Two arrested after fight breaks out over Muslims praying in former Spanish mosque

Two men were arrested and two guards injured after a fight broke out between police and tourists at a former mosque in Spain.

Trouble broke out when the tourists broke a ban on Muslim prayers at the converted cathedral in Cordoba, according to the local bishop's office.

Six members of a group of 118 Muslim tourists who were visiting the cathedral knelt to pray and were promptly ordered to stop by security guards.

As they refused to stop praying, they were "invited to continue with their visit or leave the cathedral" after they refused to stop praying, the Cordoba's bishop's office said in a statement.

The security guards then called in police, who were attacked by the visiting Muslim tourists, it added. Two policemen were injured and two of the Muslim tourists were detained.

"They provoked in an organised fashion a deplorable episode of violence," the statement said, adding "this was a one time incident that does not represent the genuine Muslim identity as there are many who display attitudes of respect and dialogue with the Catholic Church."

"We deplore the damage done to the image of our city and to the peaceful coexistence of visitors and citizens. We hope and desire that this type of incident will not repeat itself in the future," it added.

The bishop's office did not give the nationality of the two men who were arrested but news radio Cadena Ser said they were Austrian.

Police found a knife on one of the arrested men, it added citing anonymous local police sources.

Bishop Demetrio Fernandez Gonzalez recently reiterated that a ban on Muslim prayers at the former mosque which turned into a Christian cathedral in the 13th century must remain in place despite calls by local Muslims for the rule to be loosened.


That Spain doesn't call itself an Arab nation is upsetting to many in the Muslim world who reminisce about an Islamic Spain. No one is allowed to leave and then live and that includes countries. Most westerners think this longing for Spain sentiment is isolated to Bin Laden and fellow henchmen. But the reality of how deeply set these beliefs are might surprise people. Spain just wasn't meant to be Islamic!

Thing is ~ back in the day once the Europeans finially flung the Muslim group [mostly Syrians] out after having driven them to a position deep in the south ~ Al-Andalusia ~ some of Spain's Princes wanted to continue the fight and take Morocco back for Christianity. Although Islam had taken root in the Morocco/Algeria region ~ they had pushed the Middle Eastern Muslims colonizers out long before Spain did. Once they finally pushed them out many of the North Africans left Spain. They were never really respected by their Middle Eastern overlords, the North African in Spain was relegate to manual labor. Those in the Berber Mountains resisted conversion to Islam the longest. And even today they force the mountain people to give their children 'proper' Arab names. [Muslims are not free to name their children as they wish ~ you might have noticed. In this case it is traditional Berber names that have been effectively banned ~ or the child's birth can't be registered.] Imagine if Islam was somehow driven out or left North Africa. If the Arab tyranny could retreat back to Arabia. It might be a great day for Europe!

Telegraph