Awaited recognition for Muslims in Spain

The signing of the cooperation agreement between the Spanish State and the Islamic Commission of Spain in a year such as 1992 is of great significance. This year brings back to our memory two different legal statutes of Muslims in Spain. The first ends with the fall of the Kingdom of Granada in 1492, and the second is the controversial and never carried out after that date, that is, the statute of life of Muslims for two centuries. This would end with their total disappearance from Spanish territory, with the expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609. The agreements were subscribed the 28 April, 1992 and signed by King Juan Carlos I on November 10 of the same year. It was published in the Official State Gazette on 12 November as Law 26/1992 and marks a new legal status for Muslim citizens and opens the way to a religious pluralism awaited for five centuries.

1992 was a very important year for the Muslim communities in Spain. The agreements between the Spanish State and the Islamic Commission of Spain were ratified by the Parliament. This was the moment that religious freedom, tolerance and respect was guaranteed for Muslims in Spain in the contemporary times, but also their right to religious temples, cemeteries, and their right to freedom of belief. This agreement was understood by many as a way of reconciliation of Spain with its own Islamic past. This extract was written by the president of the Islamic Commission of Spain at the time Riay Tatary Bakry. He was also the imam of the Central Mosque in Madrid. He worked in the Consulting Commission of the Ministry of Justice in Spain and made possible the awaited agreements between the Islamic Commission and the Spanish State. A few years later, in 1998, he received an award for his merits.

Title

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The signing of the cooperation agreement between the Spanish State and the Islamic Commission of Spain in a year such as 1992 is of great significance. This year brings back to our memory two different legal statutes of Muslims in Spain. The first ends with the fall of the Kingdom of Granada in 1492, and the second is the controversial and never carried out after that date, that is, the statute of life of Muslims for two centuries. This would end with their total disappearance from Spanish territory, with the expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609.
The agreements were subscribed the 28 April, 1992 and signed by King Juan Carlos I on November 10 of the same year. It was published in the Official State Gazette on 12 November as Law 26/1992 and marks a new legal status for Muslim citizens and opens the way to a religious pluralism awaited for five centuries.

Context

1992 was a very important year for the Muslim communities in Spain. The agreements between the Spanish State and the Islamic Commission of Spain were ratified by the Parliament. This was the moment that religious freedom, tolerance and respect was guaranteed for Muslims in Spain in the contemporary times, but also their right to religious temples, cemeteries, and their right to freedom of belief. This agreement was understood by many as a way of reconciliation of Spain with its own Islamic past.

This extract was written by the president of the Islamic Commission of Spain at the time Riay Tatary Bakry. He was also the imam of the Central Mosque in Madrid. He worked in the Consulting Commission of the Ministry of Justice in Spain and made possible the awaited agreements between the Islamic Commission and the Spanish State. A few years later, in 1998, he received an award for his merits.

Questions

Why was it so important for the Muslim community to be able to be recognized as a historical community in Spain

Temporal Coverage

21st century

Date

14 June 1992

Spatial Coverage

Spain

Subject

European Political Discourse in media

Is Referenced By

1992 Agreements

Bibliographic Citation

Tatary Bakry, Riay. 1995. “Libertad Religiosa y Acuerdo de Cooperación Del Estado Español Con La Comisión Islámica de España.” In Comunidades Islámicas En Europa, Madrid: Trotta, 165–72.

translation of

Tatary Bakry, Riay. 1995. “Libertad Religiosa y Acuerdo de Cooperación Del Estado Español Con La Comisión Islámica de España.” In Comunidades Islámicas En Europa, Madrid: Trotta, 165–72.

Audience

Yes

Creator

Laura Galián

Collection

Law, police and public order