Spain: Muslim Community in Ceuta Reports Rising Discrimination, Questioning of National Identity Amid Migration Crisis

Spain: Muslim Community in Ceuta Reports Rising Discrimination, Questioning of National Identity Amid Migration Crisis
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Muslim residents of Ceuta, a Spanish-administered city in North Africa, have reported increasing racial discrimination, harassment and questioning of their national identity following waves of migrant crossings from Morocco last July, according to a report published by the media platform Hyphen.

The report highlighted complaints from Muslim residents who say they face discrimination based on their religious and cultural backgrounds, despite many holding Spanish citizenship and having families who have lived in the city for generations.

Abdullah Mustafa, head of the Sidi Mubarak neighbourhood association, said dozens of complaints had been received concerning insults and harassment targeting Muslim citizens. He attributed the growing tensions partly to increasingly hostile political rhetoric surrounding migration.

Muslims account for approximately 43% of Ceuta’s population of more than 83,000, making them a significant part of the city’s social and cultural fabric. The report also noted that around 5,000 people participated in a demonstration last August calling for greater security, peaceful coexistence and humanitarian assistance, amid tensions involving far-right groups.

Some Muslim residents say their Spanish identity is repeatedly questioned because of their religious beliefs or their use of Moroccan Arabic, leaving them feeling marginalised despite their citizenship rights.