Posters in Barcelona urge Muslims to marry Christian women to 'strengthen' Islam

Hundreds of posters calling on Muslims to marry Christian women in Spain in a bid to spread Islam have been plastered throughout a migrant-dominated neighborhood in Barcelona.

The posters, which invited members of the community to an "information meeting" at an Arab restaurant on March 14, have been disseminated throughout the neighborhood of El Raval, according to Breitbart, citing Spanish news agency La Gaceta.

"It is permissible and encouraged that the Muslim man marries honest and chaste women who belong to the People of the Book. Even though they have distorted and altered the tradition, they are still suitable for marriage," the text read.

"Brother, enter a partnership with a Spaniard, teach her that Islam is the true religion. Islamic law dictates that the fruits of this alliance will follow Islam, which will further strengthen our community," it continued.

Reports from local media have stated that El Raval is a key target for Muslim supremacist groups, who contend that adherents of Islam have a "right to return" to Spain. Official statistics gathered in 2014 indicated that 56.7 percent of its residents were born overseas.

A Facebook group known as "Restore sanctity in Al-Andalus" recommended El Raval in a post as one of the "suitable places" for Muslims migrating to Spain to live. It added that it is the "first stage" of recreating Al-Andalus, referring to the period of Muslim rule in Spain.

The post, which was written both in Arabic and Spanish, referred to migrants on their way to Spain as "brothers who have begun to make their way back home."

"The fact that our roots are Andalusian, and that these lands were once home to our ancestors, fills us with determination to continue working for our right to return to be respected," another post from the group stated.

According to Euro-Islam, about 17 percent of Barcelona's total population of 1.6 million are foreigners. A majority of the city's Muslim population are immigrants who arrived from countries such as Pakistan, Morocco, Bangladesh, Algeria, Nigeria and Senegal.

There have been difficulties in estimating the Muslim population in the city because there are no official records due to legalities that assure the right of preserving the confidentiality of religion.