The Italian government appeared divided Wednesday over a French initiative to ban the face-covering Islamic veil in many public places.
Equal Opportunity Minister Mara Carfagna said she was in ‘absolute agreement with the French initiative, which will encourage other European countries, including Italy, to legislate on this issue.’
But Foreign Minister Franco Frattini opposed a ‘pure and simple’ legal ban as a ‘matter of principle,’ adding that the issue should be addressed in broader terms as part of efforts to integrate immigrants. He urged ‘paying attention to respect for religious feelings on the one hand and addressing security requirements on the other.’ ‘We can find a compromise,’ Frattini added.
A French parliament report called Tuesday for a resolution that would pave the way for a legal ban on anyone appearing with their face covered at state-run institutions and on public transport for security reasons. Carfagna said the burqa - a full body-covering veil - and the niqab, which reveals the eyes, are not religious symbols.
She described the issue as a ‘battle to defend the dignity and rights of immigrant women’ and said she planned to set up a ‘working group... with women immigrants to listen to their requests and find the fairest and most reasonable solution possible.’
In Italy, the only relevant legal reference to the issue is contained in a 1975 law on ‘maintaining public order’ that bars completely covering the face, which can refer to a motorcycle helmet or a balaclava (ski mask) as well as an Islamic veil. The anti-immigration Northern League, a member of the centre-right government coalition, introduced a bill in October seeking to ban the burqa but parliament has yet to examine it.