Spanish bishops fear rebirth of Islamic kingdom

[Strengthandhonour]

Spanish Bishop fears Rebirth of Islamic Kingdom
Independent UK

Elizabeth Nash in Madrid

January 5, 2007


Spain's bishops are alarmed by ambitious plans to recreate the city of Cordoba - once the heart of the ancient Islamic kingdom of al-Andalus - as a pilgrimage site for Muslims throughout Europe.

Plans include the construction of a half-size replica of Cordoba's eighth century great mosque, according to the head of Cordoba's Muslim Association. Funds for the project are being sought from the governments of the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, and Muslim organisations in Morocco and Egypt.Other big mosques are reportedly planned for Medina Azahara near Cordoba, Seville and Granada.

The bishops of those cities are alarmed at the construction of ostentatious mosques, fearing that the church's waning influence may be further eclipsed by resurgent Islam financed from abroad. Up to one million Muslims are estimated to live in Spain. Many are drawn by a romantic nostalgia for the lost paradise of Al-Andalus, the caliphate that ruled Spain for more than five centuries.

Last month, Spanish Muslims reasserted their right to pray in Cordoba's great mosque. The mosque houses within its arches a cathedral built to consolidate Catholic rule after Muslims were expelled from Spain in 1492. Muslims are forbidden to pray in the building.

Mansur Escudero, president of Spain's Islamic Council, has challenged the current head of Spain's Episcopal Conference, Bishop Ricardo Blazquez of Bilbao, to explain why Muslims could not pray in Cordoba's mosque. Mr Escudero said he had been encouraged by the Pope's act of prayer in Istanbul's Blue Mosque on his recent visit to Turkey. "It showed that mosques are open to Christian worshippers," he said. "Could not Muslims pray in Cordoba's mosque?"

Bishop Blazquez replied that public collective praying was prohibited, but he supposed private or individual prayer was acceptable. Mr Escudero then announced that Muslims would henceforth return to Cordoba's mosque to pray "in a respectful, private and individual capacity". The bishops hit back, insisting that "Muslims cannot in any way pray in Cordoba cathedral".

Spain's Muslims have been long respectful towards civil and ecclesiastical authorities, but as numbers have grown they have turned to more radical leaders. An alliance of Spanish converts, pro-Moroccan and pro-Saudi leaders took control of one of Spain's two main Islamic federations last year. Half of the new leaders are imams from Saudi-funded mosques in Madrid and Fuengirola.

Mr Escudero, an ousted moderate who nonetheless remains head of Spain's umbrella Islamic Council, said he did not favour the construction of flamboyant mosques with foreign money. "I prefer more modest, decent buildings that are backed by Spanish local authorities," he said, but added: "Muslims have the right to build mosques big and small wherever they like."

Hundreds of mosques have popped up all over Spain. But churches, and many residents, complain that big, shiny mosques are more than just centres for culture and worship, and say they are funded by undemocratic countries promoting Islamic radicalism.

source: Independent Online Edition > Europe

[Menydh]

They should seriously think about building mosques under the sea.

[Freebooter]

And so they should.

Europe is heading in a very dangerous direction. Southern Europeans, of all people, should understand the consequences that will come along with allowing these 'people' to live amongst our kind and do as they please.

Did our ancestors die driving these invaders out only so we, 1000 years later, could forget their sacrifices and triumphs by welcoming these savages back into our glorious nations?

Some argue that the Jew is the enemy, and indeed the Jew is. But let us not forget about the Muslim invaders, the atrocities their forefathers have committed in the past, and the damage their occupation of Europe will do to our children.

I hope the church continues to speak out about this subject.

- Vasconcelos

[Menydh]

Some argue that the Jew is the enemy, and indeed the Jew is. But let us not forget about the Muslim invaders, the atrocities their forefathers have committed in the past, and the damage their occupation of Europe will do to our children.

The Islamic occupation of Spain was realized in many of the main cities with the Jews.

This should serve as a warning to those who believe that the Jews can be an ally.

I hope the church continues to speak out about this subject.

Not this corrupted institution, for sure. I hope that people don't rely in false hopes.

[Freebooter]

Originally Posted by Mynydd

The Islamic occupation of Spain was realized in many of the main cities with the Jews.

This should serve as a warning to those who believe that the Jews can be an ally.

Not this corrupted institution, for sure. I hope that people don't rely in false hopes.

I don't disagree - the reality is that Jews are, above all, the largest threat to European progression and existence.

I am of the mind that European and American Nationalists ultimately fail to recognize the gravity of the Muslim occupation of Europe, which can only be partly attributed to the 'European' Jewish body.

Muslims know full-well what their mass immigration is going to do to this glorious land just as the Jew knows full-well what their parasitic ways have done and continue to do. Muslims do as they do under their own will, and are, I would argue, a separate force and a separate problem from the Jew which we, as European Nationalists, need to recognize and understand. That doesn't mean that the Jew cannot use them as a tool for their plans.

Frankly, I'm not up on news from the Christian realm nor do I have any knowledge of the current 'institution'. But I see no harm in the church speaking out against Muslims; corrupt or not. They continue to have influence and a bearing on the decisions and beliefs of Europeans. With that said, I don't see any problem with Catholic leaders speaking openly about our ailments.

- Vasconcelos