Meloni Plans Burqa Ban in Italian Schools

TITLE: Burgeoning Burqa Ban Battle Gets Meloni Backing for Italian Schools Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says her government will introduce a bill to ban burqas and niqabs in public schools as concerns over the assimilation of migrants from Muslim-majority countries remains a flashpoint issue in the nation.“You must go to school with your face uncovered, and in Italy no one, in the name of a real or supposed tradition, can decide that a young woman must hide herself, ” Ms. Meloni on Sunday told a gathering of the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party.Ms. Meloni referred to the all-covering dress some women wear and the veil the most conservative Muslim women wear that only shows their eyes, but she did not mention a ban on headscarves known as hijabs.The proposed ban is part of a package of measures that would also cap the number of foreign students in each classroom and would require Italian classes for the parents of foreign students.“Anyone who comes to Italy and wants to build their future here must learn our language, understand our culture, and respect our rules,” Ms. Meloni said.There have been mass protests over migrants arriving from Muslim-majority countries and migration policy is expected to be a central campaign issue in next year’s election. There is a movement to deport migrants who have not assimilated into Italian society. Around 12 percent of students in Italian schools are foreign born.“If there is only one child in a class who doesn’t understand Italian, that child will likely be able to learn the language and integrate quickly with the help of classmates and teachers,” Ms. Meloni said.“However, if the number of children who don’t understand the language becomes large, or even the majority, that is no longer integration. It is neglect,” Ms. Meloni added.Ms. Meloni is getting support for the proposal from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who said he completely agrees with the proposal. “Under a Reform UK Government, all face coverings will be banned. No ifs, no buts. This is Britain, we show our faces,” Mr. Farage said in an X post.If Italian lawmakers approve the plan, Italy will join several other European countries to ban face coverings. France has had a public ban for more than a decade. Portugal, Belgium, and Denmark are among the countries that also have bans. Austria also bans girls under 14 from wearing headscarves in schools.The Brothers of Italy last year proposed a burqa ban in public spaces as part of a broader bill targeting “cultural separatism” linked to Islam.Ms. Meloni is trying to firm up her right-wing support ahead of national elections. She faces a challenge from the far-right. Retired general Roberto Vannacci’s newly-formed National Future party has sought to pull support from Ms. Meloni with an anti-European Union and anti-migration platform. The National Future party, in July, called for a burqa ban in schools.Concerns over mass migration have impacted elections across Europe. The far-right Alternative for Germany has grown in popularity for its anti-immigration stance.Mr. Vannacci hosted an AfD leader at a Sunday rally announcing the two parties would ally. Mr. Vannacci called for far-right parties across Europe to work together to promote and implement their policies.

Meloni Plans Burqa Ban in Italian Schools

Meloni Plans Burqa Ban in Italian Schools

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