Following the granting of a construction permit for an Islamic centre in Polígono Sur, the platform Nosotros También Somos Sevilla defends the project and asserts that insecurity in the neighbourhood does not have a religious origin.
The community platform Nosotros También Somos Sevilla has responded to the controversy generated by the future mosque in Polígono Sur. After the Urban Planning Management of the Seville City Council granted the construction permit last Tuesday, the group wanted to make it clear that the Islamic centre is not the problem in the neighbourhood.
In a statement sent to the media, the association maintains that people of different origins, ideologies, and religious beliefs have coexisted in Polígono Sur for years without this pluralism causing conflicts. According to their analysis, the security problems experienced in the area are not related to religious differences.
The platform points directly to poverty and social exclusion as causes of insecurity. It believes that these factors foster marginal behaviours and situations of impunity. Additionally, it identifies the presence of groups dedicated to drug cultivation and trafficking as the main source of insecurity.
Nosotros También Somos Sevilla demands that the public debate focus on other issues that require urgent responses. Among these, it mentions the power outages experienced by families with contracts who pay their bills regularly. It also highlights the lack of bus routes in Polígono Sur for lines 30, 31, 32, and A5.
The dangerous circulation of motorcycles and vehicles through the neighbourhood streets is another complaint from the group. These difficulties are compounded by unemployment, job precariousness, school absenteeism, and educational failure, problems that, according to the platform, have been entrenched for years.
The community entity also refers to family disintegration and the lack of commitment from administrations. Specifically, it attributes significant responsibility to the Junta de Andalucía and the Seville City Council for being the institutions with the most competencies to address these situations.
In its statement, the platform criticises that, instead of strengthening policies against exclusion, there are cuts to public services such as education, housing, healthcare, social services, and employment. The group links this situation to the political agreements between PP and Vox in Andalucía.
Regarding the mosque project, Nosotros También Somos Sevilla defends the right of any person or community to have adequate means to practice their religion. It reminds that there are already places of worship of different faiths in Polígono Sur.
The group believes that the only limits applicable to the opening of these spaces should be those established by the Constitution and the rest of the current legislation, with the same conditions for all people and religious beliefs.
Finally, the platform demands that the administrations involved in the Integral Plan for Polígono Sur meet with the entities in the neighbourhood. Its goal, it states, should be to promote policies that allow for progress towards a dignified life and peaceful coexistence, addressing the social and security needs affecting residents.
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