A Spanish town’s decision to ban the celebration of Muslim religious festivals has been branded “racist”. The municipal council of Jumilla in Murcia, Spain, enacted the ruling against festivals in public facilities like sports halls and civic centres unless events are organised by the local authority. The initiative, first proposed by the far-right Vox party and later modified and approved by the centre-right People’s Party (PP), limits facility use to athletic or town-sanctioned events only – a major first for Spain.
The decision has sparked widespread criticism across Spain and abroad, with Muslim community leaders labelling the measure discriminatory and Islamophobic. Until now, local Muslims in Jumilla have hired the town’s Antonio Ibanez Morales football stadium to hold prayers for Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, known as the “lamb festival”.
The prayer events, attended by some 1,500 people, have been held between 7am and 9am on two mornings a year when the field was not being used for other purposes, according to the Daily Mail. However, the new ruling means they will likely no longer be able to use the open-air venue.
Logistics worker Aouissat El Mamoun, 27, who grew up in the town and used to play football for Jumilla, branded the move as “racist”.
“The football field has only been used for Eid prayers for two mornings every year for the last four years. It is always a peaceful occasion and there is never any trouble,” he said. “Now the council is saying that it cannot happen any more. It is embarrassing for the town and it has caused a lot of upset.
“Before the pitch was used, people gathered for the Eid prayers outside the mosque, but there was not enough space for everyone.
“This is all a political game. What this political party wants to do is divide the people and win votes from ignorant people.”
Jumilla was on the frontline of conflict between Muslims and Christians when the Moors were removed from southern Spain in the 13th century. Prior to that, the town was fully Islamic for hundreds of years, following the Moors’ takeover of the region in the eighth century. In the 13th century, King Alfonso X “the Wise” visited Jumilla and commissioned the construction of the Iglesia de Santa María de Gracia, built atop an earlier mosque, signifying the shift from Islamic to Christian rule.
Today, Jumilla is home to around 27,000 people, of whom 7.5% come from majority Muslim countries. Much of the Spanish population lives in apartments or narrow lanes around the town centre, while Muslims tend to congregate in the north of the town near the two mosques. Many men and boys wear traditional Islamic dress when they attend prayers.
The far-right Vox party celebrated the ruling on social media, declaring, “Spain is and will be forever the land of Christian people”.
The town’s mayor, Seve Gonzalez, a member of the conservative PP, insisted to reporters this week that there had been no underhand political manoeuvring and that there had long been talk of modifying rules to make municipal sports spaces available for the sole use of sports. She claimed the motion was not about discriminating against non-Catholic faiths, but to defend “what is our traditions, those of everyone,” with activities “that highlight our roots”.
However, the ban, which was voted through in an amended form, was passed under the original motion heading which cited its objective as being “against foreign cultural practices such as the lamb festival”. Critics have described the wording as a thinly veiled attack on Islamic traditions and have warned that the ruling could breach Spain’s constitutionally protected freedom of religion under Article 16, where restrictions are only permitted when necessary to maintain public order.
Spain’s national government has condemned the measure. Migration Minister Elma Saiz called it “shameful” and urged local officials to reverse course and issue apologies. Meanwhile, Spain’s Ombudsman has opened an investigation, seeking clarity on how the local council plans to uphold religious freedoms while enforcing the new policy. Even Spain’s Catholic Bishops have warned that the ban undermines fundamental human rights and diminishes religious freedom, according to The Times.
