Islamism in Spain: The Left Denies It, the Center-Right Runs From It

The government of Spain has been shaken by reports uncovering the corruption of the Socialist Party. It is not a new situation, the Socialists have a long history of corruption as does the main opposition Popular Party, but the current atmosphere feels unprecedented, with politicians unwilling to take responsibility or resign. The truth is that Pedro Sánchez is not an accident; he is a result of the degeneration of the political class and of voters who forgive corruption, and practically anything, as long as the “others” do not govern. 

I witnessed an example of this degeneration last Friday in the Women’s Commission held in Madrid’s regional parliament.

The human rights expert, Elena Ramallo, presented her proposal in the Assembly, invited by VOX, to ban the hijab, the Islamic veil, in schools and the burqa in public spaces. However, getting to this point was not easy because, in the first instance, the Bureau of the Assembly, controlled by the supposedly centre-right Popular Party, prevented the presentation by claiming a “lack of specificity in its object”. Once this technicality was resolved, it was also necessary to change the title of the presentation, “The Advance of Islamism in the Community of Madrid”, because the word ‘Islamism’ was uncomfortable for the “politically correct” Bureau of the Assembly. Finally, “Islamism” was replaced by “cultural diversity,” which made the title meaningless. An Orwellian situation.

Ramallo spoke about human rights and women’s dignity. She highlighted her long career in the field and insisted that political parties abandon their partisan struggles and think about women. She pointed out that many countries have banned the veil in schools and the burqa in public places. This is not only because it discriminates against women, but also for security reasons. She said, “It’s unacceptable that what they criticize in other countries—women being arrested and tortured for not wearing the veil—is acceptable in Spain, a democracy. I ask them to put aside political gains and think about people. Defending human rights is neither right-wing nor left-wing.”

Isabel Pérez Moñino, a VOX representative, thanked Professor Ramallo for her speech and commitment to defending women. Moñino alluded to the perversion of language, noting that the term “Islamism” could not be mentioned due to censorship by the Madrid Assembly. “The hijab is not an innocent cultural garment. It is the visible symbol of the submission imposed by a political and religious ideology that spreads unnoticed,” said the VOX representative, the only politician to support Ramallo’s position.

As expected, the Left’s response was to attack the messenger who dared to deny their narrative. Socialist Silvia Monterrubio branded Ramallo with the usual labels of sexism, xenophobia, and racism. She also denied the existence of any threat against women and dismissed the idea that Islamism is present in any neighborhood. According to the Socialist deputy, the only threat is the violence caused by “racist and xenophobic speeches fed by the hate speech of the far right.” The far-left Mas Madrid’s response came from deputies Jimena González, a trans activist, and Marta Carmona. They spoke of racism, xenophobia, sexism, the Arab influence of Al-Andalus, the massacre of women in Gaza by the “genocidal state of Israel”, the Bible, Catholic nationalism, and, of course, Franco. For these champions of the Left, to criticize the hijab or the burqa is “cultural supremacism.”

Following the insane yet predictable intervention of the leftist representatives, it was the turn of the Popular Party, which governs the Madrid region with an absolute majority. PP representative Esther Platero shared some of Ramallo’s views on discrimination against women and seemed to support her proposal at one point. However, alluding to “freedom” and that “this debate on the hijab in our society cannot continue to be hijacked by two extremes that manipulate it at their convenience: on the one hand, the Left that in the name of cultural respect ends up being an accomplice of the most reactionary Islamism, and on the other hand VOX, which uses it to whip up fear and exclusion.” The PP chose to stand on the sidelines and not take sides. In other words, they recognize the problem, but do not want to address it.

Professor Ramallo was very surprised by the speeches of the deputies: “You have talked a lot about women’s right to choose, do they really believe that a veiled woman is deciding of her own free will?” Ramallo also recalled that, in the Catalan parliament, the extreme pro-independence Left, the CUP, defended female genital mutilation as a tradition and that “we are not talking about the coexistence of two cultures, but about imposition”. Ramallo’s reply provoked the discomfort of several deputies, who did not stop gesticulating and making comments, which caused one of the guests present in the Commission to ask for silence. The PP deputy Alicia Sanchez Camacho asked the president of the room that if the guests cause any more interruptions, they should be thrown out immediately. Politicians can gesticulate and interrupt, but citizens, who voted for them, cannot demand a minimum level of civility.

The advance of Islamism in Spain is the consequence of the sum of these two factors: the fanaticism of a Left completely detached from reality, and the cowardice and inaction of a center-right that prefers to abide by political correctness. The reaction to Elena Ramallo’s initiative is proof of the uselessness of a political class that deep down is aware of the problem, but only works according to its narrative or the benefit for its own political party. 

If Pedro Sánchez and his government fall, something very necessary, Spain will be able to get out of the pit of filth, at least for the moment, but without a regeneration of politics and a change of mentality, nothing will change.