A Case Study of Spanish Muslim Community Behaviour During the Pandemic: Statelessness and Non-Status Situations

Muslims in many European countries are generally viewed as one homogeneous group, inert and under ambiguous legal status. However, Muslim communities are diverse, made up of natural-born and naturalised citizens, third-generation immigrants, those who have converted to Islam, immigrants and recently arrived allies, all living under different administrative statutes. All of these groups exist under vague, overlapping regulations, entities representing the patriarchy and foreign ideological belonging and guidance. Ten days before the WHO’s pandemic declaration, the International Islamic Conference encouraged Muslims worldwide to quarantine and suspend all community celebrations to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This action was ignored by many European patriarchal entities due to feelings of national pride and native belonging. From another perspective, border closures and mortuary policies have contributed to an environment where many people suffer de facto statelessness: funerary insurances corporations have disappeared, and without foreign diplomatic intervention, many people have found themselves in unforeseeable non-status situations, just as others. This paper will take a two-pronged approach to evaluating the situation. The first will explain the situation, document it and analyse the facts, while the second will analyse the legal issues caused by legal regulations, focusing specifically on the Spanish case.