Muslims in Europe - Spain

The posting about Islam, Europe's second religion stirred up a variety of opinions. Hank Levin says: "I believe that a central question is what we mean by multi-religious or multi-cultural societies and what conditions are required for them to work. In my view, there should be great leeway among populations in religious practices as long as laws are obeyed and one s religious views are not imposed on others. Both of these can be problematic if one believes that the laws of society are given by a sacred book handed down by God, and therefore one interpretation is considered inviolable and must be obeyed by all in that society, including those of other persuasions.

Let me give you an example that arose in Spain quite recently and that has not been resolved. In many towns in Catalonia, Moroccan religious leaders believe that a girl must cease going to school at the moment of menstruation. But, Spanish law requires that youth be in school until the age of 16. Because of gender discrimination in the past with regard to the education of females (culturally and officially), the Spanish are particularly sensitive to differential educational attainments between women and men. But, the situation of Moroccan and other Moslem girls having to leave school is more complex than this. It is not just a voluntary matter in disobeying the Spanish Law. Moslem families who continue to send their girls to school are pressured by their religious authorities and communities, and their daughters are branded as harlots, meaning that their prospects of marriage and acceptance in the community are sacrificed. Thus, there are towns with large Islamic populations where not a single girl above puberty is found in the schools.

This has created a debate in Spain about how to deal with this matter in a free society that takes compulsory education and gender equality very seriously. You may be able to find references to the debate in El Pais around June 2002. My only point is that the issues that you mention are ones fraught with complexity, even if one favors multicultural and multireligious societies. Some religious traditions are not compatible with democratic and open societies, and these are not limited to Moslems, but extend to any radical religious group (e.g. note the increasing strife among Hindus, Moslems, and Sikhs in democratic India with respect to political struggles and impositions)".

Ronald Hilton - 2/9/03