Elham Asaad Buaras
Italy’s ruling Brothers of Italy Party has introduced legislation to ban the wearing of niqabs and other face-covering veils in public, targeting what the party describes as “Islamic separatism.” The bill, presented to parliament on October 8, would prohibit such garments in shops, schools, offices and other public establishments, with fines from €300 to €3,000 for violations.
“Religious freedom is sacred, but it must be exercised in the open, in full respect of our constitution and the principles of the Italian state,” said Andrea Delmastro, one of the bill’s architects and an undersecretary at the Justice Ministry, in a statement announcing the proposed law.
The ban forms part of a broader legislative package aimed at regulating religious practice and community integration. “It is a bill focused on regulating mosque funding and banning the full-face veil. It also targets forced marriages and requires religious groups not recognized by the state to disclose foreign funding,” explained Sara Kelany, the party’s head of immigration, during a news conference.
She described the initiative as fundamentally “intended to counter the creation of enclaves, counter-societies in which Sharia law is applied instead of Italian law, and where Islamic fundamentalism thrives.”
The proposal places Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party in a political arena where its coalition partner, the League, has previously championed similar measures.
“We are pleased that Brothers of Italy have embraced our two bills on mosques and veils,” stated Igor Iezzi, the League’s group leader in the Constitutional Affairs Committee, asserting his party’s pioneering role in this policy domain. He emphasized that “Islamic fundamentalism is the great threat of our time,” adding that “it is important that this awareness becomes common to the entire centre-right.”
The League’s earlier proposal included stricter provisions, prescribing prison sentences and fines up to €30,000 for compelling women to wear face coverings.
Imam Massomo Abdallah Cozzolino of the Islamic Cultural Association Zayd Ibn Thabit acknowledged potential security arguments for restricting full-face veils, but noted Italy already has laws addressing this concern. “Given existing regulations, I question the true intent behind this new proposal,” he stated, adding that he “opposes any measure that threatens to erode a community’s religious identity.”
The proposed national ban builds upon Italy’s existing legal framework.
National Law 152 of 1975 already prohibits covering one’s face in public without a justified reason. This was followed by a 2015 regional decree in Lombardy that specifically banned face coverings in public buildings, though it was never enforced. Critics argue that such measures are counterproductive.
Yassine Baradine, a spokesperson for an Islamic community centre in Milan, observed, “They talk about integration, but such laws only make Muslim women more invisible, pushing them further from public life. The real need is dialogue, not new fines.”
Feature photo: Italian Parliament (Credit: Flickr Commons)
