‘A false problem’: Italy’s Muslims question Meloni’s burqa ban

Milan, Italy – In Milan’s al-Wahid mosque, tucked in a peaceful inner courtyard within the bustling Navigli district, worshippers attending Friday prayers were perplexed by the Italian government’s recent decision to ban the burqa and niqab in schools. Mulayka Laura Enriello, a 58-year-old high school maths teacher, said that while some schoolgirls wear a headscarf, she had never in her career seen students wear face-covering garments. “Those girls who want to wear a (hijab) to school do so, no one bothers them, neither teacher nor student,” she told Al Jazeera. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni outlined the proposed ban on Sunday during a rally of her nationalist conservative Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, pitching it as a move towards gender equality.