Spanish “kebab laws” upset Muslim immigrants
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At a City Council meeting in Terragona, Spain, the ruling Popular Party branch proposed a new measure. They want to limit the number of kebab shops and other traditionally immigrant-owned businesses in the city’s historic quarter.
Alejandra Fernandez, the head of the Popular Party and a candidate for mayor, told Homeland Security News Wire that the changes “would prevent immigrant ghettos and protect traditional Spanish businesses.” The legislation, referred to as the “kebab law,” would disallow commercial licenses to any kebab shops, dollar stores, or Internet cafes within 500 yards of existing ones. Additionally, these businesses would have to comply with stricter hygiene standards and business hours.
“My tomatoes are Spanish, and so are the potatoes I sell,” said Nouari Benzawi, an immigrant from Algeria who has lived in Spain for twenty years and holds dual citizenship. “Please explain this to me! Do I need to sell wine? I pay my taxes. I don’t sell contraband. So what are they so worried about? This is called discrimination. My business is legal!”
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The majority of the roughly 1.6 million Muslim immigrants in Spain (3 percent of the total population) are from nearby across the Mediterranean Sea, including Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Further, many Muslim leaders in the country say that their communities have been disproportionately hit by the economic crisis Spain is suffering from. Currently, the unemployment rate for Muslim immigrants stands at 23 percent, with double that rate for the youth population. Many of them also live along the coastal Catalan provinces, which includes cities like Tarragona and Barcelona.
Spain’s Supreme Court blocked the controversial attempt to ban burqas last year. Nevertheless, several township across the country rewrote the language to include anything that covers the face. “It’s not to stop the Muslim burqa or niqab,” protested one local. “It also applies to people wearing motorcycle helmets while walking down the street. It’s not religious.”
“It’s election season. We’re used to this. They think it’ll win them votes,” said resident and local imam Muhammed Bokadira. Hilal Tarkou, a Spanish lawyer who also heads the local Watani Islamic Association in Tarragona, agrees. “Whenever there’s a crisis, they always blame the weakest ones — the immigrants,” he said.
