Abdulhasib Castiñeira
Abdulhasib Castiñeira | |
|---|---|
| Personal life | |
| Born | Galicia, Spain |
| Occupation | Islamic scholar and imam of the Granada Mosque |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Abdulhasib Castiñeira was a convert to Islam, a scholar, and an imam at the Granada Mosque which opened in 2003.[1] He became an important leader of the moderate Muslim community in Granada, centered in Albaicín.[2]
Early life
[edit]He was born in a small village in northwestern Spain, specifically in Galicia, to a humble peasant family who practiced Roman Catholicism.[2]
Personal life
[edit]He decided to convert to Islam in 1977 in Córdoba and eventually became the imam of the Granada Mosque.[3] As Spain became home to hundreds of thousands of North African immigrants, converts like Castiñeira became important mediators in a highly multicultural country.[2]
Castiñeira's tolerant, Sufi-influenced teachings have become the face of Spanish Islam that is easily accepted and liked. Although these converts, as many have said, were only a small part of Spain's Muslim population, their influence was enormous. While Al-Qaeda called for a violent "reconquest of Al-Andalus", Muslim converts in Spain recalled that golden age, creating a more peaceful version of the faith.[2]
Castiñeira once debated with his visitors, Norwegian theologians. He said, "They were Protestants, and we had a very good and deep conversation about our religion".[2]
Role in the construction of the Granada Mosque
[edit]Castiñeira is said to have joined the first Spanish converts to Islam in Córdoba. Then, at an Arab leadership conference in Seville, Granada's socialist mayor encouraged him and other Muslims to move to the city. He said, "If we build a mosque, it must be in Granada because the last bastion of the old Muslim community must be the first for the new Muslim community".[3]
Eventually, a small group of converts settled in the city's ancient Moorish quarter, the Albaicín, overlooking the Alhambra, the medieval Moorish fortress that for centuries was the center of Islamic power in Iberian Peninsula. They found land for a mosque and in 1981, Castiñeira and another convert began a journey to the Persian Gulf, in hopes of raising the $10,000 they needed to purchase the land. They received donations from Libya, Morocco, and even Malaysia, but the bulk of the funding came from the Emir of Sharjah, one of the rulers of the United Arab Emirates. They also said they would reject any support offered with certain conditions.[3]
However, by the time the funding was raised, Granada's socialist mayor had stepped down and local opposition stalled the project for 20 years. However, perhaps nowhere else does a mosque evoke such emotions as in Granada, where it is located, across the ravine from the reddish-brown fortress where Islam's last stand stood, carrying undeniable symbolism. At one time, the city offered Castiñeira and his associates development land in an industrial zone on the outskirts of town.[3]
He said "Political lobby groups have done everything they can to stop the construction of this mosque", adding that a group of “right-wing Catholic families” were continuing their expensive legal battle against the mosque until the end. The mosque was reduced to half its planned size and the height of its Spanish-style minaret was reduced to meet local demands. In 2003, the construction of the mosque was finally officially completed.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Ignatova, Polina (1 June 2021). "Islamic Architecture in Europe: Alhambra and Cordoba". www.epoch-magazine.com. Epoch Magazine. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Pingree, Geoff (12 September 2007). "Spain's New Muslims". thewalrus.ca. The Walrus. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Smith, Craig S. (22 October 2003). "Where the Moors Held Sway, Allah Is Praised Again". www.nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 8 August 2026.