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Muslims
Harassed For Praying In Cordoba Mosque
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| The Cordoba Mosque - a
cathedral where Muslims can’t pray. |
CORDOBA,
March 4 (IslamOnline) – Muslims performing prayers in Cordoba Mosque in Spain
clashed Sunday with the mosque’s security.
It
is not allowed to perform prayers in the mosque, which has been turned into a
cathedral and a tourist attraction for those who visit Cordoba.
The
clashes involved nearly 15 Muslims and over 100 guards, the Spanish news agency
La Vanguardia Digital reported Monday.
The
agency said the tensions rose when the guards saw the Muslims prostrating in the
mosque. The guards threatened to call the police to arrest them and some of them
even grabbed the Muslims by their clothes.
Two
women were hit in the stomach and knees and vowed to file a lawsuit for their
“humiliation”.
When
the guards surrounded them, the Muslims shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is the
greatest) and started reading aloud Suret Al-Fatiha (The first chapter of the
Holy Qur'an).
Muslims
in Spain have in the past tried to perform prayers in the Cordoba mosque and in
1980, they were able to get permission from the city’s priest to pray once
inside the mosque during Eid Al-Adha.
This
time however, they did not inform anyone of their intention to pray inside the
mosque. The agency also quoted an imam of one of the mosques in Cordoba, who did
not want to be named, criticizing the Muslims' attempt to pray in the mosque.
The
Muslims were participants in the Muslim Women Conference, which was held in
Cordoba during the last couple of days.
Muslims
entered Cordoba in 711. The mosque was built in 784 and was later enlarged.
Modeled
on the one in Damascus, the Cordoba Mosque represents considerable architectural
progress compared with its model. The most admirable feature is the way in which
the builders solved the problem of the arches on which the ceiling rests.
The
great Cordoba Mosque, irreplaceable proof of the civilization of the Caliphate
of Cordoba (929-1031), harbors one of the most beautiful architectural designs
ever carried out, with the 19 aisles of its hall containing a forest of columns,
the curious overlapping arches and the beautiful ribbed cupola.
Additional
reporting by Abdulsalam Basha.
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