Spanish Town’s Religious Ban Exposes Rising Identity Conflicts and Government Overreach

In a small Spanish town nestled among vineyards and olive groves, a seemingly local policy has ignited a national controversy with implications far beyond its borders. Jumilla’s conservative government recently enacted a ban prohibiting religious gatherings in public sports centers — a move that disproportionately affects the town’s Muslim community, which uses these spaces to celebrate sacred festivals like Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.Who Benefits When Cultural Identity Is Weaponized?This measure, initially pushed by the far-right Vox party and finalized by center-right officials, claims to defend Jumilla’s cultural identity. But whose identity? When political agendas redefine heritage to exclude law-abiding...