In a government report being considered by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Italian ministers have clarified a proposed law which would ban women from covering their faces in public.
In theory such a law has already existed since 1975, when it became mandatory for people to be identifiable in public because of concerns over domestic terrorism. However, application of this law has been uneven and there have been protests when officials have fined women wearing the burqa or niqab.
Under the new proposed legislation, all references to the Islamic religion would be removed and it would be made clear that the law is being applied for security reasons. The Interior Ministry, in compiling the report, questioned several experts on Islam, several of whom said that there is no reference to the veil in the Koran and therefore that there is no religious obligation to wear it. Others, however, stated that wearing the veil is a cultural obligation for Muslim women.
In presenting the report, Interior Ministry Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano said that concerns over law enforcement must be paramount and that police and public alike must be able to identify people. An example is that people must be identifiable for witness statements.
Do you agree with the proposed amendments to the law?
