Muslims want to pray in Catholic cathedral

The Guardian via SMH ^ | April 20, 2004

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Muslims across Spain are lobbying the Catholic church in Cordoba to make a symbolic gesture of reconciliation between faiths by allowing them to pray in the city's cathedral.

Cordoba's Renaissance-era cathedral sits in the centre of a 10th century mosque complex, and local Muslims want to be allowed to pray there again. They have appealed to the Vatican to intercede on their behalf.

Zakarias Maza, director of a mosque in neighbouring Granada, said: "We hope the Vatican will give a signal that it has a vision of openness and dialogue.

"Cordoba has been a symbol of the union of three cultures for centuries. Even now, Jews and Muslims live together with Christians in the neighbourhood around the mosque."

The number of Muslims in the south of Spain is growing as a result of immigration from north Africa and Spaniards converting. Cordoba has about 500 Muslims, too many for the present mosque.

A spokesman for the local bishop said that the proposal faced many obstacles and it would be many years before it came to anything. The proposals have also provoked anger from some Catholics. "Will Christians be able to pray in the mosques of Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Iran or Kuwait?" demanded one contributor to a Catholic website.

Muslims are going out of their way to portray the proposals as a union, and not a clash of faiths.

Nowadays, Cordoba is a small provincial capital, but 1000 years ago it was one of the great cities of the world. As the capital of Moorish Spain, it became one of Islam's holiest places and a centre of Islamic art and scholarship to rival Baghdad.

The original mosque was built in the eighth century, following the conquest. It was expanded by successive generations of rulers until the Christians took the city again in the 13th century.

With its hundreds of marble columns and distinctive red-and-white brickwork, the mosque is considered one of Moorish Spain's greatest legacies.

It stands at the heart of a UNESCO world heritage site.

The addition of the cathedral was only the most recent change of use for a site that has seen the ebb and flow of the world's great religions.

[Bikers4Bush]

And can christians go and pray in muslim mosques? I didn't think so.

This crap is going to come to a head even sooner than I thought.

[independentmind]

Since when have Muslims been interested in ecumenism? What they are interested in is territory.

[lafroste]

Oh Brother. I think the local Jewish community should petition the mosques in Spain to allow Jewish sabbath services in the Mosques. Have them agree to that first.

[blanknoone]

Oh, I so hope the vatican responds, "Great Idea! As soon as you let Christians freely worship at all the mosques built on churches!"

[kjam22]

I'd say sure you can come in here and pray. We'll be glad to let you pray to our risen savior, Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, alpha and omega, beginning and the end. Leave your allah scarfs, mats and other items outside because you won't need them here.

[PokeyJoe]

Pope: "Okay, if Muslims let Jews pray in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and Christians in the Blue Mosque"

[microgood]

If you do not let the Muslims pray there, they will blow it up.

[tioga]

Good Grief.......

[xkaydet65]

When Saint Sofia is returned to the Greek Orthodox Church. When the Copts in Egypt have full rights equal to Muslims.
Oh Hell! They can pray in Cordoba on the next Sunday that there's no Mass.

[ClearCase_guy]

Will Catholics be allowed to go to Mecca and see the Kaaba? No?

Will Catholics be able to take Communion in mosques? Sharing the Body and Blood of Christ, the only begotten Son of God, with other Christians? No?

Funny how reconciliation only works one way. Makes me think its not reconciliation, but more like incremental incursion.

[lafroste]

A second observation: Muslims appear to be the first to whine that they're not being treated fairly, but when they are in charge they ruthlessly oppress other voices. This is a an old trick of evil (and liberals): complain the loudest against others about that which you yourselves do to even greater extent than the people you are complaining about. Its a ruse (and a bad one at that). Don't fall for it.

[Monty22]

Notice how they call it a mosque, to them they still own it.

Goodbye spain, and then the rest of europe too. You've commited suicide, quickly.

[kjam22]

Notice how they call it a mosque, to them they still own it. Goodbye spain, and then the rest of europe too. You've commited suicide, quickly.

Yeah... if I were to guess I'd say that the answer will be Yes to the muslims request.

[steplock]

If allowed - the entire country of Spain will die.

[KellyAdmirer]

There hasn't been a Christian mass in the Haghia Sofia - Church of the Holy Wisdom in Istanbul - since 1453, when the Church was taken by force in one of the bloodiest sieges of all time. So much for Islamic ideas of reconciliation and reunion! It's all take and no give with these people. These ideas would be laughable if they weren't so brazen and sinister.

[Travis McGee]

Once the Islamofascists get in to pray one time, they will demand regular weekly services, then daily, then a minaret.

[nuconvert]

You might want to explain what this is...........

"the Mosque of Cordoba is the only one in the world."

"In (an) aerial view of the Mosque of Córdoba, the viewer can appreciate the different renovations which it has undergone through the centuries: the Christian Cathedral erected exactly at the center of the great nave of columns that was expanded under the different reigns, is surrounded by battlements cut by buttresses which provide the façades with the view of a fortress, as it is typical of the arab-hispanic architecture. The minaret was built by Ab al-Rahman III to substitute another one built by Hisam I."

[Brasil]

"gesture of reconciliation" my foot...those evil murderous sand monkeys just want access to kill more humans.