Al-Azhar Condemns Spanish Far-Right Party Vox’s Anti-Hijab Campaign
The watchdog warned that the party’s proposed legal measures targeting Muslims’ religious and cultural freedoms threaten Spain’s social cohesion, El-Balad News reported.
The criticism was detailed in an article by Al-Azhar’s Spanish-language monitoring unit, which accused Vox of escalating hate speech and discrimination.
The party has introduced legislative proposals in Madrid and Andalusia to ban the Hijab in all public spaces, including schools and hospitals, citing the “protection of national identity and Spanish values”.
“The proposals are not based on tangible realities but fit within an exclusionary ideological discourse,” the Observatory stated. “They reject cultural and religious diversity, portraying pluralism as a threat and freedom of belief as a hidden enemy.”
The watchdog accused Vox of exploiting the Hijab issue for political gain. “The party misuses the matter of Hijab and Muslim women as an ideological battleground, ignoring that Hijab is a personal choice rooted in religious belief,” it said.
Al-Azhar also criticized public rhetoric framing Muslims as attempting to “Islamize” the Spanish society, calling such claims an effort to undermine religious and cultural pluralism.
Additionally, it dismissed Vox’s allegations of extremist content in Islamic educational materials as baseless, stating they were meant to create an internal enemy and provoke public sentiment.
The Observatory praised Spain’s government, represented by Education Minister Pilar Alegría, for rejecting Vox’s claims.
Alegría had accused the party of spreading lies to incite hatred and division, reaffirming Spain’s commitment to pluralism and freedom of expression.
“Exclusionary policies do not unite a nation—they divide it and weaken pluralism,” the watchdog emphasized. “Respect for religious and cultural diversity is the foundation of modern democratic societies.”
Read More:
It warned that restricting freedom of belief under any pretext risks “a dangerous slide toward social exclusion and symbolic violence”.
Al-Azhar urged Spanish authorities and civil society to firmly oppose such extremism and protect social harmony.
“Coexistence cannot be built on fear and provocation, but through dialogue, tolerance, and mutual respect,” it concluded.
4293866
