Spanish bishops condemn town’s ban on Muslim public prayers

‘Public religious events, as part of freedom of worship, are supported by the right to religious freedom, a fundamental human right protected by the Spanish Constitution.’

The Spanish bishops’ conference condemned a town council’s decision to ban Muslims from using municipal venues for public prayer.

It issued a statement after the council of Jumilla, in the south-eastern Spanish province of Murcia, passed a resolution on 28 July banning Muslims from using football grounds or other public facilities for public prayer on major feasts such as Eid.

“Public religious events, as part of freedom of worship, are supported by the right to religious freedom, a fundamental human right protected by the Spanish Constitution,” the bishops said.  

“The only possible intervention by public authorities is to prevent any disturbance to public order that these celebrations may cause. This must be assessed objectively by specialists by technical criteria that do not reflect an arbitrary or ideological decision.” 

The bishops also quoted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights article on religious freedom: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”

Any restriction on religious liberty, the bishops said, “is an attack on the fundamental rights of any human being and does not affect only one religious groups, but all religions and also non-believers. To impose these restrictions for religious motives is discrimination that cannot be allowed in democratic societies”.

The Spanish government subsequently ordered the council in Jumilla to revoke the resolution, saying that it “was based on a true intention to discriminate” and represented a “new violation of fundamental rights and freedoms by the right and far right over which the government of Spain has to intervene to defend the constitution”.

Santiago Abascal, the leader of the far right Vox party that proposed the original resolution, attacked the bishops on social media on 10 August, asking if they were worried about the funds they received from the government “that go to supposedly needy immigrants”, or were “muzzled” by the ongoing negotiations with the government about the reparations the Church should pay to victim of sexual abuse by clergy.

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