Rome - Local members
of the far-right Northern League party have declared war
on burqas by fining Muslim women who wear the
head-covering garment in public.
The anti-burqa campaign, first launched by the mayor of
the small northern town of Drezzo, a Northern League
stronghold near Lake Como, has since spread to other
towns and has now developed into a national issue after
being backed by party members of the European
Parliament.
Mario Borghezio, a member of the European Parliament
(MEP) known for his xenophobic views, has issued a
statement praising the initiative in Drezzo and
describing the burqas as "a symbol of death".
"Burqas are a symbol of the worst form of Islamic
fundamentalism as regards women," Borghezio said, adding
that the garments brought to mind images of the
hostage-takers who took part in the Russian school
massacre.
"Our citizens are tired of having
crime and terrorism on their doorstep. We must launch an
offensive against the invasion of Muslims,"
Borghezio was quoted as saying yesterday.
Borghezio is joined by Matteo Salvini, another MEP, who
wants similar measures to be introduced in Milan.
"There are too many streets of some areas of Milan that
look like Kabul. We must put an end to the policy of
tolerance," Salvini told Corriere della Sera.
The party's anti-burqa campaign started in Drezzo when
an Italian woman, Sabrina Varroni, began wearing the
garment while taking her children to school after
marrying a Moroccan national and converting to Islam.
Varroni has twice been fined by the town's only traffic
warden, who has been asked by the mayor to apply an
obscure Italian law dating back to the Fascist era of
Benito Mussolini. The bill, introduced in 1931,
prohibits people from moving about with their faces
covered for security reasons.
The initiative has been criticised by opposition
lawmakers and by Michele Ainis, a legal expert who
argues that the law violates Italy's constitution.
"The law has already been knocked
down by the constitutional court. Otherwise you'd have
to ban carnival and motorcycle helmets as well,"
Ainis told Corriere.
Source:
Star
September 22, 2004.
