Following the church-state model, the agreement would be signed by two parties: on the one side, the Ministry of Justice representing the Spanish State, and on the other side, one representative body for each religious denomination.
This obligated the different religious communities to organise themselves in a centralised and hierarchal way within a short period of time.
Moreover, this model did not take into account the heterogeneous nature of the communities, especially for the Islamic religion.

In 1989, after the recognition of the Islam as “deep-rooted” religion, the Spanish Federation of Islamic Religious Entities (FEERI) was created with 15 federated associations in order to serve as the single interlocutor with the state.
However, in 1991 a group of communities left the Federation to form a new one under the name Union of Islamic Communities of Spain (UCIDE).
So far, there were two competing Islamic federations, which wanted to monopolise the communication with the state.
The request for a Cooperation Agreement should be carried out by the religious confession and then reviewed by the public administration.
Both federations started to draft an agreement in parallel.
Finally, the solution was found in the creation of the Islamic Commission of Spain (CIE), founded by the FEERI and the UCIDE and established on 18 February 1992.
Its raison d’être was the “negotiation, signature and follow- up on the Cooperation Agreement with the state” as it is written in the first article of his statutes.

1992 was chosen as the year for the signature of the Cooperation Agreements, due to the 500th anniversary regarding the conquest of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada and the Expulsion of Jews from Spain.
Because of that, many scholars have seen the Agreements as a symbolic act rather than as an instrument for the management of religious diversity.
Nevertheless, the agreements aimed to equate the one signed with the Catholic Church and so to accommodate the religions mentioned within public institutions and the school system, to guarantee the exemption from taxation and the involvement of the religious communities in the preservation of their related cultural heritage.

The Cooperation Agreement between the State and the CIE includes 14 articles and three additional provisions that can be summarised in 9 topics: legal affairs, worship places, imams, marriage and festivities, religious assistance, religious education, fiscal benefits, cultural heritage, and halal products.
In the following sections, a summary with relevant facts is provided:
 Legal affairs (arts.
1, 6): the CIE shall validate the incorporation of communities and federations within its body.
The communities must be also registered in the Religious Entities Office of the Ministry of Justice (RER).
The certification of religious purposes for the creation of religious entities can be issued by their belonging federation in accordance with the CIE or directly by the CIE.

 Worship places (art.
2): mosques or places of worship will be certified by the respective community in conformity with the CIE.
Those worship places enjoy inviolability according to the terms established by law.
Moreover, this topic comprises the right of those Islamic communities, which are integrated within the CIE, to the granting of plots in public cemeteries or the ownership of private ones.

 Imams (arts.
3, 4, 5): on the one side, the CIE is the organ that can certify imams and Islamic religious leaders.
On the other side, the Ministry of Justice must first recognise those centres for religious instruction.
Furthermore, those persons who meet the requirements will be covered by the General Social Security Plan.

Marriage and festivities (arts.
6, 12): the marriage celebrated under Islamic Law will be effective if the applicants meet the criteria demanded by the Civil Code.
Moreover, the members of the Islamic communities belonging to the CIE can apply for the interruption of their work every Friday, the day of collective compulsory prayer, from 1:30 pm till 4 pm, and the cessation of the working day o
Following the church-state model, the agreement would be signed by two parties: on the one side, the Ministry of Justice representing the Spanish State, and on the other side, one representative body for each religious denomination. This obligated the different religious communities to organise themselves in a centralised and hierarchal way within a short period of time. Moreover, this model did not take into account the heterogeneous nature of the communities, especially for the Islamic religion. 
In 1989, after the recognition of the Islam as “deep-rooted” religion, the Spanish Federation of Islamic Religious Entities (FEERI) was created with 15 federated associations in order to serve as the single interlocutor with the state. However, in 1991 a group of communities left the Federation to form a new one under the name Union of Islamic Communities of Spain (UCIDE). So far, there were two competing Islamic federations, which wanted to monopolise the communication with the state. The request for a Cooperation Agreement should be carried out by the religious confession and then reviewed by the public administration. Both federations started to draft an agreement in parallel. Finally, the solution was found in the creation of the Islamic Commission of Spain (CIE), founded by the FEERI and the UCIDE and established on 18 February 1992. Its raison d’être was the “negotiation, signature and follow- up on the Cooperation Agreement with the state” as it is written in the first article of his statutes. 
1992 was chosen as the year for the signature of the Cooperation Agreements, due to the 500th anniversary regarding the conquest of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada and the Expulsion of Jews from Spain. Because of that, many scholars have seen the Agreements as a symbolic act rather than as an instrument for the management of religious diversity. Nevertheless, the agreements aimed to equate the one signed with the Catholic Church and so to accommodate the religions mentioned within public institutions and the school system, to guarantee the exemption from taxation and the involvement of the religious communities in the preservation of their related cultural heritage. 
The Cooperation Agreement between the State and the CIE includes 14 articles and three additional provisions that can be summarised in 9 topics: legal affairs, worship places, imams, marriage and festivities, religious assistance, religious education, fiscal benefits, cultural heritage, and halal products. In the following sections, a summary with relevant facts is provided:
 Legal affairs (arts. 1, 6): the CIE shall validate the incorporation of communities and federations within its body. The communities must be also registered in the Religious Entities Office of the Ministry of Justice (RER). The certification of religious purposes for the creation of religious entities can be issued by their belonging federation in accordance with the CIE or directly by the CIE.
 Worship places (art. 2): mosques or places of worship will be certified by the respective community in conformity with the CIE. Those worship places enjoy inviolability according to the terms established by law. Moreover, this topic comprises the right of those Islamic communities, which are integrated within the CIE, to the granting of plots in public cemeteries or the ownership of private ones.
 Imams (arts. 3, 4, 5): on the one side, the CIE is the organ that can certify imams and Islamic religious leaders. On the other side, the Ministry of Justice must first recognise those centres for religious instruction. Furthermore, those persons who meet the requirements will be covered by the General Social Security Plan.
Marriage and festivities (arts. 6, 12): the marriage celebrated under Islamic Law will be effective if the applicants meet the criteria demanded by the Civil Code. Moreover, the members of the Islamic communities belonging to the CIE can apply for the interruption of their work every Friday, the day of collective compulsory prayer, from 1:30 pm till 4 pm, and the cessation of the working day o
Islam in Spain