September 21, 2010
In the village of Sonnino (Latina, Lazio); a nursery school attempted to ban a woman, who is married to an imam, donning the burqa after several complaints were made by other parents. The parents accused that the Muslim woman’s burqa frightened their children attending the nursery. An official meeting was held on the matter; where the village mayor, the nursery managers and the husband of the woman came to the compromise that the woman would remove the face veil upon entering the building. The imam committed himself to respecting the outcomes of the meeting and reassured the community of the need and importance for Muslims to integrate within Italian society.
Reactions to the incident were mixed. A group of local women contested the decision and showed their solidarity with the veiled Muslim woman by wearing burqas publically. Meanwhile the president of the association for “Moderate Muslims;” criticized the decision by suggesting that, the burqa should be completely banned since it is not an Islamic precept. An initiative to promote greater cultural integration has been launched in public schools.
