In the Face of Anti-Muslim Sentiment and Antisemitism: How Can Mosques and Synagogues Be Made Safer?

Good relations with the local community are crucial for the security of places of worship and the sense of safety among worshippers. Under the title "Community Involvement and Awareness in the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Tradition,"our Spanish partner organization Arco Forum invited participants to a symposium in Madrid as part of our joint EU-funded project PROTONE.

Places of worship are always situated within an environment that either supports or threatens them, emphasized theologian Paul Weller from Oxford University. When considering the security of churches, synagogues, or mosques, the surrounding community must always be taken into account. Historically, it has been the exception rather than the rule for religious minorities to be tolerated by their neighbors. Based on this historical suppression of houses of worship, Weller derives a responsibility for religious and political leaders to protect and promote religious diversity.

Threats to Religious Freedom

In one of the subsequent panels, constitutional law expert José Maria Contreras Mazarío called for a common legal framework for all religions. Dialogue, he argued, should not only take place between religions but also between religions and the state. From a legal perspective, Mazarío sees the security of places of worship as a central aspect of religious freedom. Without a safe environment, free religious practice is not possible. Irene Trebeschi from Leiden University presented empirical research findings from the PROTONE project.

The research team conducted 43 interviews with religious leaders in Madrid, Rome, Brussels, and Berlin, as well as twelve expert interviews with security professionals and five group interviews with worshippers. The findings revealed that Jewish communities have the highest security standards. While churches are generally open to all, security in synagogues—and, to a lesser extent, in mosques—is ensured by community leadership maintaining an awareness of who is present. Overall, religious leaders expressed a need for greater security competence within their communities.

Francisco Manuel Arriaga Rodríguez from the police force in Murcia reported on police cooperation with religious communities. He follows a proactive rather than reactive approach to protecting places of worship, maintaining ongoing dialogue with religious communities. Police officers also receive awareness training on cultural sensitivity. Nevertheless, he noted significant skepticism toward law enforcement among some religious communities.

Muslims Under General Suspicion

Regarding Muslim communities, Arnold Mol, an Islamic studies scholar at Leiden University, highlighted that in the Netherlands, Muslims are often placed under general suspicion. As a result, they frequently feel compelled to make their religious identity highly visible in public. Islam, when practiced privately, tends to be met with mistrust by the Christian-secular majority society.

For the Jewish community, the situation is different. Where Judaism is visibly practiced, its members often face repression, said Antonio Merino from the Masorti Bet-El Jewish community in Madrid. At the same time, invisibility provides a form of protection. Jewish people have even experienced antisemitic discrimination within civil society initiatives such as the Pride movement or feminist demonstrations, added Uriel Perugia, Director of the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities.

In Spain, religious minorities are an integral part of the country’s identity, argued Alfredo Abad, Protestant pastor and president of the Commission of the Spanish Evangelical Church. As such, they must be valued and appreciated. The historical Islamic rule in Spain, for example, is still visible in the country’s architecture today.

Highlighting the Unifying and Peacebuilding Potential of Religion

There was broad consensus at the conference that the unifying and peacebuilding potential of religions must be emphasized. Positive aspects should be more prominently presented to the public, stated Saif El Islam Bennabdennour, President of the Abraham Forum for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Madrid. This, he argued, could counteract the often-negative perception of religion.

The symposium concluded with a concert by the interfaith orchestra JOIRE at the Basilica of St. Francis.