Muslim activism in Madrid: attachment to urban space and collective engagement

Three generations of successful and visible Muslims are engaged in collective action in Madrid. The first asserts their right to religious freedom, the second advocates for full citizenship, and the third combats intersectional discrimination. Their sense of belonging, use of urban space, and forms of activism are shaped not only by generation but also by class and gender. These range from the proud defense of a peripheral barrio to efforts to build bridges with other communities in alternative spaces in the city center. While our participants express positive attachments to Madrid and its neighborhoods – viewing them as spaces of participation, multicultural conviviality, and upward mobility – they also denounce a broader climate of prejudice. Yet this atmosphere of othering does not seem to emerge from the city itself, but rather rain on it from the international political storms of polarization over Muslims.