Muslim demonstration inside cathedral was not offensive to Catholics, Spanish court rules

A Spanish court has ruled that forceful entry of Muslim demonstrators into Cordoba’s cathedral was not a violation of a law that provides punishment for offenses against religion. The March demonstration was merely a “public disorder,” the judge said.

The Muslims who attempted to hold a prayer service in the cathedral during Holy Week were not acting in opposition to the Catholic faith, the judge ruled. Rather, they were dramatizing their own plea for joint use of the building. Islamic activists are claiming that the Cordoba cathedral should be made available for Islamic as well as Catholic worship.

Cordoba’s cathedral has long been a focus of tension between Catholics and Muslims. The building itself was once a mosque, which was remodeled and rebuilt for Catholic worship. The mosque in turn had been built on the site of an earlier cathedral that was demolished by Muslim invaders. The Catholic archdiocese has said that the building today is reserved for Catholic worship.

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