Italy’s far-right Northern League, a member of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s coalition, has proposed legislation aimed at banning the Islamic burka, Italian media reported yesterday.
The proposed bill does not expressly mention the burka, a head-to-toe Islamic veil worn by some Muslim women, but states that those who wear religious garments that make identification impossible could risk two years in jail or a 2,000 euro ($2,900) fine, the La Repubblica daily reported.
The bill looks to amend a 1975 law that allowed exceptions for “justified reasons.”
“We are not racist and we have nothing against Muslims but the law must be equal for everyone,” the Northern League’s Roberto Cota was quoted as saying in the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
In August, the right-wing mayor of Varallo Sesia in the Piedmont region of northern Italy banned the “burkini” - a full-body Islamic swimsuit - and threatened violators with a 500 euro fine.
The Northern League is known for its hardline immigration policy, drawing the ire of Italy’s leftists.
In December 2008, Interior Minister Roberto Maroni suggested that there should be a ban on building new mosques in Italy as “it is not easy to distinguish between places of worship and those that recruit terrorists and finance the planning of attacks.”
Berlusconi’s People of Freedoms party allied with the Northern League to win general elections in April, largely on a security platform, and they enjoy comfortable majorities in both houses of parliament.
End Item/ 129
