Review of Jordi MORERAS (2024): Salam Barcelona : Mig segle de presència musulmana, Bellaterra Edicions, Manresa, 129 p.

Abstract

Salam Barcelona: Mig segle de presència musulmana is an invitation to observe. From retrospection to the present, Jordi Moreras addresses different aspects that continue to shape the daily life of the Muslim community in Barcelona and its surroundings. The book raises questions about origins and social labeling—an issue that still resonates within Spanish society. It explores the stigmatization of a community based on a social perception justified by its religious practices, with particular focus on places of worship as critical spaces. It also examines spaces of death—cemeteries—as essential for communal coexistence and continued presence beyond life. However, conflict is (not) the norm, and inhabiting these spaces prompts reflection on cross-cutting themes such as gender, youth, religious and urban representation, memory, and more—each posing challenges, questions, and situations that society must address. This book journeys through these areas to unpack real conflicts and shed light on a (in)visible community within the city.

Keywords: Barcelona, Islam, coexistence, identity, mosques, community, pluralism.