The headmaster of a college in Italy's Friuli-Venezia Giulia region has banned female Muslim students from wearing headscarves, The Local news reported.
In a circular issued last week, headmaster Aldo Duri said the college has a sizeable number of students of Arab origin, must promote values of "tolerance, respect and equality" and that "outward signs of religion can be seen as provocation".
For example, “the scarf that covers the hair and sometimes part of the face of Muslim girls, they are free to use it outside school, but not in class," he wrote, adding that the school is secular and any outward sign of any religion would not be tolerated.
The news agency noted, that this move is intended to prevent further racial violence after several attacks against Muslim students at Malignini di Cervignano, a technical college in the province of Udine, Messaggero Veneto reported.
In one recent incident, an Egyptian student was hospitalized for seven days because of injuries sustained in an attack by an Italian friend following a row in class.
Noteworthy, the ban will take effect in all of the college's six sites across the area.
/257