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Gulf Insider
5 days ago
- Politics
- 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
NDTV
5 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Spain Orders Town 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.
Roya News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Roya News
Spain overturns town ban targeting Muslim festivities
Spain's central government has intervened to overturn a controversial local measure that prohibited religious celebrations in municipal sports facilities, a decision widely seen as targeting Muslim festivities. The town council of Jumilla, located in the southeastern Murcia region, approved the ban last week with the backing of the conservative Popular Party (PP). Officials claimed the move was intended to 'promote and preserve the traditional values' of the area. The measure had been a key demand of the far-right Vox party in exchange for supporting the PP mayor's budget. The order to scrap the ban came swiftly from Madrid. Minister for Inclusion and Migration Elma Sainz denounced the decision as a 'racist motion', while Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres announced on X that the measure violates Spain's constitution and must be rescinded. Jumilla, a town of around 27,000 residents, is home to a sizable Muslim community, many employed in the agricultural sector, who have for years used public sports venues for gatherings such as Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan. The dispute comes amid heightened tensions in Murcia, following nights of unrest in another town where far-right activists and immigrant residents clashed after an assault on a retired man by a young North African. Even the Catholic Church spoke out against the Jumilla ban, noting that public religious expressions fall under Spain's constitutional right to religious freedom. Vox leader Santiago Abascal expressed 'perplexity' at the Church's position, speculating it could be linked to state funding or clergy abuse scandals that he claimed had 'gagged' the institution.
Arab News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Spain orders town to scrap motion restricting Muslim festivities
MADRID: 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 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 party Vox had demanded the measure in exchange for backing the PP mayor's municipal national government swiftly denounced the ban, with minister for inclusion and migration Elma Sainz calling it a 'racist motion.'Territorial Policy Minister Angel Víctor Torres announced on X on Monday that the central government had formally ordered the Jumilla council to scrap the ban, arguing it violates the a wine-producing town of about 27,000 people, has a significant Muslim community, many of whom work in the agricultural years, the community has used sports venues for celebrations such as Eid Al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of 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 Spain's Catholic Church criticized the ban in Jumilla, saying public religious expressions are protected under the right to religious 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.
