FdI, crackdown on mosques in garages and warehouses

“The Islamic communities, under the false name of cultural associations, were able to occupy basements, garages, shops, warehouses and more, using them as places of worship”premises to the proposed law Thomas Foti on mosques and madrasas.

The intentions are clear. A rule to prohibit the use of the premises of third sector bodies for religious activities. Religious confessions that have no agreements with the State. “Mosques and madrasas”, underlines Fratelli d’Italia, to avoid any misunderstanding.

Blatant unconstitutionality, the opposition has an easy game. And the text, presented a year ago by the group leader of Meloni’s party, lies in the Environment Committee of the Chamber. Then, suddenly, the acceleration. FdI indicates the proposal among its priorities, has it included in the April calendar of the Chamber, so that it becomes law quickly. And after only two sessions (four in total, with two last year) the commission approved it on Wednesday evening.

However, the text – a single article – was completely rewritten. The reference to confessions without agreements with the State disappears, which would make the reference to Islam and unconstitutionality clear. Now the rule appears more “neutral”. But it is still unconstitutional, the opposition insist. The electoral campaign, they point out with easy association, accelerates an anti-mosque manifesto law.

The race to the right on mosques

The Northern League mayor of Monfalcone Anna Maria Cisint engages in her crusade against Islamic centers, banning prayer: credit to merit, she will be a candidate in Europe.

“There must be no cultural failures, such as closing schools for Ramadan,” proclaims a Libero Matteo Salvini (who would like quotas for foreigners – but that’s another story – in classes). “School calendars must be respected for what they are, without suspending from time to time for other fallacious reasons”, replies Foti to a question on the same topic.

It should be noted that the parliamentarians of the “Christian” Meloni’s party are more cautious in their words. In the facts, it seems, more specific. Their bill advances. To prevent the favorable rules intended “for cultural or sporting clubs” from being used “as a picklock by Islamic communities to settle in Italian territory”.

Mosques, the rule rewritten

And therefore, the norm. It provided for the ban on the use of third sector premises by “social promotion associations which carry out, even occasionally, cult activities of religious denominations whose relations with the State are not regulated on the basis of agreements”. After the rewriting, it provides that a decree from the Ministries of the Interior, Health and Infrastructure establishes the exclusion criteria, taking into account “the specificity of the methods of exercising the different forms of worship, the safety and accessibility needs of the premises and the impact on the surrounding urban fabric and on individual buildings, also in terms of hourly or daily concentration of the influx of people, without prejudice to freedom of worship”.

There is no ban on worship: the final clarification of the rule rewritten by FdI, with the favorable opinion of the government, tries to avoid unconstitutionality. But no, the PD deputies are rebelling Braga, Curti, Scarpa, Simiani and Ferrari, that law remains “discriminatory and unconstitutional, due to the distinction between associations that (also) carry out religious activities”. And then, the dem group leader asks himself Chiara Braga, the reference to the methods of exercising worship means judging “posture, clothing or something else?”. But come on, no illusions, the Cinquestelle is indignant Ilaria Fontana: “It is a discriminatory massacre of Islamic communities, hidden by an urban planning ploy” and with only one purpose, “electoral propaganda”.