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Japan's Ichikawa municipality bans 30-year Eid prayer tradition in park after racist social media campaign
Ichikawa municipality revoked the park usage permit for the Eid prayer that Muslims have been performing for about 30 years. The municipality claimed the decision was made due to security concerns.
The local government in Ichikawa, Japan, blocked the Muslim Eid prayer tradition following a racist campaign that spread on social media. According to Kyodo news agency, the municipality rejected the permit application to hold prayers in the park in May.
The same park that had hosted Eid prayers for years with the approval of local authorities did not receive permission for prayers this year. The decision came immediately after footage of a prayer held in the park last autumn spread on social media, sparking a racist campaign.
The municipality initially canceled the Eid prayer and sermon entirely. After reaching a compromise with the organizers, the event was allowed to proceed only as a 'social gathering'; praying in the open area was banned.
Mosque representative Abdullah Miyazawa (56) said that Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha prayers have been held in the park for about 30 years. Miyazawa emphasized that the organizers had behaved in accordance with public morals throughout this period and maintained good relations with the local community. He added that around 200 people attended the Eid al-Fitr prayer held in the same park in March.
Ichikawa municipality officials claimed the decision was made after the municipality received both supportive and opposing phone calls following online criticism. Officials cited 'security concerns' as the reason for revoking the park usage permit.
This controversy comes at a time of rising fears of increasing discrimination against Muslims in Japan. In recent years, mosques across the country have faced various cases of harassment and mistreatment.
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