Italy bans burqas in schools and limits foreign pupils per class

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's cabinet adopted a decree law on Thursday banning burqas and niqabs in schools and capping the number of students with a poor command of Italian per class. The measure targets full-face Islamic veils in educational settings and introduces limits on the proportion of pupils who lack proficiency in Italian within each class. The decree was approved at a cabinet meeting chaired by Meloni, according to reporting by TheJournal.ie. The move forms part of a broader push by Meloni's right-wing coalition to tighten rules around immigration and cultural integration. The decree law takes effect immediately pending parliamentary conversion, a process that must occur within a set period under Italian law. No specific figures for the class cap or the number of affected students were provided in the available reporting. The measure is likely to draw legal scrutiny over religious freedom and could face challenges in Italian and European courts.

Global Impact

Politically, the decree reinforces Meloni's nationalist agenda and may embolden similar measures in other EU states, straining relations with Muslim-majority countries. Socially, it raises questions about religious freedom and integration, with possible protests and legal challenges.