Riay Tatary Bakry, president of the Islamic Commission of Spain, passes away

COVID-19 continues to take lives in Spain. This Monday, Riay Tatary Bakry, the president of the Islamic Commission of Spain, died from being infected by this pathogen. He was 72 years old and had been admitted to the hospital of La Paz for two weeks. His wife was also admitted in a serious condition. He had five children and will be buried in the Muslim cemetery of Griñón, south of Madrid.

Tatary Bakry was originally from Damascus, Syria, but had been living in Spain for almost half a century. He was frequently the imam of the Abu Bakr mosque, located in the Madrid neighbourhood of Tetuán and considered the most important prayer centre for Muslims in the Spanish capital. He was also the Secretary General of the Islamic Communities of Spain (UCIDE).

A doctor of medicine, he is a historical figure as far as the representation of Muslim communities is concerned. Shortly after his arrival in Spain in 1971, Tatary Bakry actively contributed to the foundation of the Muslim Association of Spain, which built the mosque in Tetuán.

In the 1980s, he was a member of the Advisory Commission on Religious Freedom of the Ministry of Justice. Later, at the beginning of the 1990s, he participated in the founding of UCIDE, as well as the Spanish Federation of Islamic Religious Entities (FEERI). In 1992, the Islamic Commission of Spain finally became established, and has been the highest body representing Muslims in the country ever since. That same year, it signed a collaboration agreement with the Directorate General of Religious Affairs. For all his contributions to the coexistence of religions, Tatary Bakry was awarded the Commendation of the Order of Civil Merit in 1997.

Both the Ministry of Justice and the Government of Spain have expressed their sorrow through their respective Twitter accounts at the death of Tatary Bakry, which they have described as “an example of the struggle for coexistence and tolerance”.

Similarly, representatives of other religious communities have publicly expressed their condolences. “I regret the death of Riay Tatary. He was a great friend and a man of faith who sought what unites men, always ready for interreligious dialogue,” said Cardinal Carlos Osoro, vice-president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference and archbishop of Madrid.

The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain (FCJE), for its part, has sent its condolences to Spanish Muslims and has described Tatary Bakry as “a man of peace and dialogue and a defender of the religious factor in society”.