim to be the sole
voice of Spanish evangelicalism, but rather one of those voices,
given the plurality and fragmentation of the Protestant community.
Martínez observes that it would be “neither honest nor sensible
to claim that the AEE represented the whole spectrum of theological
opinion in our churches.” However, he claims that the AEE does
represent a broad cross-section, specifically that which historically
has been known as ‘evangelicalism’.
It was this sector of Protestant Christianity which organised
the World Evangelical Alliance in the 19th century, and its
general representativeness can be seen by the fact that many
Spanish churches use the AEE’s basis of faith as their own.
Indeed, it is probably fair to say that the AEE has remained
truer to its conservative evangelical roots than, say, the British
Evangelical Alliance. Martínez concludes by expressing his conviction
that the Alliance is enjoying a period of considerable growth.
Source & Editing: ACPress
Evangelical
Alliance against homosexual adoption
Madrid, May 24th, 2004.
As expected, and feared,
the newly-elected Socialist government is preparing legislation
which, if passed, would allow homosexual couples to adopt children.
A spokesman said “this government wants to make legal what is
real and give couples who live together the same rights, which
would include allowing homosexual couples to adopt.” Ironically,
such legislation will be included in a so-called ‘Integral plan
for family support’, when it does, of course, just the opposite.
Jaume Llenas, General Secretary of the Evangelical Alliance,
commented that, apart from the question of whether the state
has the legal power to declare homosexual couples the same as
others, there are insufficient ethical guarantees for children
adopted by such couples. It is far from clear that the development
of their identity and personality remains unaffected by being
brought up by two people of the same sex.
Llenas argued that such a move, as well as being against Christian
morals, would be a risky step to take from an ethical point
of view. “It is unwise to take the opinion of a specific group
of experts to legalise the adoption of children by homosexual
couples, when it is not established that the situation is harmless
for the children involved.” He added that the interests of the
children must always come before the desire to be a parent.
While recognising the plurality of current Spanish society,
Llenas argued that social ethics based on Christian principles
should form its backbone. “Many Spaniards identify with these
principles and it is not reasonable to impose criteria based
merely on secular premises.”
Source & Editing: ACPress
Spanish Baptist journalist
chosen to represent WCC
Madrid, May 24th, 2004.
Manuel López, a deacon
at the First Baptist Church in Madrid and a regular ACPress
contributor, has been cosen as the Spanish-speaking journalist
to represent the World Council of Churches (WCC) at a meeting
in Kuala Lumpur from July 28th to August 6th.
Four writers, one for each of the WCC’s official languages,
will be present. López has also been asked to speak at a workshop
in Ecuador by the Latin American branch of the WCC, an ecumenical
grouping of major denominations with liberal tendencies. López
edits a photo magazine in Spain, and writes for various evangelical
press outlets.
Source & Editing: ACPress
Not so fast
on statue removal
Santiago de Compostela, May
24th, 2004.
The withdrawal of the
statue of St James-the-Moor-killer from Santiago Catedral in
north-west Spain has been delayed, and the final decisión not
yet made.
Alejandro Barral, Curator of the Cathedral Museum, said at a
press conference that nothing had been decided. Moreover, he
said all such decisions were voted on or agreed by the Committee,
and that such a move was not even on its agenda. He accused
media hype of having brought the issue to people’s attention
in an exaggerated fashion, saying “the real media tell very
big lies.”
However, news broke at the beginning of this month when another
cleric, José Fernández Lago, said the Committee had made the
decision to remove the statue months ago, because “it does not
represent the current spirit of the Catholic Church.” Lago had
said that the decision had to do with the terrorist attack in
the USA rather than that in Madrid, which occurred after the
decision had been made. The statue, which represents the conquest
of the peninsula by the monarchs of Aragon and Castile, remains
where it is for the time being.
Source: Voz de Galicia. Editing:
ACPress
Spain
high in the domestic violence league table
Madrid, May 24th, 2004.
Spain only registers
10th among European Union countries when it comes to the number
of women murdered in domestic disputes, but is the 5th highest
when all such violence is taken into account.
Spain comes behind such nations as Finland, Denmark, the UK
or Germany in the murder list, which is headed (in worldwide
terms) by Rumania, with 147 cases in the year 2000. Yet it is
hardly a cause for celebration, as 168 women were murdered in
Spain between 2001 and 2003 by their partners or ex-partners.
So far this year there have been a further 20 deaths, and last
year’s total of 103 represented a 54% rise on the previous year.
A report just published estimates that around 55,000 women are
killed in domestic violence each year around the world.
Demand for safe accommodation is increasing, mainly from women,
but also from badly-treated husbands. In Germany, there are
now about 40,000 women seeking protection, many of them immigrants
married to German men. Domestic violence is a crime punishable
by law, including such measures as the right to alternative
housing, or the refusal of visiting rights to the children.
In France, it is estimated that 69% of abused women are too
scared to report the violence, which occurs mainly among the
lower social classes. Britain is seeking to tighten its laws
relating to domestic violence, which often causes greater trauma
to the children than the wife or girlfriend. This will include
a 5-year prison sentence for abusers who do not obey exclusion
orders to stay away from their victims. Domestic violence kills
an average of 150 women a year in Britain.
Italy has fewer cases of domestic murder than most European
countries, which sociologists put down to the greater submissiveness
of Italian women.
Sweden, which reached the stage of one death per week, embarked
on a national campaign of ‘zero tolerance’ called ‘Peace to
women.’ Women who made an official complaint were given a bodyguard,
a personal alarm system and safe houses were opened in every
town and village, open 24 hours a day. Sweden also introduced
tougher laws, including obliging its citizens to report any
suspicion of domestic violence, a situation open to abuse. Despite
these draconian measures however, thirty women were still killed
in ‘crimes of passion’ last year in Sweden.
Source: ABC. Editing: ACPress
Children
dying too
Madrid, May 24th, 2004.
Infant mortality due
to domestic abuse trebled in Spain between 1997 and 2001, though
an official investigation adds that “precise figures showing
the magnitude of the problem are lacking.”
The investigation, carried out in the Valencia area, shows that
although mortality through child abuse is at similar levels
for both sexes, most abused boys suffer physical hurt, emotional
damage and negligence, whilst girls suffer more sexual abuse.
The research also found that whereas infant mortality overall
continues to fall despite the abuse figures -, other problems
are increasing. Asthma due to the poor quality of the environment
in which the child is reared, below average development of physical
and mental faculties and obesity, are all rising.
One in five Spanish children suffers some type of mental disorder,
while it is estimated that 5% of babies and pre-school children
suffer from depression. The mental health of children is worsening
due to changes in lifestyle, particularly related to how they
spend their leisure time.
Boys go the doctor’s more frequently and take more medicine,
while girls end up in the dentist’s chair on more occasions.
Whereas adult time in hospital is falling, that of children
is on the increase, which suggests this section of the population
is not benefiting from advances in medical technology and practice.
Source: ABC. Editing: ACPress
It’s
a plastic world
Madrid, May 24th, 2004.
Pollution from plastic
waste and synthetic fibres is reaching such proportions that
even the remotest oceans and beaches are not free from its damage.
Given the durability of plastic, this type of pollution is likely
to increase. According to research published in ‘Science’ magazine,
even the cleanest beaches have microscopic traces of plastic
mixed in their sand. This is the first time residual plastic
waste and sediment have been studied, and the long-term effects
of such pollution is not known.
Scientists from Plymouth University collected samples from 17
beaches and estuaries in England and analysed particles which
did not appear to be natural. They found that most of the samples
contained plastic or synthetic remains like nylon, polyester
and acrylic. The world becomes more plastic by the day.
Source: Agencias. Editing:
ACPress
Less
coffee, but more snoozes
Madrid, May 21st, 2004.
A steaming cup of coffee
gets many people off to a flying start each morning, especially
if accompanied by some delicious croissants. Yet less coffee
and an after-lunch snooze are apparently better for one.
Researchers have concluded that to keep the mind alert, smaller
doses of caffeine at regular intervals are better than one big
intake, as the effects wear off after a few hours. A siesta
is also an excellent pick-me-up in the middle of the day. An
English doctor says a 20-minute siesta is better than 3 cups
of coffee, and caffeine of course raises blood pressure and
can have other side effects. If not though, what could be better
than the cup of coffee and the siesta? Now you’re talking…
Source: BBC. Editing: ACPress
|
|
|
