Spanish town bans Muslim festivals in public spaces | World News

A local council in Jumilla, a town in the Murcia region of south-east Spain, has passed a measure banning Muslim religious festivals such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha from being celebrated in public facilities like civic centres and sports halls, as per reports from The Guardian.
The motion was introduced the conservative People’s Party (PP) and approved with the abstention of the far-right Vox party, while left-wing parties opposed it.
The ruling states that municipal sports and public facilities “cannot be used for religious, cultural or social activities alien to our identity unless organised the local authority.” Jumilla, a town of around 27,000 people, has a Muslim population of approximately 7.5%, many from North African countries.
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The local branch of Vox celebrated the decision on social media, stating on X, “Thanks to Vox the first measure to ban Islamic festivals in Spain’s public spaces has been passed. Spain is and will be forever the land of Chrian people.”
Mounir Benjelloun Andaloussi Azhari, president of the Spanish Federation of Islamic Organisations, called the ban “Islamophobic and discriminatory” in an interview with El País.
“They’re not going after other religions, they’re going after ours,” he said according to The Guardian. “For the first time in 30 years, I feel afraid,” he added.
Constitutional challenge likely
Legal experts and opposition leaders have flagged the move as potentially unconstitutional. Spain’s Article 16 guarantees freedom of religion, ideology, and worship, stating that no restriction may be imposed unless necessary to maintain public order.Story continues below this ad
Francisco Lucas, the regional Social Party leader in Murcia, criticized the decision on X. “The PP violates the constitution and puts social cohesion at risk simply in the pursuit of power.”
Juana Guardiola, a former Social mayor of Jumilla, questioned the vague reference to “identity” in the motion. “What do they mean identity? And what about the centuries of Muslim legacy here?”
Horically, the town of Jumilla was part of the Roman empire before falling under Arab control in the eighth century, remaining primarily Arab until Chrian forces led Alfonso X of Castile seized it in the 13th century.
Initially, a treaty known as the Capitulations of Alcatraz allowed coexence, but Arab rule ended soon after Alfonso’s death when Castile took full control of the area.
(With inputs from The Guardian)