Italian Party Seeking To Restrict Building of Mosques

PoliGazette yesterday reported on efforts in Italy by the Lega Nord party to refuse Muslims permission to build mosques in Italian cities. A new law being proposed would prohibit building of a mosque within 1 kilometer of a church and would make it illegal for Imams to speak to their congregations in Arabic. It would also ban calls to prayer by muezzins. It would mandate a regional referendum before a mosque could be built and would ban building of minarets. Referenda are already being used in some northern Italian cities, and usually proposals for mosque construction are defeated. Religious Intelligence yesterday also reported on the new proposed legislation.