Giorgia Meloni Plans To Ban Burqas In Italian Schools

By
Gregory McMullen
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is moving to ban full-face coverings in schools. She made the announcement on Sunday at a party gathering in Rome. The plan targets the burqa and the niqab specifically. These items cover the entire body or just the face. Meloni did not mention the hijab, which leaves the face visible. The proposal is part of a larger push to help foreign students fit in. According to the Washington Examiner, the measure will go to her Cabinet first. Parliament would then have 60 days to act on it.


Meloni was clear about her reasoning during the speech. She stated, “You must go to ⁠school ​with your face uncovered, and in Italy ​no one, in the name of a real or supposed tradition, can decide that a young ​woman must hide herself,” she said. The goal is to ensure gender equality in the classroom. She called this principle non-negotiable for Italian society.

The plan does not stop at clothing. Meloni also wants to cap the number of foreign students in each class. She did not give a specific number for this limit yet. However, she warned that too many non-native speakers change the room. The Washington Examiner reported her statement that when the count of children lacking comprehension of the instructional language grows large or reaches a majority, integration ceases to exist. That is neglect, she said.


Parents of struggling students will face new requirements too. They must take Italian language lessons if their children have trouble assimilating. Meloni wants to stop language barriers from isolating kids. According to Breitbart, she called this a “question of civilisation.” The government hopes this will prevent Italian children from feeling like outsiders in their own schools.


Italy already has laws about hiding one’s face in public. A 1975 rule bans covering your identity without a good reason. A 2008 ruling added that religion can justify a cover, but only if you remove it for ID checks. Meloni tried to ban these coverings in all public spaces last year. That bill is still stuck in parliament. Now she is focusing specifically on schools. RedState reported that she wants to keep Italy “Italian” and prevent a takeover of classrooms.

Migration remains a huge political issue for the country. Italy is a main entry point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean. According to the Washington Examiner, students without Italian citizenship make up roughly 11.6% of the school population. Meloni faces pressure from the right to act tough on immigration. She has been working with other EU nations to handle the crisis. This new school plan is her latest step before next year’s elections.


The legislation will move to the Council of Ministers soon. Legislation defining the cap on foreign student enrollment will be drafted by them. Meloni announced that her team plans to quickly enact a law capping the quantity of foreign students within classrooms. She also emphasized that Italian children should not feel cornered. Breitbart noted her remark to supporters that it is inconceivable for Italian kids in an Italian class to feel trapped after becoming the minority. It can’t be done, she said. The final vote date in parliament is not set. The 60-day clock starts only after the Cabinet approves the plan.

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