Spanish Minister of Justice Hosted

Pictured from left to right:

Malcolm Hoenlien of the Conference of Presidents,

The Spanish Minister of Justice, D. Juan Fernandez Lopez Aguilar,

Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes, and President of AIPAC, Bernice Manocherian.

The American Jewish Congress recently co-hosted a dinner meeting with His Excellency, D. Juan Fernandez Lopez Aguilar, Spanish Minister of Justice.

The Minister opened with a brief discussion of his involvement with issues of interest, specifically church-state separation and religious liberty; the crisis of Moslem immigration for Spain and the European Union; and the problem of terrorism. As to the first, he assured us of the efforts the socialist government has made to reach out to minority religious communities, including the Jewish community.

The Minister spoke with special passion about the problem of mass (Islamic) migration and its impact on Spain and the rest of the European Union. While he acknowledged that Spain would never again be as religiously or ethnically homogenous as before, a fact he welcomed, he emphasized that there needed to be a European Union-wide effort to control immigration or it would be swamped by Africans seeking a better standard of living. Some nations in the European Union have been unwilling to acknowledge the problem until now, but this appears to be changing. Minister Lopez-Aguilar thought that a combination of aid to impoverished countries and improves border security, together with a program of regulation of those already in the European Union, would make a difference.

As to terrorism, the Minister emphasized Spain's experiences with terrorism, and its determination to cooperate with all nations in combating it. He emphasized the stringency of Spanish law on the subject, including laws prohibiting endorsement of terrorist groups (laws that would probably be considered unconstitutional in this country).

Paid for by Friends of Michael J. Wildes, Claudia Colbert, Treasurer