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| Europe |
| Spain Opens First |
| 2003-07-11 |
| The cry of a muezzin echoed from a hilltop overlooking the Alhambra as Granada, the former seat of Moorish rule in Spain, unveiled its first mosque in 511 years. Dignitaries from Arab and Muslim countries worldwide attended the opening Thursday of the Great Mosque of Granada, crowning a fitful and emotionally charged project that began in 1981. With repeated shouts of ``Allahu Akhbar’’ (God is great), Sheik Sultan bin Mohammed al-Qassimi of the United Arab Emirates, which paid half the cost of construction, drew back a blood-red curtain to display Too bad. The mosque commands a sweeping vista of one of history’s prime pieces of real estate: the Alhambra, the reddish 14th-century palace and citadel from which Moorish caliphs governed in scented splendor until King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella expelled them in 1492, ending 800 years of Muslim rule in southern Spain. These days, Granada has a Muslim population of about 15,000, one of Spain’s largest, but until now its half-dozen mosques were makeshift affairs in apartments, storefronts or garages. Makes it tough to hide a weapons cache. The new, $4.5 million building is Granada’s first purpose-built mosque since the last Moorish king, Boabdil, rode into exile 511 years ago. His humiliation ended a dynasty that oversaw a culture rich in art, poetry, music and architecture. From a mountain vantage point, Boabdil is said to have looked back on the Alhambra one last time, the morning sun shining brightly on its towers and embattlements, and wept. ``When did misfortune ever equal mine?’’ he wailed from a spot now known as The Pass of the Moor’s Sigh. Right about the time a JDAM hit a certain cave in Tora Bora? The new mosque is a white brick building with a red-tile roof, tucked between a Roman Catholic nunnery and church in Granada’s old Moorish quarter, the Albaicin. The ceremony was held in blazing heat in a garden dotted with pink and purple touch-me-nots, orange chrysanthemums and miniature palm trees. ``I want to praise and thank God, who let us finish this project and launch a new and fascinating era that begins today,’’ Malik Abderrahman Ruiz, president of the foundation that runs the mosque, told the audience of several hundred. Spain’s Muslims say that after decades of keeping their faith quiet in a predominantly Roman Catholic country, they are growing in both numbers and transparency. A government census says Spain has 500,000 Muslims - about 1.2 percent of its 40 million people. ``Islam has gone from being something hidden or invisible in Spanish society to something I recall that OBL mourned the loss of Andalusia like it was yesterday. Wonder if the Spanish really know what they’re doing here? |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #2 what they're doing - erhh maintaining freedom of religion. Now if we can only get churches and synagogues in Soddy, we'll be getting somewhere. Oh, and lets hope theyve made sure the wahabis arent in on this one. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-7-11 11:43:43 AM |
| #1 Oh well. Just get it's GPS coordinates. The US Navy can remove it when they're ready. |
| Posted by: badanov 2003-7-11 7:24:23 AM |