umm lina
29th April 2007, 04:19 AM
Rome. Italy-Apparently concerned over the growing number of mosques in the predominantly Christian country, Italy plans to tighten controls over foreign funds arriving in the country in order to be used in building mosques.
The government might soon adopt a policy similar top that pursued in France, where there’s a main foundation, controlled by the government that handles all Muslim donations from abroad. The interior Minister Giuliano Amato proposed following France’s example of creating such foundation. He added that the spread of mosques in Italy that are built with money from foreign states is unacceptable, Amato told the reporters,” There’s something about that that I don’t like. I want to know who is financing what in my country”
Italy’s right-wing opposition expressed support for the move.
Ironically, Mario scialoja, former reformer director of the Muslim world league in Italy and a representative of the Muslim community, agreed with Amato’s proposal.
“There needs to be absolute transparency regarding funding of mosques,” Scialoja said.
However he denied the claim that there are mosques in Italy that breed terrorists, but he said” it is certainly possible, and what is possible can often become reality.’
Senior figures in Italy’s Muslim community affirm that Muslim imams in the country are unqualified. But they say that the government has no way of knowing who they are or what they preach, and that’s why they’ve been seeking more government involvement in the Muslim community. There are one million Muslims in Italy.
The government might soon adopt a policy similar top that pursued in France, where there’s a main foundation, controlled by the government that handles all Muslim donations from abroad. The interior Minister Giuliano Amato proposed following France’s example of creating such foundation. He added that the spread of mosques in Italy that are built with money from foreign states is unacceptable, Amato told the reporters,” There’s something about that that I don’t like. I want to know who is financing what in my country”
Italy’s right-wing opposition expressed support for the move.
Ironically, Mario scialoja, former reformer director of the Muslim world league in Italy and a representative of the Muslim community, agreed with Amato’s proposal.
“There needs to be absolute transparency regarding funding of mosques,” Scialoja said.
However he denied the claim that there are mosques in Italy that breed terrorists, but he said” it is certainly possible, and what is possible can often become reality.’
Senior figures in Italy’s Muslim community affirm that Muslim imams in the country are unqualified. But they say that the government has no way of knowing who they are or what they preach, and that’s why they’ve been seeking more government involvement in the Muslim community. There are one million Muslims in Italy.