MADRID, March 9, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – In an effort to rebuild confidence in the Muslim minority in the European country, Islamic organizations in Spain called on Muslim imams to renew condemnation of the Madrid train bombings during next Friday’s prayers (March, 11), which coincides with the first anniversary of the deadly attacks.

In a message to mosques in the European country, the Islamic Organization of Spain urged imams to be “aware of individuals using mosques to incite violence”.

The message, signed by a number of prominent Muslim bodies in Spain, stressed that the Muslim minority in Spain has nothing to do with terrorism, but it warned that few Muslims could be involved in “terrorist acts” over their misconception of the Islamic tenets and the Noble Qur’an.

The Islamic bodies in Spain are also to take part in rallies on March 11, to commemorate the deadly bombings and renew condemnation of the terrorist acts, according to IslamOnline.net correspondent.

More than 186 people were killed and more than 1,000 others injured in the coordinated explosions that targeted four trains in the Spanish capital Madrid.

A militant group, affiliated to ghostly Al-Qaeda network, claimed responsibility for the blasts, citing Spain’s support for the US-led invasion of Iraq.

The Islamic bodies in the European country also stressed that the Islamic tenets call for protecting the human lives.

In a statement Tuesday, March 8, they took a swipe at Spanish Muslims who don’t live up to their responsibilities of being active members in the society.

The statement further urged the Muslim minority in the country to show more willingness to integrate into Spanish society and to join the democratic and societal institutions in the country.

The Muslim bodies expressed appreciation to the Spanish institutions that had not taken anti-Muslim measures, similar to that taken by the United States following the September attacks.

They, however, warned of practices exercised by some Spanish parties aiming at restricting the religious freedoms under claims of combating terror.

They further urged the Spanish mass media to observe caution when talking about terrorism to avoid associating Islam with terrorism.

A four-day conference on democracy, terrorism and security in the Spanish capital has warned the US “war on terror” and its draconian measures against “terrorists” may breed even more terrorism, accusing the United States of exacerbating the threat of terror by using military force and curbing civil liberties.

Spain has a Muslim community of about 600,000 people out of a total population of 40 million. Some 94 percent of its population are Christian Catholics.

The country has recognized Islam through the law of religious freedom, issued in July 1967.

Following the Madrid attacks, the Spanish public have maintained a negative perspective toward the Muslim minority in the European country.

Many Moroccan immigrants in Spain complained of encountering difficulties in finding jobs or even entering public places.

Worse still, Muslim merchants in the European country yielded losses as a result of the Spaniards’ turning away from frequenting their shops.

“The rate of the shop’s visitors has decreased by half (since March 11, 2004),” Abdel Salam, who owns antiques store in Seville, told IOL.

He stressed that most of his clients are tourists from other European countries.

“I hide my identity when Spanish clients enter my shop”, Abdel Salam noted.

The new Spanish government under Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero had taken a decision on legalize the status of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants in the country.

The new immigration law was put into effect in late October.