Posted on 08/25/2008 2:44:51 AM PDT by bruinbirdman
Italy’s Northern League, the populist, xenophobic, sometimes separatist movement that is a key component of Silvio Berlusconi’s governing coalition, has proposed new legislation which would effectively halt construction of new Islamic mosques.
The bill, which the League’s chief of deputies Roberto Cota is expected to send to parliament next week, would require regional approval for the building of mosques. It would also require that a local referendum be held, that there be no minaret or loudspeakers calling the faithful to prayer, and sermons must be in Italian, not Arabic.
Chances of this being approved as it stands are slim, since it clashes with a number of constitutional rights and there was no immediate support from either Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party or from the ex-fascist National Alliance.
But there has been cautious support from the small, ultra-Catholic UDC party, and the proposed anti-mosque legislation undoubtedly reflects widespread feeling among Italians that some defence against a rapidly rising Islamic presence is needed. At present, the Muslim population in Italy is estimated at 1m, with 258 registered mosques.
The Northern League, which theoretically favours the secession of northern Italy from the centre and south, won more than 8 per cent of the vote at the April general elections, and has always trumpeted defence of national values of the northern Italian “race” as the natural product of its homeland.
Without giving details, Roberto Maroni, the rightwing interior minister from the League, also said in April that “nomads” – as Italians call the Gypsies, although most do little roaming – who were not Italian citizens and did not meet conditions to stay would be deported to their “countries of origin”.
The League has capitalised on a wave of xenophobia, of fear of crime committed by foreigners, and of preoccupation with illegal immigrants, which did much to help the Berlusconi alliance win the elections.
Chances of this being approved are slim.We will see.I dont think the Italians suffer the pc disease like we do here in America.
> Italy’s Northern League, the populist, xenophobic
They are NOT xenophobic.
They have no fear or loathing of English, French, Germans, Swiss, Danes, Dutch, Belgians, Hungarians, Austrians, Spanish, Greeks, Bulgarians, Poles, Slovaks, Czeks, Macedonians, South Americans, North Americans, Africans, Indians, Chinese, Japanese, even Russians.
However, they correctly mistrust Mahometans from anywhere.
The League has capitalised on a wave of xenophobia, of fear of crime committed by foreigners, and of preoccupation with illegal immigrants, which did much to help the Berlusconi alliance win the elections.
WSJ leftist rag
Well, TFT too.
The Wall Street Journal has always been pro-illegals, whether they are in the USA or in any other country. I wonder how long such media outlets would write about how "great" illegals if their news staffs were replaced by illegals?
Ridiculous. This isn't about diversity. This is about being invaded by groups of people who have no desire to integrate into society and assimilate into their new culture/nation. Try to build a bunch of churches in any Islamic country and see how easy that is.
BUMP! BUMP!
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