Fundación Mezquita de Sevilla Fundación Mezquita de Sevilla y Centro Cultural Islámico de Sevilla®
Could there be attacks like those of this week in Paris in a city like Seville?
Spain has already been the victim of the largest attack in Europe, but Seville has never been a city that has stood out for a significant presence of radical Islamists.
There were none at the beginning of the twentieth century and there are none now.
That does not mean that one day a lone wolf may appear, as those terrorists who act alone, without being part of or following the guidelines of a larger organization, may appear in police jargon.
Muslim communities in the capital and province are especially wary of detecting radicals.
In fact, a few years ago, a cleric who preached jihad in a mosque in Los Palacios and Villafranca was denounced.
The religious was expelled from Spain and sent back to his country of origin.
Seville is a city where there are very few immigrants.
Now there are even fewer than a few years ago, since the brutal incidence of the economic crisis and the high unemployment rates have caused many foreigners to return to their countries or leave for other areas of Spain and Europe.
It is true that Moroccans are one of the largest communities of foreigners, but they do not even reach 6,200 people, according to data from the City Council’s statistics service updated up to January 2014.
It is estimated that the number of Muslims living in Seville is around 7,000, a very low figure compared to other large Spanish cities or other areas of Andalusia such as Campo de Gibraltar, Granada or Almeria.
After the attacks in Paris, the mosques of Seville, like those in the rest of Spain, have had a police presence in the vicinity, mainly to prevent any act of rejection or aggression.
There has been nothing.
Not even the National Police and the Civil Guard have especially raised their alert level in the last few hours, beyond level 3 dictated by the Ministry of the Interior for all of Spain.
In Seville capital, for example, there have only been verbal orders to the national police to have two vehicles go to each service instead of one, that is, four agents, for a better reaction in the event of an ambush.
The largest community of Muslims in the capital is based in the Macarena district, where there is a mosque in El Cerezo where dozens of people come to pray daily.
In Ponce de León there is another mosque.
One of its founders, Khalid Nieto, has not perceived any particular rejection in recent days.
“These are hard days for us, but we want to make it very clear that we are with the French state, also with the Spanish and with the forces of order. We want murderers outside of Islam, they do us no benefit. Although they talk about Islam, they are evildoers who do not represent or do any good to Muslims,” said this representative of the Seville Mosque Foundation.
Nieto made it clear that none of the city’s imams preach holy war.
“The direction of Islam in Seville is the right one. The same happens with the majority of the faithful. There may be some who opt for a more radical line, but the people I know are honest and correct.”
Spain has already been the victim of the largest attack in Europe, but Seville has never been a city that has stood out for a significant presence of radical Islamists.
There were none at the beginning of the twentieth century and there are none now.
That does not mean that one day a lone wolf may appear, as those terrorists who act alone, without being part of or following the guidelines of a larger organization, may appear in police jargon.
Muslim communities in the capital and province are especially wary of detecting radicals.
In fact, a few years ago, a cleric who preached jihad in a mosque in Los Palacios and Villafranca was denounced.
The religious was expelled from Spain and sent back to his country of origin.
Seville is a city where there are very few immigrants.
Now there are even fewer than a few years ago, since the brutal incidence of the economic crisis and the high unemployment rates have caused many foreigners to return to their countries or leave for other areas of Spain and Europe.
It is true that Moroccans are one of the largest communities of foreigners, but they do not even reach 6,200 people, according to data from the City Council’s statistics service updated up to January 2014.
It is estimated that the number of Muslims living in Seville is around 7,000, a very low figure compared to other large Spanish cities or other areas of Andalusia such as Campo de Gibraltar, Granada or Almeria.
After the attacks in Paris, the mosques of Seville, like those in the rest of Spain, have had a police presence in the vicinity, mainly to prevent any act of rejection or aggression.
There has been nothing.
Not even the National Police and the Civil Guard have especially raised their alert level in the last few hours, beyond level 3 dictated by the Ministry of the Interior for all of Spain.
In Seville capital, for example, there have only been verbal orders to the national police to have two vehicles go to each service instead of one, that is, four agents, for a better reaction in the event of an ambush.
The largest community of Muslims in the capital is based in the Macarena district, where there is a mosque in El Cerezo where dozens of people come to pray daily.
In Ponce de León there is another mosque.
One of its founders, Khalid Nieto, has not perceived any particular rejection in recent days.
“These are hard days for us, but we want to make it very clear that we are with the French state, also with the Spanish and with the forces of order. We want murderers outside of Islam, they do us no benefit. Although they talk about Islam, they are evildoers who do not represent or do any good to Muslims,” said this representative of the Seville Mosque Foundation.
Nieto made it clear that none of the city’s imams preach holy war.
“The direction of Islam in Seville is the right one. The same happens with the majority of the faithful. There may be some who opt for a more radical line, but the people I know are honest and correct.”
Fernando Pérez Ávila Diario de Sevilla
