Are there more mosques than churches in Catalonia?
A picture, which appears in posts on X and Instagram, among others, also says that 120 Catalan schools "teach Islam".
The Catalan government's website features an official Religious Map of the region, which tracks established places of worship across various religions that hold services at least once a year.
As of 2024, the most recent dataset, the Catalan government counts 7,260 places of worship throughout its territory, corresponding to 14 main religious denominations and some smaller denominations grouped into the "Other" category.
The data show that Catholic churches are by far the most common type of religious centre in Catalonia, accounting for 5,665, or 78% of the total. However, these are declining due to the ageing population and certain parishes joining forces.
Evangelical or protestant churches come in second place with 889 places of worship. The government notes that this is the denomination which has grown the most by places of worship since it started tracking the data.
Islam, including mosques, is in third place with 326 religious centres, meaning that, no, there aren't more mosques than churches in Catalonia, and the social media posts claiming the contrary appear to want to spread an Islamophobic narrative.
The Catalan government does, however, also note a "sustained growth" in Islam since the 1970s based on the number of places of worship.
The social media posts sharing the image suggest that the claims originate from Spanish news outlet EDATV News, which describes itself as an independent media outlet pushing back against "political correctness, ideological censorship and cancel culture".
However, the exact claim about mosques and churches doesn't quite appear in any of its articles. Instead, a search of its website takes us to an article about the supposed "Islamisation" of Catalonia.
It contains a similar quote attributed to Júlia Calvet, a politician from the far-right Vox party. She says that there are Catalan municipalities with more mosques than churches, such as the municipality of Salt in the province of Girona.
Referring back to the official government figures, while Salt does have more mosques than Catholic churches, combining churches from different denominations puts churches on top again.
Calvet also reportedly refers to some 120 schools teaching students an Arabic language and Moroccan culture course, which alludes back to the "120 schools teaching Islam" claim in the social media picture.
The programme does exist as per an agreement between Spain and Morocco. It aims to teach Arabic and Moroccan culture to both Moroccan and non-Moroccan primary and secondary school pupils in Spain.
It's coordinated by the Moroccan embassy in Spain and the Spanish education ministry, and managed by the autonomous communities, according to the agreement. The programme is taught by Moroccan civil service teachers.
The agreement underlines that the programme will teach Moroccan students to safeguard their identity while also respecting Spanish culture, encouraging tolerance and participation in Spanish society.
The Spanish news agency Europa Press reported earlier this year that 120 public education centres in Catalonia would teach the course between 2024 and 2025, citing government figures.
However, this is a language and culture class, not an "Islam" class as the social media posts claim.
What about Spain in general?
The numbers for the whole of Spain tell a similar story when it comes to centres of worship.
Research published by the Observatory of Religious Pluralism in Spain in October 2024 puts the total number of places of worship in the country at 30,949.
Catholic churches account for 22,933 of them, or 74% of the total number, with evangelical churches coming in at 4,455 and 1,839 for Islam.
Catalonia is the autonomous community with the most places of worship in the country, followed by Andalusia and then Madrid.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
6 hours ago
- LeMonde
Leila Sansour: 'This is not a war between religions, but a brutal domination of one people by another'
On July 17, the only Catholic church in Gaza was hit by a shell fired by an Israeli tank. Three people were killed, and the parish priest, Gabriel Romani, was wounded. Israel expressed regret but the damage, as ever, goes far beyond the material. The church was not just a sacred landmark, it was a place of refuge in a city under siege. Gaza's Christian population is now fewer than 1,000, a tiny remnant of one of Christianity's oldest communities. That it still exists at all is nothing short of miraculous. Two days after the strike, a rare scene unfolded: Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III were allowed into Gaza to visit the church, bearing humanitarian aid and messages of solidarity. Pizzaballa later said he doubted the strike was accidental [in an interview given to Corriere della Sera on July 18]. Pope Leo XIV condemned the offensive and appealed for a ceasefire. France and Italy called it unacceptable. Even US President Trump expressed grave concern. As a Palestinian Christian from Bethlehem, I watched this unfold with a deep and personal ache. My family has lived in Bethlehem for centuries. We are Palestinians, like those displaced by bombs and blockades. The notion that we are somehow apart from our Muslim compatriots is a fiction Israel has long tried to sell − often echoed by distant, reductive narratives. Yet moments of anguish like these open rare windows to speak with clarity. Palestinian Christians and Muslims are one people. We suffer together. We share the same land, the same fate, the same longing for freedom. My family, like many others, is now scattered across the world. Years of Israeli occupation, land confiscation and the wall that severed Bethlehem from its surroundings ultimately drove us out. Bethlehem today stands on just 13% of its original territory, its beautiful green terraces scarred by a sea of expanding Jewish settlements that exist at the expense of our future.
Euronews
9 hours ago
- Euronews
Diplomatic downfall: When ambassadors cross the line
The shock resignation of Austria's Ambassador to the EU, Thomas Oberreiter, made jaws drop in Brussels just as officials and diplomats were preparing for their much-anticipated summer break. While his case may be the latest to hit headlines, it's far from the only time an ambassador's behaviour that has cut a diplomatic career short. From internal harassment complaints to political sackings and even public naps, here are some of the lesser-known stories of diplomats who were quietly, or dramatically, sidelined. Thomas Oberreiter, the erotic blogger Austrian Ambassador to the European Union (2023-2025) Thomas Oberreiter, Austria's Ambassador to the European Union, resigned last week amid allegations that he anonymously authored a sexually explicit blog featuring misogynistic content and described sexual assault under a female monicker. Despite Oberreiter's denying writing the sadomasochism blog, media investigations linked the blog's posts to Austrian Foreign Ministry IP addresses and devices. The blog, active for several years and containing sadomasochistic fantasies written from a woman's perspective, reportedly originated during office hours and within an official building. After being a diplomat for over 30 years in Europe and Mexico, Oberreiter resigned as the polemic swirled in Brussels. He has not responded to requests for comment. Marta Kos, a comeback under scrutiny Ambassador of Slovenia to Switzerland (2017-2020) Marta Kos, Slovenia's Commissioner for Enlargement since 2024, left her diplomatic post in Bern under a cloud back in 2020, when she resigned as ambassador to Switzerland following accusations of workplace harassment. She cited 'differences in views' on foreign policy and embassy leadership as the cause. An internal audit, triggered by staff complaints, painted a picture of a toxic work environment under her watch. Though she managed a political comeback four years later, Kos's nomination to the European Commission wasn't without turbulence. Her appointment sparked criticism in Slovenia and Brussels, with opponents questioning both her leadership style and suitability for a top EU role. Some even resurfaced long-standing rumours about past links to Yugoslavia's former secret police, claims Kos has firmly denied. Spanish controversial sackings Alberto Antón, Spain's Ambassador to Belgium (2022-2025) & Juan González‑Barba Spain's ambassador to Croatia (2022-2025) Alberto Antón, Spain's ambassador to Belgium, was dismissed in June 2025, five months after being filmed nodding off during a major diplomatic event in Madrid. The incident, caught on camera at the annual ambassadors' conference, showed Antón yawning and slipping into a light doze while Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares delivered a lengthy keynote. The clip quickly became viral on social media and, according to several Spanish media outlets, caused his dismissal. Meanwhile, Antón insisted he was unwell and was simply under the effect of antihistamines at the time. In an open letter, Antón accused Albares of turning a harmless 'siesta' into a pretext for a purge. Critics of the minister say Antón's dismissal fitted a broader pattern of politically motivated sackings. Just months earlier, Juan González-Barba, the ambassador to Croatia and a former secretary of state for EU affairs, was also removed from his post, reportedly for publishing an opinion piece defending Spain's parliamentary monarchy and praising King Felipe VI. Misconduct in Finland's diplomatic corps Jarmo Viinanen, Ambassador of Finland to Sweden (2014-2016) & Jari Vilén, Ambassador of Finland to Canada (2023-2024) Finland's ambassador to Sweden, Jarmo Viinanen, was recalled in 2016 following internal investigations and media reports of alleged sexual harassment involving embassy staff and guests. Viinanen denied publicly criticised the Foreign Ministry's handling of the process, calling it unfair and poorly managed. He claimed he was never given a clear explanation of what he had done wrong and described the months-long ordeal as a personal injustice. Jari Vilén, Finland's ambassador to Canada since September 2023, stepped down a year after, when allegations of inappropriate conduct, including unwanted physical contact. Although not formally dismissed, Vilén returned to Helsinki to work within the Ministry of foreign affairs following an internal investigation that reportedly concluded his behaviour amounted to sexual harassment. He denied any wrongdoings.
LeMonde
13 hours ago
- LeMonde
Mariia Nazarenko's first days in France after fleeing Ukraine: 'In Kyiv, I was a university professor. Today, I am a refugee searching for toothpaste'
"I was supposed to leave for three days. It turned into three years. On February 21, 2022, the eve of the war [Russia's invasion of Ukraine], my partner and I flew to Madrid for a romantic weekend. My 17-year-old son stayed in Ukraine. I didn't believe war was coming; even [President Volodymyr] Zelensky was joking at the time, telling us that May would, as always in our country, be the month of barbecues. I remember walking the streets of Madrid that day, suddenly overcome with panic as I read the news. It was as if anxiety caught up with me all at once. In the middle of the night, a friend called: He was under bombardment in Kyiv. My son and my mother were there, too. Everything then became surreal; I wandered like a zombie through the Spanish capital, checking the news on my phone every three minutes, bursting into tears whenever I saw a Ukrainian flag, desperately trying to convince my loved ones to leave Kyiv. But the bombs were falling, and everything was so dangerous.
