The Islam of the Raval: its orators and organizations

Abstract

The long and controversial relationship between Spain and Morocco has led to a abundant research on Islam in Spain and the presence of mosques controlled by Moroccans across the country. However, similar spaces controlled by Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, two communities that have grown rapidly in several parts of the country within the past decades, have remained underexplored. For this reason, the way in which similar spaces controlled by Pakistani and Bangladeshi Islamic organizations enable them to proselytize (dawah) among Muslims with the same origins has also remained underexplored. Starting in Catalonia and, specifically, in the Raval district of Barcelona where such spaces, organizations and communities have proliferated rapidly in recent years, this article aims to contribute to this (relatively) new area of research. Of course, in countries such as the United Kingdom, where for obvious historical and political reasons, such spaces, organizations and communities have had a long presence, there has been much research into this subject. In contrast, in Spain, Catalonia, Barcelona and El Raval, such develop1ments are still relatively recent and this allows us to observe and analyze in a privileged manner the precise link between certain spaces, organizations and communities. Thus, the article draws on an ethnography of the Raval district that tries to introduce nuances and avoid generalizations and thus increase understanding of the nature of such link without taking it for granted.