Northern Italian region approves ‘anti-mosque’ laws

Councilors in the northern Italian region of Liguria approved a set of measures drastically restricting the freedom to build new places of worship.

Councilors in the northern Italian region of Liguria approved a set of measures drastically restricting the freedom to build new places of worship.

While the text doesn’t refer to any particular religion, politicians opposed to the law argue that it unfairly targets Muslims, and the proposals have been dubbed ‘anti-mosque laws’ by local media.

The laws introduce restrictive criteria regarding the creation of new places of worship, and give regional authorities much greater power in deciding the location and appearance of religious sites.

The proposals, put forward by the Northern League party, were approved by a narrow majority, with 16 votes in favor and 15 against, local paper Il Secolo XIX reported.