Diario de Sevilla – Muslims of Seville in the 21st century

An open colloquium at the Ateneo de Sevilla brings together three representatives of the city’s Muslim community. “We understand it as a necessity that Sevillian society knows us, that a dialogue of respect is established and that it is known that we only want to contribute and always in a positive way”.
With these words, Hajj Khalid Nieto, founder of the Islamic Community of Spain in Seville and of the Mosque Foundation of Seville, wanted to sow confidence in favor of intercultural coexistence and remove the shadows of Islamophobia.
A fear that the participants yesterday in the round table Sevillian Muslims of the 21st Century, held by the Ateneo de Sevilla, are convinced that it is the result of self-serving messages and ignorance.
The meeting, which Alberto Máximo Pérez Calero, as president of the institution, and José Benito Pérez Bernal, president of the Moral and Political Sciences section, invited all Sevillians to participate, was also attended by Abdelaali Bariki, president of the Azarquiel Association, and the painter Ahmed Ben Yessef.
The colloquium was convened with the firm intention of giving voice to a group as numerous as it is little known, at least with some depth.
Around 300,000 Muslims live in Andalusia and, of these, around 40% are born in the community, according to data extracted by the Union of Islamic Communities of Spain (Ucide) from the Municipal Register of the Ministries of Justice, Education and Economy.
Figures that support the demographic weight of the Muslim community.
This is the case of Khalid Nieto, who commented on the beginning of the activity of the Muslim community in Seville before the migratory process that took place in the city, especially from 1992 onwards.
The educator recalled the controversy over the construction of the mosque in Seville, which confronted local society, to exemplify that this served to give rise to a renewed project “more adjusted to the current context and need”: the Islamic Cultural Centre, where Islamic culture and values will be exposed in an open way to allow direct knowledge of them.
Khalid Nieto highlighted the desire of the Muslim community to remain integrated into society, actively participating in its daily life through cordial and mutually beneficial and positive relations with institutions and the rest of the citizenry.
The young Abdelaali Bariki, who at 26 years of age is at the head of the Azarquiel Association of Moroccan students in Seville, came to the city to study Pharmacy.
His presentation was based on the projection of some slides to make a brief tour of what unites Sevillians and Muslims: the Andalusian culture.
Bariki mentioned Blas Infante and the statement he made in 1924 after returning from Marrakesh, where the father of the Andalusian homeland said he had not felt like a foreigner, since the Andalusian influence at that time in the Moroccan city was evident.
Likewise, the pharmacist relied on the language -Spanish treasures more than 4,000 words of Arabic origin-, on the architectural heritage -showing lesser-known examples such as the shutter Abd-el Aziz-, and on renowned figures such as the illustrious Sevillian doctor Avenzoar to reinforce the idea that there is more that unites the two peoples than what separates them.
A barrier that can be overcome with knowledge: the entity he presides, in fact, in addition to defending the rights of Moroccan university students, actively promotes Andalusian culture. In the same vein, it could be said that the speech of the painter Ahmed Ben Yessef, author of the poster for the 2006 Cavalcade of the Three Kings – who presided over the colloquium yesterday – and the mural of the centenary of Sevilla Football Club that decorates the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, among other works, was aligned.
The Muslim presence in the Peninsula lasted nearly eight centuries, a heritage that is manifested in indirect culture and that facilitates rapprochement with the Muslim community, according to this artist who emphasized the importance of “taking a look at the past to be able to face the future”.
In his opinion, the painter is a notary of his time and art, the ideal bridge for communication between civilizations, because, as he emphasized, “cultures do not confront each other, they are linked” and the plastic language and sensitivity that art is capable of awakening do not understand languages, but are universal.
The speakers, after their interventions, managed to establish a fluid dialogue with the audience, among which were many who congratulated the organizers for the initiative.
In conclusion, one of the attendees commented on the matter: “It cannot be that only a negative version of what Islam is reaches the average citizen.” Salam aleikum, or what is the same, peace be upon you.
Dulce Rivero – Diario de Sevilla http://www.diariodesevilla.es/article/vivirensevilla/2123692/cuando/la/aparente/diferencia/es/riqueza.html