Italy

Italy: Mayor seeks ban on miniskirts that reveal too much

The Italian mayor behind a campaign to ban tiny miniskirts from his seaside town will find out tonight whether his plan has won the backing of the council. Luigi Bobbio, the mayor of Castellammare di Stabia, near Naples, is adamant that his proposal does not constitute a full ban on miniskirts. He points out that miniskirts will be allowed – as long as they cover women's underwear. The proposal is one of many designed to help "restore urban decorum and facilitate better civil coexistence".

Italy: Moroccan immigrant in fast-track trial for daughter's murder

The fast-track trial of a Moroccan immigrant accused of stabbing his 18-year-old daughter to death last year in an 'honour' killing opened in the northeastern Italian town of Pordenone on Monday. El Ketaoui Dafani, a cook, allegedly became enraged after discovering his daughter Sanaa had a love affair with a 32-year-old Italian man. Sanaa Dafani was stabbed in the throat in September with a large kitchen knife while she was sitting in a car with her 31-year-old boyfriend in the small town of Montereale Valcellina, northwest of Trieste.

EU: Intersectionality of Freedom of Religion or Belief & Women’s Rights

The intersectionality of freedom of religion or belief and women’s rights is one of the most complex human rights issues faced by the world today. Down through the centuries, religious extremism and interpretation of holy books have shaped traditions and cultural stereotypes in a number of patriarchal societies. Some of these traditions and stereotypes have been detrimental to women, and have survived until the 3rd millennium. By Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers.

Italie: L'extrême droite veut interdire la construction des mosquées

"Ce sujet fait débat en Italie, où l’ouverture de lieux de culte musulmans, en particulier dans le Nord, suscite régulièrement les protestations de la population locale et de la Ligue."

Italy: Proposed ban on building new mosques

Interior Minister Roberto Maroni met with protests on Thursday after proposing a moratorium on the building of mosques in the wake of arrests on Tuesday of two Moroccans suspected of plotting terrorist attacks.

Italy: Burqa decision provokes controversy

The decision by a northern Italian city official to allow Muslim women to wear the burqa has sparked consternation in the country, even though at least one minister supported the move.

Italie: Le ministre de l’Intérieur contre l’interdiction du voile

"Si nous devions interdire le voile dans les lieux publics, la première question qui se pose est la suivante: pourquoi une religieuse aurait-elle le droit de porter le voile et pas une femme musulmane", a déclaré le ministre dans une interview à La Stampa

Italy: Political battles over veiling raise questions of assimilation

Two bills regarding the Islamic veil pending in the Italian parliament are a symbol of the country's increasing focus on the assimilation of immigrants. Stories of fundamentalism are spurring public debate over the condition of Muslim women.

Italie: L’Italie doit affronter l’islamisme et la xénophobie

Les actes violents visant des musulmans se sont multipliés ces derniers mois en Italie. Par ailleurs, certains membres de la communauté se sont radicalisés.

Italy: 'Honor Killing' in Italy spurs quest for justice

After a Pakistani woman was slain by relatives in Italy, an immigrant women's advocacy group moved into action to make the murder the last "honor killing" in Italy and also deflect anti-Muslim sentiment stirred by the crime.