Spanish Drop Exploding Mohammed From Festivities

Taken from Daily Mail, 2nd October 2006

Spanish villages are toning down traditional fiestas, in which dummies representing the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) are blown up, for fear of offending Muslims.

One eastern Spanish village, Bocairent, decided to abandon the custom of packing the head of a dummy representing Mohammed with fireworks after seeing the angry Muslim response to a Danish newspaper's publication last year of cartoons of him.

Spanish newspaper El Pais also found that several other villages in the Valencia region had also held back on celebrations this year.

It carried out the investigation after a Berlin opera house decided last week to cancel performances of Mozart's "Idomeneo" because the production included a scene depicting Mohammed's severed head.

Bocairent's mayor, Antonio Valdes, said blowing up the Mohammed dummy was offensive.
"It just wasn't necessary, and as it could hurt some people's feelings, we decided not to do it," he said.

The village may not have blown up the wood-and-cardboard Mohammed dummy this year - but it still threw it off a castle wall at the fiesta's climax in February.

Villages all over Spain hold annual festivals to commemorate the "Reconquista'", the reconquest of Spain by Christians from the Moors, which was completed in 1492 after more than 700 years of Muslim rule in much of the country.

Spain is now once again home to a growing number of Muslims, mainly Moroccan immigrants, who villagers feel might be offended by some of their traditional celebrations.
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It is about time Spain became more sensitive to religious issues. Events like this can cause great religious hatred towards Muslims in Spain and also vice versa. We are living in complex world and we should all be trying to unite as one. This is the first time I have heard of any country (or region of a country) despising against any prophets.

It is a known fact that whilst the ottomans were running Spain, all religions were respected and allowed to flourished. When they left the country, all religions (apart from Christianity) were oppressed. The Jewish communities, who were particularly hated by the Spanish, left to go with the Ottomans as the Muslims rulers looked after them in Spain.

Another item that Spain needs to address is its racism and bigotry communities. People of colour and of different religion are seen as second class citizens, foreign workers and visitors are treated badly by the Spanish, The recent football match between Spain and England is a good example of what certain parts of the Spanish community think of coloured people.