Spain: Jumilla Council Bans Use of Public Facilities for Muslim Festivals.
A local authority in south-east Spain has barred Muslims from using public spaces, including civic centres and sports facilities, to mark the religious festivals of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
The decision, taken in Jumilla, Murcia, marks the first such restriction in Spain. It was introduced by the ruling conservative People’s Party (PP) and approved with the abstention of the far-right Vox party, while local left-wing groups voted against it.
Under the new regulation, “municipal sports facilities cannot be used for religious, cultural or social activities alien to our identity unless organised by the local authority.”
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the local Vox branch welcomed the move, declaring: “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 Christian people.”
Mounir Benjelloun Andaloussi Azhari, president of the Spanish Federation of Islamic Organisations, condemned the decision as “Islamophobic and discriminatory,” accusing the council of singling out Islam. “They’re not going after other religions, they’re going after ours,” he told El País, adding that for the first time in 30 years, he feels “afraid” due to the recent surge in racist rhetoric and incidents.
Jumilla, a town of about 27,000 residents, has a Muslim community that makes up roughly 7.5% of its population, mostly from Muslim-majority countries.
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