28 September 2016

Northern Italian region approves 'anti-mosque' laws

Councillors in the northern Italian region of Liguria on Tuesday evening approved a set of measures drastically restricting the freedom to build new places of worship.

While the text doesn't refer to any particular religion, politicians opposed to the law argue that it unfairly targets Muslims, and the proposals have been dubbed 'anti-mosque laws' by local media.

The laws introduce restrictive criteria regarding the creation of new places of worship, and give regional authorities much greater power in deciding the location and appearance of religious sites.

For example, any new plans must meet the criteria of "architectural and dimensional congruity with the general and specific characteristics of the Ligurian landscape", a vague description which could see minarets rejected for being un-Ligurian.

And the new laws would see referendums held in municipalities where new places of worship were planned, in order to decide if they could get the go-ahead. [The Local] Read more