It's election season here in Spain, and immigration has become one of the focal points of this year's political debate. Last night, I attended a panel discussion between politicians from each of the major political parties here in Catalunya concerning immigration. I submitted a question concerning the lack of a principal mosque for Muslims in Catalunya, tension surrounding the establishment of prayer rooms, and what each party intended to do about the situation. Most of the answers were pretty much the same old story, which I won't bore you with.
Montserrat Nebrada of the Popular Party (the main conservative party), however, remarked that Spain is a fundamentally Christian society from a "civilizational perspective." Christians, she argued, have constructed the Europe of today by initiatiting the separation of church and state, and by establishing the fundamental values of liberty and solidarity as the bases for modern democracy.
In a rare political moment, a debate then ensued about Spain and Europe's philosophical roots. Lidia Santos of the socialist party referenced Spinoza (a Jewish philosopher) and his influence on political thought in Spain. Nebrada then countered with Leibnitz (a German philosopher who defended Christian orthodoxy in the face of Spinoza's critiques). They were prepared to go on, but the moderator interrupted to bring them back to more 'concrete' matters. Oh well, it was interesting while it lasted...
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