Spanish town's ban on religious festivals from public spaces largely impacts Muslim community

Spain’s national government has condemned a new ban in the southeastern town of Jumilla that prohibits religious gatherings in public sports centers — a measure widely seen as targeting the local Muslim community, which has long used such venues to celebrate major religious holidays.

The Spanish El Pais publication sheds light on the nationwide debate the ban, which was approved last week by Jumilla’s conservative local government, has ignited.

Critics, including members of Spain’s left-leaning government, have denounced it as discriminatory, while some right-wing voices are hailing it as a defense of Spain’s Christian heritage.

On August 8, Migration Minister Elma Saiz labeled the decision “shameful” and called on local leaders to “take a step back” and apologize. She told broadcaster Antena 3 that such measures harm “citizens who have been living for decades in our towns, in our cities, in our country, contributing and perfectly integrated without any problems of coexistence.”

The head of a leading Islamic organization also condemned the decision, calling it “institutionalized Islamophobia.” Mohamed El Ghaidouni, secretary of the Union of Islamic Communities of Spain, criticized the reasoning behind the ban — in particular, the claim that Muslim religious festivals are “foreign to the town’s identity.” He stressed that the measure “clashes with the institutions of the Spanish state” that safeguard religious freedom.

The controversy comes amid heightened tensions over immigration and multiculturalism in Spain. Just last month, in the southern Murcia region, violent clashes broke out between far-right groups and local residents and migrants after an elderly man in Torre-Pacheco was assaulted by attackers reportedly of Moroccan origin. That incident fueled far-right calls for retaliation against the area’s migrant population.

Jumilla, a town of 27,000 with an agriculture-based economy built on vineyards, olive groves, and almond orchards, is no stranger to cultural debates. The town’s mayor, Seve González, defended the ban in comments to El País, insisting it does not single out any community. She said her administration’s goal is to “promote cultural campaigns that defend our identity.”

Backed by Spain's rising right-wing party

The measure began as a proposal by the far-right Vox party, later amended and approved by the center-right Popular Party, to which González belongs. It restricts municipal sports facilities to athletic use or events organized by the town government, explicitly banning “cultural, social or religious activities foreign to the City Council.”

In practice, this means the Muslim community will no longer be able to use these venues for gatherings such as Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Ramadan fasting month, or Eid al-Adha (referred to in Turkic languages as Gurban/Kurban holiday) one of the most important Islamic holidays. For years, these events have taken place in public sports halls, providing space for large numbers of worshippers.

Supporters of the ban, particularly within Vox, have framed it as an affirmation of Spain’s Christian traditions. Earlier this week, Vox’s Murcia branch posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Spain is and always will be a land of Christian roots!”

Historically, far-right parties have struggled to gain traction in Spain, but over the last decade, Vox has emerged as a significant force, ranking as the third or fourth most influential party in the country.

In the 2023 regional elections, a coalition between Vox and the conservative People’s Party (PP) gained control of six out of Spain’s 17 regional parliaments. However, Vox made headlines when it withdrew from all these coalitions in July, allegedly due to the PP’s decision to support relocating 400 unaccompanied minors from the Canary Islands to mainland Spain. While this move may appear drastic, it aligns with Vox’s broader strategy to differentiate itself from the PP and solidify its own voter base further to the right.

Opponents see it differently, warning that such measures undermine coexistence and erode religious freedoms enshrined in Spain’s democratic framework. Saiz emphasized that the Muslim community in towns like Jumilla is “perfectly integrated” and plays an active role in local life.

As the debate unfolds, the measure has become emblematic of broader political divides over national identity and cultural pluralism in modern Spain and is, for many, not just about sports halls but rather the future direction of the country’s social fabric.

By Nazrin Sadigova