Hawzah News Agency- The controversial decision in Jumilla - home to approximately 27,000 residents, including a 7.5% Muslim community - has drawn sharp criticism from constitutional lawyers, religious leaders, and political opponents who warn the ban violates Spain's secular democratic principles.
Following this order, Mounir Benjelloun Andaloussi Azhari, president of the Spanish Federation of Islamic Organisations, criticised the proposal in an interview with El País, describing it as ''Islamophobic and discriminatory''.
'They aren't targeting other faiths—only ours,' he said. Reflecting on the growing wave of racist rhetoric and incidents across the country, he added, ''What's unfolding in Spain is deeply unsettling. For the first time in three decades, I feel afraid''.
Amidst all of this, Spain's Christian leaders also joined in support of the critics of Jumilla's ban on Muslim religious activities, noting that the restriction on these rights violates the fundamental rights of 'every human being,' and it affects not just one religious group, but all religious denominations and non-believers as well.
'Public religious demonstrations, understood as freedom of worship, are protected by the right to religious freedom, a fundamental human right protected by the Spanish Constitution in its Article 16.1,' sources from the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) have told Europe Press.
Spain remains predominantly Christian, mainly Catholic, but its numbers have declined notably. Meanwhile, the Muslim population has grown steadily—from around 2.1 % in 2010 to an estimated 2.4 % in 2023, with 2.41 million Muslims in Spain.
The Muslim population has increased nearly tenfold over the past 30 years, now exceeding 2.5 million and possibly approaching 3 million.
For Spain's 2.4 million Muslims, the Jumilla decision represents a watershed moment that has shattered assumptions about their acceptance in Spanish society. The ban's broader implications for religious freedom, constitutional democracy, and social cohesion will continue to reverberate across the nation for years to come.
Source: msn
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