to "european journal" coming to you from dw city is in brussels. thanks for tuning in. here is what we have for you on this edition. why the spanish muslim community is divided. the vatican is shaken by a scandal. receiving a facelift. muslims have long been a part of spanish history. in the eighth century, muslims

from north africa conquered large parts of spain and ruled it for century. during much of the sun, it is believed moslems, christians, and jews lived in relative harmony, but today, the situation is different. with tensions on the rise between and within communities. the perception some muslims have of women has fuelled anger in spain with people saying such views have no place in spanish society. >> friday prayers -- the highlight of the muslim week. this is where it happened. the imam of terrazzo gave instructions of how to beat a woman without leaving any traces. the police reported the sermons. >> it is bad. there is no room for this kind of preaching. every person deserves respect. if this man does not like the

laws in europe, he should go back to his own country. he can have his own way there. but beating up and abusing women is not reasonable anywhere. not where he comes from, either. then let a judge summon him in march. he made use of his right to silence. he is from morocco, like most of the members of the local muslim community. no one admits to hearing the controversial sermon. he has now since been replaced by someone else. > it is in the hands of the courts now. they will rule on what he said and what he did not say. i have not had the opportunity to listen to the recordings, so i cannot say anything. >> a guide to beating in the name of the koran -- the controversy has opened a further

rift between muslims and the rest of society. the prosecutor running the case does not want to be identified. >> the problem is the interpretation of these texts now the spirit in this case, he said that the advice written down 1103 years ago should be followed today whenever a woman refuses to obey a man. the police even observed him making gestures to show how a woman should be beaten. >> the identity of the person who tipped off the police is not important for the investigators, but there is plenty of speculation in the muslim community. for example, in this bar salam mosque. -- this bar solo mosque. people believe the imam was betray by members of the congregation. >> there is envy in the congregations as well. maybe i have a position and behind my back, someone wishes me away.

there are probably people who think that if the imam is gone, they could take his position. >> whoever betrayed him is irrelevant to women in the community. the case is a challenge for spain. the last socialist government passed a number of laws advancing equality in the country. laws which turned the appreciation of the united nations. >> we have made a lot of progress on women's rights. spain is a pioneer when it comes to equality in europe. we cannot permit attitudes which contradict these policies on women's and human rights. >> this case is not unique. eight years ago, an im was sentenced after publishing a book which included advice on beating women, and this woman was threatened because she refused to obey the creatures.

>> at the beginning, they put me under psychological pressure. i was isolated within the community. no one would speak to me. i was threatened in person and on the phone. and they threaten my husband. they wanted to scare us. >> the koran is cited again and again as justification. islam experts note the regional passage in arabic. problem seems to be the way the texts are being translated. >> virgins with the stored -- versions with distorted meetings are printed and handed out. i cannot call them translations. in general, there's a danger with imams who live in non- islamic countries. they are trained in saudi arabia, a country ruled by oil,

which, in my opinion, has a false view of islam. >> the scandal involving the imam of terrazza is dangerous to all muslims living in spain. the dangers they will all be tarred with the same brush. >> i think it is a personal case. there's no reason to criminalize the entire muslim community. >> he faces a stiff prison sentence if he is found guilty. the new preachers' face a tough task -- they have to persuade their community and the rest of spain that women enjoy equal rights under islam. u>> yes, the current crisis in the european union is a serious one. many countries are implementing painful reforms and the austerity measures that are

aimed at getting public debt under control. people are taking to the streets to protest spending cuts in the health and education sectors, and yet, sometimes it is easy to forget that too many people outside the eu, life here still seems a lot better than at home. some people risk their lives trying to get into the e you where they hope to get asylum. their numbers have risen again, especially since the era of spring and the unrest in syria, but when refugees reach the borders of the eu, they are in for a true reality check. for instance, when they land in bulgaria. >> this is a hostel for asylum seekers. migrants from the middle east, africa, and other regions wait here until their asylum applications are processed. at this time, there are 400 people year. they are the lucky ones.

not everybody makes it. many are stock close to the border like the iraqis and put into detention centers -- many are stopped close to the border. >> i would be very happy if i got to sofia tomorrow. very happy. i have not called my family in iraq for one month because i have not had a telephone here. them at this detention center close to the turkish border is like a prison. it opened a year ago. border police lock up new rivals. the reason? illegally. they are only released and allowed to go to sofia once they have made an asylum application.

but the procedure is complex. very few managed to fill up the forms without help from migrant associations. bulgaria is rejecting more and more people after a rise in new or rivals fueled by the conflt in syria. >> i was a soldier in syria, and i was deployed against my own people. my conscience would not allow me to shoot at innocent civilians. that is why i am year. i was sentenced to death as a deserter at home. >> but instead of the freedom they hoped for, many migrants arriving in bulgaria are disappointed. >> we are locked up here. we have no contacts to the outside world. i have been here for five months, and i still have no idea what will happen to me. i am suffocating here.

why do they treat us like this? >> there is no privacy. the inmates are under constant observation. and the director would prefer it if the migrants left bulgaria as soon as possible. then the many people across the border illegally applied for asylum in bulgaria, but they do not want to stay here. they want to go on to western europe. others go back to their home countries because they are discouraged by their experiences here. >> as a member of the european union, bulgaria is required to offer an ordered and humane asylum process. >> holding asylum seekers in prison is against the law. authorities justify it by saying there's not enough room

in refugee camps, but that is not true. the truth is that the authorities are trying to teach her asylum seekers. >> that is against eu laws, which state that the first member country migrants to arrive in is responsible for them, so the police try to prevent them from crossing the border. >> i do not know where they come from. but they come all the time. i cald three of them here yesterday. >> most migrants coming to bulgaria from turkey. the authorities say they are not responsible for the situation. >> i have no idea what happens to the refugees at the border, and i do not know where they are kept. that is the job of the border police.

them the refugees who make it to the asylum seekers' hostel in sofia are not in prison. , but they do not feel welcome here, either. and that may be why they want to continue traveling west in a search for a life and dignity. >> who would have thought that he is interested in soccer? when the euro 2012 kicked off in poland and ukraine a few days ago, the pope in rome made a comment. benedict xvi said a team sport like soccer is a school that teaches you respect for others and respect for your opponent i've particular. some also saw it as a message related to recent events in the vatican where some in the hope's team have lately resorted to foul play. it is a dart game of intrigue, treason, and blackmail. >> the vatican, the nerve center

of the catholic church. it draws more than 10 million tourists and pilgrims each year. but what happens behind the walls of the command center remains largely under wraps with the pope and his staff doing business away from the limelight. but there is a whistle-blower at the met that again. for months, someone has been leaking controversial -- controversial documents to the public, including private correspondence between the pontiff and his closest aides. speculation is right. pilgrims in rome are baffled by the latest scandal. >> in my opinion, it is that everything has gone now. i think people trust the people close to him, and that trust has been severely breached. >> the public today wants to be informed. you see that in the internet- savvy generation of young people. after thousands of years of keeping information secret, that cannot work anymore.

>> this man sparked the scandal. the journalist released the first batch of internal that it can communiques in january. in mid-may, a whole book of controversial memos was published. >> the special thing about the book is it contains hitherto unpublished documents from a pope who is still in office. that is the strength of the book. never before had such documents been made public, showing how the church tries to influence italian politics. >> and reports on a secret dinner between the pope and the italian president during which they are said to have discussed italian family policy. and he writes about disputes between the cardinals and corruption and mismanagement at the vatican. christmas greetings to benefit from a famous italian tv presenter along with a check for 10,000 euros, and the question -- when can we meet the pope to say hello? and there are revelations about the vatican bank's new policies.

pope benedict reportedly rejected money laundering and shady financial transactions. the appointee to implement the pontus policies and now stands accused of dereliction of duty. a few days after the book was published, the pope's personal butler was arrested. seen -- diligent foreseen in our its two weeks ago. as always, close to the broker also present, the chief of the vatican police who a few hours later was to arrest the butler. this is where the documents were stolen. pope benedict's office. the vatican knows what impact the scandal could have, and its spokesman is holding international press conferences almost daily, but few facts have emerged, and so far, the investigation is not public. so speculation continues to grow

about cronyism and power struggles. >> of course, there are always conflicts. that is clear. i do not know if they are objective or personal, but certainly, there are conflicts, and letters are written and receive. the worst thing is that this exchange is being undermined. one can no longer talk confidently about things because you do not know whether it will be in the papers the next morning. >> this man is at the center of the fuehrer. cardinal secretary of state and the pope's #two. he has repeatedly come under fire for a lack of diplomatic experience, speaking to view foreign languages, and for his authoritarian style -- speaking to few for -. >> one of the main culprits responsible for the disaster in which the roman curia finds itself. as carter and secretary of state, he has shown himself incapable of heading the.

-- the curia. >> are the least aimed at ousting the cardinal? but it has remained steadfast defending his aid. >> the accusations in some parts of the media are completel groundless and have no bearing on the facts. they have given a trail of the holy see that has no bearing on reality. -- a portrayal of the holy see that has no bearing on reality. >> the cardinal has gone on the defensive on itian television. >> seeing a few documents and publishing parts of them will not give you the whole truth about events. often, explanations come from a working dialog, personal relations, and also, a change of heart. they do not just rise from files and bureaucracy.

>> so there is discussion over the past the church should take. vatican experts say the cardinal will remain in office, for now anyway. >> the cardinals state secretary's predecessor was replaced at the age 78. he turns 78 the end of this year, so it could well be that he is replaced soon. >> the vatican faces more turmoil in the coming weeks. but already, the affair has damaged the pope and the catholic church. >> if you love the beautiful landscape with old conl's sitting on rolling hills, and slovakia is the way to go. between the carpe diem mountains and the hungarian plains, people had every reason to build heavy settlements with the walls. they had to protect themselves

because over the centuries, the area was invaded several times by foreign troops such as the hon so the turks. toy, some 100 capsules are left, many of them in a deplorable shape. that has to change, say some slovaks, who have literally started rolling up their sleeves. >> this castle has been in ruins since it was burned down in 1715. he is going to help preserve and restore it. it is an hour's walk from his home up the hill to the castle. before they start, the construction crew are fitted out with new workloads, safety shoes, and it pick axe. they were all unemployed until now. their task is to preserve the bruins from crumbling to nothing.

>> it is going to be tough, hard work. especially when it is so hot, but i am here because i need the money. i hope we will make a good team and get on well with each other. this is all new to me. i am pleased to be here, but it certainly will not be easy. >> 90 people applied for the 20 positions. they have all been unemployed for a while. the coordinator of the conservation project is margin. he chose the ones he thought would really get down to work. then after the interviews, we have the candidates spent two days working at the castle. down in the village, many had said they really wanted to get a job, but they evidently changed

their mind. for some, even climbing the hill to the castle was too much. >> he has been assigned to the perimeter wall. his job is to gather up fallen stones and pile them up as a prelude to restoring the wall. the government has provided 40,000 euros for this year. much of that comes from the eu's social fund. the workers are paid up to 400 euros a month, depending on their qualifications. the supplements their modest welfare payments. >> it is an opportunity for the unemployed. the question is -- what are their long-term prospects? so far, we only have funding for one season, but i hope the project will continue. it is now under way, and we will do our best to see it carries

on. the most of the team are from nearby. many from the village itself just beneath the castle. there is a severe shortage of work here. as in many communities of eastern slovakia. many have left to look for jobs in the more prosperous west of the country. they recently set up a chicken coop next to the apartment building they live in and bought some hens. they could not afford to buy eggs in the shop. this machine fitted could not find a job. he lives with his wife and children and father in law in a three-room apartment here without a proper income, life is tough, though the state does provide child allowances.

>> i would like to see the castle project continued. that would be a great help financially. but i will carry on looking for another job. there is no point going to the job center. they have nothing to offer. the last resort would be to try to find work abroad. >> margin is coordinating 3 castle restoration projects in the region. he has a day of and is going to visit his favorite ruins. this castle, just a few kilometers from the city, overlooks a wide plain. it is at the top of a wooded hill, and it is one of the biggest castles in slovakia. it has long fascinated margin. six years ago, he started working as a volunteer to look

after the site. then, he set up an initiative to preserve the castle. thanks to his efforts, 40 otherwise unemployed people now work here, too. >> at the beginning, i was all alone. i slept in a tent. it was also interesting and surprising. i was amazed how many people visit the site. and many joined in and helped me, just like that, spontaneously. that is how it all began. >> after a day's work, they relax at the top of that tower, which they be built with their own hands. some of the volunteers have been working on the castle for years now and know each other well.

they are planning on creating a castle rock, a tourist trail that mix -- links six important sites. >> it is my dream, and i am sure it will become reality and the tourists will come and explore. i would like our region or slovakia as a whole, to be known as the land of castles. them in that report brings us to the end of this edition of "european journal." we hope you enjoyed the show and you will tune in again next week at the same time. until then, from all of us, thanks for watching, and good bye for now. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--