Mansour Abdussalam Escudero – a man dedicated to the revival of Islam in Spain
Mansour Abdussalam Escudero, who converted to Islam in 1979, was one of the most prominent Islamic figures in Spain today.
Mansour Escudero was born in 1947 in Malaga, the second largest city in Andalusia. After completing his BA at the College of the Jesuits of San Estanislao de Cosca in Malaga, he earned a degree in Medicine and Surgery from the Complutense University. He was engaged in neuro-psychiatry at the Cordoba Mental Health Center under the guidance of Professor Castilla del Pino. With his activities in the field of medicine, he earned fame not only in the country, but also abroad.
But his interests were not limited only to this, he was an activist, fighter for democratic freedoms during the Franco dictatorship, and in 1979 he converted to Islam, becoming a key figure in the development, growth and reform of this religion in Spain, as well as in political, religious and social integration of Muslims into Spanish society. In 1980, he founded the first community of Spanish Muslims, the Society for the Return to Islam.
In 1996, Mansour Escudero moved to Cordoba in Almodovar del Rio, which became the center of his activities. He created the Islamic Council of Spain, which is still based in this city. It also houses the Halal Institute, which is a subdivision of this council, the only officially recognized body that issues Halal certificates for products and services. Mansour Escudero was the chairman of the Islamic Council until his death.
Almodovar del Rio / Source: ht.wikipedia.org
Mansour Escudero was also from 1990 to 2003 a founding member and president of the Spanish Federation of Islamic Religious Organizations (FEERI), and from 1991 to 2006 he was the Secretary General of the Spanish Islamic Commission (CIE). In 1992, he signed a cooperation agreement between the Spanish state and the Islamic Commission of Spain. The agreement says that “the Islamic religion, which has centuries-old traditions in our country, has played a significant role in the formation of Spanish identity.” In accordance with it, mosques and religious institutions of Muslims are recognized as inviolable, they are provided with a favorable tax regime, imams are included in the national social security system, they are equated with hired workers, etc. Experts consider this agreement to be one of the best in the European context in terms of respect for the rights of religious minorities. However, due to the position of the authorities, it largely remained on paper.
Mansour Escudero, together with Hashim Cabrera, founded the Green Islam magazine in 1995, and in 1997 the largest Spanish-language Islamic portal Webislam, remaining its coordinator until his death.
Hashim Cabrera / Source: dunyabizim.com
Some of his initiatives have received international resonance, such as a fatwa by the Islamic Commission against Terrorism, a proposal for a preferential right to Spanish citizenship for descendants of Muslims expelled from Al Andalus. A petition that Mansour Escudero sent to the Pope, offering to allow Muslims to pray in the Mesquite – the Grand Mosque of Cordoba – which is currently used as a Christian temple, sparked a heated discussion in the media.
Mansour Escudero traveled throughout the Islamic world, lecturing, participating in congresses and conferences. He dedicated his life to Islam and defending the rights of Muslims in Spain. His home has always been open to those eager to learn, travelers, visitors and anyone in need. Spanish Muslims remember him as a great teacher of life. He had as many as 10 children, for whom he was also a teacher and a loving father.
Mansour Abdussalam Escudero died on the morning of October 3, 2010 at his home in Almodovar del Rio.
Mansour Escudero and Hashim Cabrera at the Grand Mosque of Cordoba / Source: gettyimages.no
Islamosphere
SOURCE: http://islamosfera.ru/mansur-abdussalam-eskudero-chelovek-posvyativshij-sebya-vozrozhdeniyu-islama-v-ispanii/