<p>This study delves into the intricate nexus between religious and Racial identities among Muslims in Spain, based on data from two recent qualitative studies. The aim is to explore how Muslims in Spain perceive and respond to the institutional practices of control and discrimination exercised over them. Our study shows how, in contemporary Spain, Islam is often perceived as the religion of outsiders and immigrants, despite the existence of a significant Islamic legacy and the presence of convert white Muslims, and that institutional mechanisms tend to maintain this foreignness of Islam rather than challenge it. It also shows that Islamophobia, understood as a form of racism directed against Muslims as such, is intricately intertwined with other mechanisms of control, discipline, and the production of social inequalities. Exploring the perceptions of Muslims from different backgrounds and generations, as well as their responses to institutional control mechanisms, reveals how Islamophobia, understood as discrimination based on religious grounds, can be more pronounced among individuals who are economically stable and/or have stronger citizenship rights, such as white converts or members of the younger generations. Conversely, for more vulnerable population segments, the control mechanisms are less complex and their racist or Islamophobic nature is less apparent.</p>