It’s Semana Santa in Spain, and Easter Holy Week is one of the most sacred national holidays. Yesterday, while having coffee in the sun at an outdoor cafe in Barcelona I saw one of the extensive processions with its hundreds or maybe even thousands of followers, parade past, holding coloured banners and mourning the crucifixion.
Yet Easter week has seen a strange turn of events in Cordoba, in the south of Spain. On Thursday, a confrontation erupted between Muslim tourists and guards at the world-famous Cordoba Mosque. Two people were arrested, and two guards injured.
In a bizarre twist of fate, the Mosque, which was turned into a Cathedral in the 13th century, bans Muslim prayers. The guards involved in the scuffle are employed by the local Catholic bishop to make sure no Muslim tries to pray at the site.
Look, but Don’t Pray…
The incident involved several members of a group of 100 visiting Muslims from Austria who began to pray in the Mosque, and were ordered to stop by guards.
According to The Guardian, Cathedral authorities said the guards had invited the visitors to continue looking around the building that was once the world’s second biggest mosque, but without praying. Not surprisingly, tempers on both sides flared.
Space for Everyone
Spain’s Cordoba Mosque occupies a space of 24,000 sq metres and the Junta Islamica Group of local Muslim converts have long campaigned for the right to pray in part of it. The group insists that Muslim prayers wouldn’t disrupt Cathedral activities or inconvenience visitors and would promote intercultural understanding.
“They publicise the building as a mosque because that brings in tourists, but they do not allow the Muslims who pay money to go inside to pray,” group member Mansur Escudero told The Guardian.
He said Muslims are frequently stopped and prevented from praying.
Causing Confusion
“They argue that canon law does not allow Muslims to pray there, though they have been happy to permit visiting Saudi princes and other dignitaries, including Saddam Hussein, to pray,” he said.
Mansur went on to explain to that the new bishop appointed at the Cordoba Mosque said in one of his first public addresses that Muslim prayers would not be allowed as this would create confusion.
“The shared use of the cathedral by Catholics and Muslims would not contribute to the peaceful coexistence of the two beliefs,” the statement from the bishop’s office said.
This huge Spanish Mosque is equal in size to three football pitches. There are only three larger mosques in the world – One in Mecca, one in Istanbul, and one in the Moroccan port city of Casablanca.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Dear Cathedral Evangelist
This is absolutely despotic & inhumane on your part not allowing someone who wish to pray for the same Almighty who you also intends to show your allegiance.
However Cordoba Mosque is not built by you in anyway for which you try to be a genuine proprietor , so lets the people pray for the Supreme Almighty especially Muslims who you banned since long long time back.
An urge to show more humanity for the world by banning prejudice.
Regards to all who read my view and support the same
It is just as despotic and inhumane that Christians and Muslims are forbidden to pray at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Perhaps an agreement can be reached wherein believers of all faiths can be permitted to pray to the Almighty in both places. An urge to show more humanity should not be one-sided.
Can Jews pray in the Temple in Jerusalem? No! So why is this an affront??
To Linda…. The temple Mount has a mosque on it where the Temple used to be… and Jews are not even permitted to enter. I think you have your “facts” mixed up!