Outrage as Spanish town bans Muslim festivals from public spaces

JUMILLA, Spain (MNTV) — A local council in southeastern Spain has sparked national outrage after voting to ban Muslim religious celebrations from public facilities, in what rights groups are calling an unprecedented act of Islamophobia.

The ban, passed in the town of Jumilla in the Murcia region, was introduced by the conservative People’s Party (PP) and backed through the abstention of the far-right Vox party, as reported by The Guardian. 

It prohibits Muslim residents from using municipal spaces — including civic centres and sports facilities — to celebrate Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, two of the most important festivals in the Islamic calendar.

According to the approved proposal, such public venues “cannot be used for religious, cultural or social activities alien to our identity unless organised by the local authority.”

Vox celebrated the move on social media, writing: “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.”

Muslim community leaders and human rights advocates swiftly condemned the decision. Mounir Benjelloun Andaloussi Azhari, president of the Spanish Federation of Islamic Organisations, called the measure “Islamophobic and discriminatory” in comments to El País. 

“They’re not going after other religions — they’re going after ours,” he said. “For the first time in 30 years, I feel afraid.”

Muslims make up roughly 7.5% of Jumilla’s 27,000 residents, many of them originally from Muslim-majority countries.

Experts say the measure directly violates Article 16 of the Spanish Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion and worship. 

Francisco Lucas, leader of the Socialist Party in Murcia, wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “The PP violates the constitution and puts social cohesion at risk simply in the pursuit of power.”

Juana Guardiola, a former Socialist mayor of Jumilla, questioned the basis of the decision: “What do they mean by identity? And what about the centuries of Muslim legacy here?”

Indeed, Jumilla — once called Yumil-la — was under Muslim rule for centuries following the Arab conquest in the 8th century. 

The town’s Islamic heritage was long integrated into its identity, until Christian forces led by Alfonso X of Castile took control in the 13th century.

Legal experts say the town’s decision is likely to be challenged in court. Spain’s constitution limits restrictions on religious expression only when necessary to maintain public order, a threshold experts argue has not been met.

The move comes amid a broader wave of anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies across parts of Europe. 

Rights groups say the Jumilla ban reflects a growing trend of exclusionary nationalism that threatens religious freedom and social cohesion.