DAR AL HARB - SPAIN / AL ANDALUS: SPAIN'S MOSLEM SOLDIERS HAVE DOUBLE LOYALTIES, THEY MAY EVEN SIDE WITH MOROCCO

Spain's Muslim Soldiers "with Double Loyalties" Spark Debate
By Sinikka Tarvainen, Dpa

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.

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Now the security experts begin worrying about this?!?

Pertinent Links:

1) Spain's Muslim Soldiers "with Double Loyalties" Spark Debate