Murcia municipality bans two major Muslim festivals from public venues
The ban is the first of its kind in Spain and has been branded discriminatory and “Islamophobic”
Muslim groups and human rights advocates have condemned a new ruling in Jumilla as an “Islamophobic” attempt to shut down public celebrations of Islamic festivals. The town council, led by the conservative Partido Popular (PP) and backed by Vox, has introduced new rules preventing cultural and religious events from being held in municipal sports facilities, a move widely seen as targeting the town’s Muslim community.
Though the measure does not mention any religion by name, it comes after years in which local Muslims used public venues like civic centres and sports halls to celebrate Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
Vox publicly celebrated the vote as “the first measure to ban Islamic festivals in Spain’s public spaces,” framing it as a defence of Spain’s Christian heritage.
Vox justified its motion by stating that the objective was “to prevent the consolidation of foreign cultural practices that are not part of the Spanish tradition and that impact social cohesion, generating internal tensions and conflicts, uprooting and the erosion of national identity.”
Now being widely, if a bit unfairly, described as a “ban” on Muslim celebrations by the national and international press, this move by Jumilla is all the more shocking in light of the recent racial unrest in Torre Pacheco.
Muslim organisations and left-wing political groups have condemned the move as discriminatory. Mounir Benjelloun Andaloussi Azhari, president of the Spanish Federation of Islamic Organisations, described the measure as “Islamophobic and discriminatory,” saying it unfairly targets Muslim communities.
“For the first time in 30 years, I feel afraid,” he said.
Muslims make up roughly 7.5% of Jumilla’s 27,000 residents, with more than 1,500 people regularly attending Eid events held in municipal venues. Critics argue that the amendment could violate Article 16 of the Spanish Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion and worship.
The Socialist leader in Murcia, Francisco Lucas, said the ruling “endangers social cohesion in pursuit of political power,” while Podemos and United Left have both pledged to challenge the amendment in court.
Supporters of the new regulation argue it simply reinforces the intended purpose of sports venues and public spaces.
“This is about using sports facilities for sports events, no more, no less. The regulation doesn’t mention any religion or nationality,” María del Carmen Cruz, PP’s spokesperson at Jumilla Town Council, said. She added that all non-sports events, whether food fairs or car shows, would also be affected.
Despite those assurances, groups such as the Moroccan Immigrant Workers Association (ATIM) have accused the council of “institutional discrimination,” claiming the measure sets a dangerous precedent.
“This is not a neutral administrative change. It’s part of a political pattern targeting Muslim practices under the guise of protecting local identity,” the group said in a statement.
They also questioned the double standard applied to Christian traditions, pointing out that Catholic processions and public religious celebrations continue to be supported with public resources.
Legal experts have pointed to previous court rulings, including a 2013 Supreme Court decision that overturned municipal bans on wearing burqas in public, as evidence that Jumilla’s new regulation could be successfully challenged.
For now, the issue remains deeply divisive and has sparked a national debate over religious freedom, cultural identity and the role of local government in regulating public spaces.
But Vox’s position is as clear as it is controversial: "Spain is and will be forever the land of Christian people," they wrote on social media.
Image: Islam Murcia
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