Spain To Scrap Motion Restricting Muslim Festivities
The town council of Jumilla, in the southeastern region of Murcia, approved the ban last week with support from the conservative Popular Party (PP), saying it sought to 'promote and preserve the traditional values' of the area.
Far-right party Vox had demanded the measure in exchange for backing the PP mayor's municipal budget.
Spain's national government swiftly denounced the ban, with minister for inclusion and migration Elma Sainz calling it a 'racist motion'.
Territorial Policy Minister Angel Victor Torres announced on X on Monday that the central government had formally ordered the Jumilla council to scrap the ban, arguing it violates the constitution.
Jumilla, a wine-producing town of about 27,000 people, has a significant Muslim community, many of whom work in the agricultural sector.
For years, the community has used sports venues for celebrations such as Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
The controversy comes just weeks after far-right groups and immigrant residents clashed for several nights in another Murcia town following an assault on a retired man by a young North African.
Even Spain's Catholic Church criticised the ban in Jumilla, saying public religious expressions are protected under the right to religious freedom.
Vox leader Santiago Abascal said he was 'perplexed' by the Church's stance, suggesting it might be tied to public funding or to clergy abuse scandals that he claimed have 'gagged' the institution.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Also read: Spain Beats Germany, Tops EU, In Asylum Requests Amid Shift In Migrant Patterns
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Insider
5 days ago
- Gulf Insider
Spain To Scrap Motion Restricting Muslim Festivities
Spain's leftist government on Monday ordered a town to drop a ban on religious celebrations in municipal sports facilities, a measure critics say was aimed at blocking longstanding Muslim festivities. The town council of Jumilla, in the southeastern region of Murcia, approved the ban last week with support from the conservative Popular Party (PP), saying it sought to 'promote and preserve the traditional values' of the area. Far-right party Vox had demanded the measure in exchange for backing the PP mayor's municipal budget. Spain's national government swiftly denounced the ban, with minister for inclusion and migration Elma Sainz calling it a 'racist motion'. Territorial Policy Minister Angel Victor Torres announced on X on Monday that the central government had formally ordered the Jumilla council to scrap the ban, arguing it violates the constitution. Jumilla, a wine-producing town of about 27,000 people, has a significant Muslim community, many of whom work in the agricultural sector. For years, the community has used sports venues for celebrations such as Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. The controversy comes just weeks after far-right groups and immigrant residents clashed for several nights in another Murcia town following an assault on a retired man by a young North African. Even Spain's Catholic Church criticised the ban in Jumilla, saying public religious expressions are protected under the right to religious freedom. Vox leader Santiago Abascal said he was 'perplexed' by the Church's stance, suggesting it might be tied to public funding or to clergy abuse scandals that he claimed have 'gagged' the institution. (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Also read: Spain Beats Germany, Tops EU, In Asylum Requests Amid Shift In Migrant Patterns
Gulf Insider
08-08-2025
- Gulf Insider
Indonesia to Fly 2,000 From Gaza to Uninhabited Island
Indonesia will fly around 2,000 wounded people from Gaza to an uninhabited island for treatment. The Muslim-majority country, which has been sending humanitarian aid to Gaza since Israel launched an offensive in October 2023, will convert a medical facility on the uninhabited north-west Indonesian island of Galang. Hasan Nasbi, the presidential spokesman, said: 'Indonesia will give medical help for about 2,000 Gaza residents who became victims of war, those who are wounded, buried under debris.' However, Mr Nasbi noted that this was not an evacuation – all those who receive treatment will return to Gaza once they have recovered. He did not provide details on when this program would begin or how long it would last, and Indonesia's presidential office and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to The Telegraph. More than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed since Oct 7 2023, when the Israel-Hamas conflict began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. More than 50,000 of the dead or injured have been children, according to Unicef data. Israel launched the offensive after Hamas massacred 1,200 people across southern Israel and kidnapped more than 250. The island that will host the facility, Galang, is located east of Indonesia's large Sumatra island and approximately 25 miles south of Singapore. While mostly uninhabited, between 1979 and 1996, the island hosted a refugee camp for those displaced during the Vietnam War and during the Covid-19 pandemic a hospital was opened to treat patients. As the largest Muslim country in the world, Indonesia has recognised the state of Palestine since 1988 and has hosted a Palestinian embassy since 1990. During his inaugural speech in October, Prabowo Subianto, the Indonesian president, said he supported 'the independence of the Palestinian people' and described Indonesian support as a form of Muslim solidarity. Thousands of Indonesians have also taken to the streets in support of Palestinians in Gaza since the conflict began. In April, Mr Prabowo said Indonesia was 'ready to evacuate the wounded, the traumatised, the orphans' from Gaza. His comments drew criticism from those who oppose efforts to permanently remove Gazans from Palestine, and Indonesia's foreign ministry said it 'strongly rejects any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians'. Indonesia is not the only country taking in ill and injured Gazans. Earlier this month in Britain, the Government also announced that it would be evacuating 'more children from Gaza who require urgent medical care'. An unnamed senior Whitehall source said that as many as 300 children could be brought to the UK, while Sir Keir Starmer said Britain was 'urgently accelerating' its efforts. The Prime Minister also said in July that the UK was prepared to recognise Palestinian statehood in September unless Israel met certain conditions. Also read: Europe Isolated: Qatar Threatens Natural Gas Embargo Against The EU
Gulf Insider
08-08-2025
- Gulf Insider
Trump Tells Mideast Nations To Join Abraham Accords
President Donald Trump on Thursday once again issued a call for Middle East countries to join his Abraham Accords, on the basis that this will ensure peace now that Iran's 'nuclear arsenal' had been 'obliterated'. 'Now that the nuclear arsenal being 'created' by Iran has been totally OBLITERATED, it is very important to me that all Middle Eastern Countries join the Abraham Accords,' Trump wrote in a social media post. So far, the four Muslim-majority countries of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Morocco, with Sudan have signed on – normalizing relations with Israel – which was the result of efforts during Trump's first term. Washington has long pushed for Saudi Arabia to join, and there's been talk of post-Assad Syria joining too – but all of this has been deeply complicated by the Gaza war. As for whether Iran's nuclear program has in fact been 'obliterated' – this remains very much an open question, after much speculation that the bulk of the Islamic Republic's enriched uranium had already been moved well before US strikes hit three nuclear facilities at the end of the 12-day war launched by Israel in June. Fresh Thursday statements from Iran's chief negotiator suggest Tehran is slamming the door on jump-starting nuclear talks with the United States: Senior Iranian official Abbas Araghchi issued a stark message regarding the future of nuclear negotiations with Washington, telling the media that Tehran had no intention of returning to talks with the U.S. under pressure. 'Whether dialogue and negotiations take place in the near or distant future depends on what our national interests require,' Araghchi said, according to the U.K.-based outlet IranWire. Araghchi said Iran was imposing 'new conditions' for its relationship with the IAEA, which must now obtain approval from the Supreme National Security Council, an entity closely tied to the supreme leader and the military-security establishment, Iranian media reported. There are obvious reasons why Iranian leaders would see such renewed dialogue as futile and condemned to failure. It had already been engaging in several rounds of talks with US negotiators at the very moment it was attacked by Israel, which President Trump reportedly greenlighted. Yet so far the Trump-backed ceasefire which brought the June war to an end has held. Despite a spate of deaths among nuclear scientists and top military officials, Iranian officials have indicated the country's nuclear program has only been set back by months – and that it has plenty more nuclear scientists to rely on. 'Buildings can be rebuilt. Machines can be replaced, because the technology is there. We have plenty of scientists and technicians who used to work in our facilities,' Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi explained in a recent interview with the Financial Times . Iran has long maintained its program is only for peace nuclear energy purposes. Also read: Toyota Q1 Net Profit Plunges 37% After Trump Tariff Hit
