Religious Pluralism and Local Public Policies: the Case of Bangladeshi Islam in Madrid

Abstract

In the contemporary global context of religious pluralism, the social and institutional recognition of religious groups depends, on the one hand, on the legal framework and the political will of public representatives and public officials; and, on the other, on the strategies adopted by religious groups, such as their visibility in the public space or their participation in the social, civic and political life of the municipality. The analysis of these relations allows for examining the emergence of new models of local governance of religious diversity. Based on the case study of the Bangladeshi Muslim community of Madrid in the Lavapiés neighbourhood, this article aims to analyse Madrid City Council's governance of the city's religious diversity between 2015 and 2019, coinciding with the mayor's office of Manuela Carmena and political citizen platform of Ahora Madrid.