Italy’s boldest conservative leader since the Cold War, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is doubling down on her defense of Italian identity and Western values with a sweeping new proposal targeting what she calls “Islamic separatism.” Unveiled on Wednesday by her Brothers of Italy party, the bill would ban burqas and niqabs in all public spaces and impose tough new measures against radical Islamist influence inside the country.
The legislation goes far beyond the face-covering bans already in place in parts of Europe. Under the proposed law, wearing a full-face veil like a burqa or niqab in public—whether in schools, shops, offices, or on the street—could result in fines of up to €3,000 ($3,500). But the law doesn’t stop there.
The bill includes criminal penalties for so-called “cultural crimes,” like virginity testing and forced marriages, especially when driven by religious coercion. Punishment for such offenses could reach up to 10 years in prison — a clear signal from Meloni’s government that Italy won’t tolerate practices seen as violating women’s rights or Western values.
Galeazzo Bignami, parliamentary leader of Brothers of Italy, said the idea was to protect the country from “all forms of extremism and any attempt to create parallel societies on Italian soil.”
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“No foreign funding should ever undermine our sovereignty or our civilization,” declared Brothers of Italy lawmaker Andrea Delmastro. The bill drives that point home by targeting mosque financing and requiring full transparency from all religious groups not formally recognized by the Italian state — a category that includes every Muslim organization in the country.
Any organization receiving money from foreign entities deemed a “threat to state security” would be barred from operating. It’s a direct strike against foreign-funded Islamist influence, which Meloni’s government believes fosters radicalism and attempts to establish “parallel societies” within Italy.
As Brothers of Italy parliamentary leader Galeazzo Bignami put it, the law aims to defend the Republic from extremism and from those who seek to live under sharia law rather than the Italian constitution. Party immigration chief Sara Kelany reinforced the message, declaring Italy will not tolerate “enclaves” where Western legal norms are subordinated to religious law.
Predictably, the usual chorus of critics — Muslim groups, NGOs, and global media — have labeled the move “divisive.” But the Meloni coalition holds a commanding majority in parliament, meaning the bill is likely to pass despite the backlash.
While leftist voices are attempting to accuse Meloni of “complicity in genocide” at the International Criminal Court — due to her government’s past support for Israel — she remains undeterred. “I’m amazed,” she said, noting that Italy had not authorized new arms shipments since October 7, 2023.
In a time when weak Western leaders fold under pressure, Meloni stands firm and reminds the world that Italy will not be conquered from within.
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