The far-right Spanish party Vox has presented a series of twenty proposed resolutions in the Balearic Parliament, including a ban on the wearing of hijabs in publicly funded schools and the end of Islamic religion classes. In a statement on Thursday, the party called for ‘the cessation of Islamic religion classes and the promotion’ of traditions and customs such as Christmas and Easter, ‘always with respect’ for other beliefs.
Another of the proposals urges the regional government to ‘ensure that all publicly funded schools offer a menu based on the Mediterranean diet’, with alternatives for children with food intolerances, to prevent local gastronomic traditions from being suppressed ‘by others that are incompatible’.
It also calls on the government to create ‘an updated regional register of illegal immigrants and unaccompanied minors, accessible to municipalities and the security forces’, and to request that the government increase the number of National Police and Guardia Civil officers to ensure ‘border control and the fight against illegal immigration’.
The party also proposes that Spanish and Catalan be vehicular languages at all stages of education, with the necessary regulatory development to guarantee this, and that the pilot scheme for free choice of language be extended to all schools. It also proposes that Catalan ‘should not penalise access to public service’, so that the language of the Balearics counts as a merit, thus guaranteeing ‘equal access for all citizens’.
The party also calls for guarantees of ‘the ideological neutrality of public institutions and their disassociation from political or indoctrinating campaigns’ and for a review of subsidies to entities that ‘promote indoctrination’ in the classroom. The move comes on the day that it was announced that the Balearics will comply with the ruling requiring Islamic religious education to be provided to a girl in Palma.
The Minister of Education and Universities, Antoni Vera, assured on Thursday that his department will comply with the ruling of the High Court of Justice of the Balearic Islands (TSJIB) recognising the right of a girl to receive Islamic religious education at a school in Palma. He added that the text is being studied and that they are looking for a way to implement this specific ruling.
Speaking to the media after the presentation of the Strategic Plan for Emotional Well-being and Mental Health, Vera expressed his respect for the high court’s ruling and said that the agreement with the Islamic Commission on this matter is currently under review. The ruling opens the door for the teaching of Islamic religion, which is already offered in some schools in the Balearics, to be extended to Palma as well. According to data provided by the Department of Education and Universities, Islamic religion is currently taught in 12 schools in the archipelago. It is being studied by 727 students with five teachers.