Madrid: A southeastern Spanish town’s recent ban on religious gatherings in public sports centers, primarily affecting the local Muslim community, has ignited widespread condemnation from Spain’s national government and the United Nations.
The measure, approved last week by the conservative local government of Jumilla in the Murcia region, prohibits the use of municipal sports facilities for cultural, social, or religious events not organized by the city council. The ban targets spaces where local Muslims have historically celebrated religious holidays such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
Spain’s Migration Minister, Elma Saiz, condemned the decision, calling it shameful, and urged local officials to take a step back and issue an apology to the community. “Policies like this harm citizens who have lived for decades in our towns and cities, fully integrated and contributing positively to society,” Saiz said. The ban was initially proposed by the far-right Vox party and passed with amendments by Jumilla’s center-right Popular Party, which holds the mayor’s office.
Mohamed El Ghaidouni, secretary of the Union of Islamic Communities of Spain, labelled the ban as institutionalized Islamophobia. He challenged the local government’s claim that Muslim religious festivals were foreign to the town’s identity, arguing that the policy conflicts with Spain’s constitutional protections for religious freedom.
The UN special envoy to combat Islamophobia, Miguel Moratinos, also voiced strong opposition. “I am shocked by Jumilla’s City Council decision. It undermines the fundamental right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Policies targeting one community threaten social cohesion and peace,” Moratinos said in a statement.
Spain’s complex history includes centuries of Muslim rule, leaving a lasting cultural and architectural legacy, notably the Moorish Alhambra Palace in Granada. Islamic governance ended in 1492 with the Catholic Reconquista.
The Jumilla ban follows recent violent clashes in the Murcia region between far-right groups and migrants, including an assault on an elderly resident reportedly by individuals of Moroccan origin.
Similar restrictive measures have emerged elsewhere in Europe. In 2024, the far-right mayor of Monfalcone, Italy, banned prayers in a cultural center frequented by the city’s Bangladeshi Muslim community, sparking protests by thousands and ongoing legal challenges.
The Jumilla ordinance stipulates that municipal sports centers are to be used exclusively for athletic activities or events organized by local authorities, explicitly forbidding cultural, social, or religious activities foreign to the City Council.
