Spain's Muslim soldiers 'with double loyalties' spark debate

By Sinikka Tarvainen Feb 2, 2007, 10:53 GMT

Madrid - Muslim soldiers serving in the Spanish army in the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla are sparking controversy among security experts.

Some doubt their loyalty to Spain and fear they could side with neighbouring Morocco in case of a conflict between the two countries.

Located on Morocco's Mediterranean coast, Ceuta and Melilla have belonged to Spain for centuries, but Rabat continues to claim sovereignty over them.

About a third of the enclaves' population of some 70,000 each is estimated to be Muslim, a proportion corresponding to their number among the total 8,000 soldiers stationed in the two strategically important military outposts.

Officially, Ceuta and Melilla are presented as models of a harmonious coexistence between Catholics, Muslims and the smaller Jewish and Hindu communities, but the reality is less rosy.

If a conflict erupted with Morocco over sovereignty or some other issue, 'I'm not certain the Muslim soldiers would obey me,' one commander said.

Recently, the Ceuta command refused to renew the contracts of about 15 Muslim soldiers on the basis of confidential information, angering Muslims and creating tension between them and the Christians in the enclave.

'This has given rise to suspicions and rumours,' complains lawyer Mohammed Ali, leader of the Muslim party Ceuta Democratic Union.

Muslim soldiers are Spanish citizens, but they, their parents, grandparents or greatgrandparents were usually born in Morocco, where they retain family ties.

They are schooled in the Muslim faith by Moroccan imams, who often pass to them a reverence for King Mohammed VI, regarded as the spiritual leader of Moroccan Muslims.

Spain and Morocco barely avoided a military conflict over the islet of Perejil - also known as Leilah - in 2002.

If a conflict did break out, possibly over Ceuta or Melilla - security experts wonder, would the Muslim soldiers act like Spanish patriots, or would they turn their weapons against their Christian comrades-in-arms?

Because of their higher birth rate, Muslims are expected to become the majority in Ceuta and Melilla in a little over a decade.

Their presence especially in the army could endanger Spain's ownership of the autonomous cities, the secret service CNI and the army warned in reports leaked to the press in 2005.

Muslims have a higher failure rate in the Spanish-language educational system and a higher unemployment, for which reason many of them seek job opportunities in the army, which offers them pork- free menus and a less stringent schedule during Ramadan.

About 40 per cent of the Ceuta Muslims feel pro-Spanish, while 10 per cent are 'clearly' pro-Moroccan, according to the CNI.

The Ceuta command did not renew the contracts of some Muslim soldiers on the basis of confidential information, which is thought to have expressed doubts about their loyalty to Spain.

The army denied any discrimination, saying an even larger number of Christian soldiers did not get new contracts.

But many Ceuta residents linked the army's decision to the recent detention of a group of Islamists suspected of attempting to persuade Muslim soldiers to steal explosives from the army.

The 2004 Madrid train bombings, in which mainly Moroccan Islamists killed 191 people, and a wave of fundamentalism in Morocco have made many Christians suspicious of Muslims.

Moroccan diplomats have categorically denied suggestions that Rabat was 'infiltrating' the Spanish army or trying to influence its Muslim elements.

Fears that Muslim soldiers have divided loyalties are 'totally unjustified,' Ali told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa in a telephone interview.

'There are no symptoms of a pro-Moroccan attitude in Ceuta,' he added. 'For the Muslims here, Morocco is little more than a place to go to the beach.'

Many analysts in Ceuta and Melilla stress that local Muslims have no interest in the enclaves becoming Moroccan, because that would lower their living standards.

Ali admits that Moroccan imams influence the local Muslims, but blames that on the Spanish authorities, who do not supply home- grown imams and do not promote Islam as a part of Spanish culture.

'Spain fears that Arabic-language education would open the door to Morocco' to claim the outposts, whereas in fact the opposite would be the case, Ali argues.

'My ancestors came from the (Moroccan) Rif mountains, but I would not hesitate a minute to defend my country,' said Yamal, a Muslim soldier in Melilla.