Latest news with #religiousban
Arab News
11-08-2025
- 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.
Telegraph
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Spanish town bans public Muslim celebrations
Mounir Benjelloun Andaloussi Azhari, president of the Spanish federation of Islamic organisations, described the ban as ' Islamophobic and discriminatory '. 'They're not going after other religions, they're going after ours,' he told El Pais newspaper. 'We're rather surprised by what's happening in Spain. For the first time in 30 years I feel afraid.' The proposal reads 'municipal sports facilities cannot be used for religious, cultural or social activities alien to our identity unless organised by the local authority'. Francisco Lucas, the socialist leader in the south-eastern region of Murcia, said the ban flew in the face of the Spanish constitution, hinting at a legal challenge. 'The PP violates the constitution and puts social cohesion at risk simply in the pursuit of power.' he said. The order passed by one vote thanks to an abstention by the sole Vox councillor and the mayor's casting vote. The local Vox party posted on X: 'Thanks to Vox, the first measure to ban Islamic festivals in Spain's public places has been passed. Spain is and will be forever the land of Christian people.' 'Centuries of Muslim legacy' Juana Guardiola, a former socialist mayor of Jumilla, added: 'What do they mean by identity? And what about the centuries of Muslim legacy here?' Around 7.5 per cent of Jumilla's population of 27,000 come from Muslim countries. The town of Jumilla was part of the Roman empire until the Arab conquest in the eighth century. It remained a predominantly Arab town until it was taken by Christian troops led by Alfonso X of Castile in the mid-13th century. The row comes as new figures revealed that Spain's population hit a record number of nearly 50 million people, driven primarily by immigration. Among the top nationalities arriving in Spain included those from Morocco and Algeria, both of which are predominantly Muslim countries. Tens of thousands of immigrants also arrived from Spanish-speaking countries, including Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, Honduras and Peru. The surge in immigration has caused tensions in local communities, particularly in Murcia. Last month, riots broke out in Torre Pacheco, around an hour from Jumilla, after reports that a pensioner had been attacked by immigrants. The town, which is home to a large migrant population, saw 14 people arrested after armed groups took to the streets chanting 'Deport Them Now'.
