Mosques Flourish in Italy

NEW YORK--(Italy Watch)--In what is believed to be one of Europe's -- and the world's -- most Catholic countries, a neighbor has arrived: Islam. Italy's history with Islam dates back hundreds of years when Sicily (from 965 to 1062) was conquered and ruled by North Africans. The recent wave of immigration, however, is making some Italians uneasy, in a country and continent that is desperately fighting to retain its culture.

Most vocal is La Lega Nord, a party from Italy's far north that is often associated with xenophobic and ultra-nationalistic views. Claiming that Italy is "for the Italians", the party is hoping to ban the construction of minarets, outlawing muezzins, requiring that all prayers be carried out in Italian -- "to see if they are praising Holy War" -- as well as instituting a ban on all commerce -- "to avoid the souks."

The measures are sure to stir some debate on the television programs and at dinner tables throughout Italy, but implementation of any of the proposed laws, in a country that values freedom of religion, seems unlikely.


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