History of Muslims in Spain
Diving into the history of Spain unleashes the fact that Muslim rulers once ruled this place, and the influence of Islamic heritage is still reflected through the architecture, cuisine, and culture of Spain we see today. Spain today has undergone some drastic changes over the years, Muslims are still present as a minority with most of them being immigrants coming from Muslim-majority countries including Morocco, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Algeria, and Senegal. According to the Secretary of the Islamic Commission of Spain, the Muslim population in Spain is reaching 2.5 million and an increase of about 10 times has been observed in the population over the last 30 years. Interestingly, all the Muslims living in Spain to this date are not immigrants. A large fraction of them are of Spanish origin and have Spanish citizenship.
Why Muslims are moving to Spain?
The primary cause provoking and encouraging Muslims to move to Spain is the Muslim Federations spread over the region serving the Muslim community and over 2000 mosques providing prayer facilities for Muslims. Above all, Spain’s constitution promises to provide freedom of religion to all minorities and respects the religious beliefs and practices of the minorities living in Spain to promote diversity and inter-faith harmony.
Although at present, Muslims in Spain are having a hard time getting permission for the construction of further mosques with the increasing population. An example of this is the Tuba Mosque located in Santa Coloma de Gramenet which was built in 2004, even though complying with all the regulations of the local council for establishing a worship place, it faced a lot of backlashes and was not welcomed by the neighbors. Incidents of protest and disturbance in prayers forced it to be moved to a far isolated land which makes it very difficult to access by Muslim population residing in the neighborhood.
With the worrying conditions for the Muslims in Spain, the government on the other hand is working on positive developments and trying to tackle Islamophobia in the society. The Spanish ministry published an action plan to combat hate crime and laid a foundation.
Halal travel facilities for Muslim in Spain
A travel guide for Muslim travelers planning to visit the southern region of Andalusia was also launched focused on places to visit & stay, and recommendations on Muslim-friendly restaurants. The ministry believes this step is a promotional tool that has been missing for a long time and will allow the showcase of Andalusia's Rich Islamic history and heritage. The guide will boost awareness of the destinations appealing to visitors seeking halal travel experiences. Spain’s cuisine also includes a Mediterranean diet and a lot of food is based around fish and vegetables similar to Arabic cuisine.
Residents from Turkey, UAE, and Saudi Arabia are among the top countries who visited Spain, so a need for Halal travel facilities is important to the tourism industry. Numerous Spanish companies are interested in the Muslim market due to the economic potential and are trying to adapt accordingly. Spanish Halal Institute is the body that accredits companies and services with halal certifications in Spain and some other parts of Europe.
Halal food and Prayer facilities in Spain
There is a long list of restaurants that provide Halal options and vegetarian options. Some places offer halal food as required according to the Sharia and Islamic law if they are requested in advance. Besides restaurants, Spain also offers services that are aimed at Muslims like special prayer areas. In cities like Madrid, quite a few hotel chains provide directions to Mecca for namaz for guests or have prayer rooms. For religious celebrations, Muslims choose cities like Granada and Cordoba to spend Ramadan as there are Halal institutes that organize special programs and activities.
Some outdoor places also provide religious services such as airports. The Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport provides facilities for two mosques. The Málaga-Costa del Sol airport offers a multi-faith prayer room that accommodates all religions including Muslims. The Barcelona- El Prat airport also has a similar multi-faith prayer room. At the Melilla airport, there is a wash basin in the public facilities area that is adapted accordingly for ablution before Salat.
