“A Mosque in the neighbourhood.”Conflict, public space and urban integration of Muslim mosques in Catalonia.
The author examines 25 conflicts in Catalonia between 1997 and 2008 related to the opening of Muslim places of worship. He presents and analyzes the different positions of participants involved in the conflicts (political actors, community members, and social representatives) and their evolution over time.
For the author, these conflicts take place when Muslim communities overcome certain economic difficulties and seek to build better places of worship. When analysed, the different conflicts show how the local authorities not just accepted the protests of local residents but incorporated them into their public policy as well. As a result of these protests, the building projects for new mosques have been blocked or obligated to move elsewhere, usually to the outskirts of cities or to industrial areas. Currently, the management of religious pluralism in Catalonia is an important and sensitive issue for different administrations making public policy.