Meloni Plans to Ban Niqab and Burqa and Set Foreigner Quotas

Meloni Proposes Banning Niqab and Burqa in Classrooms and Limiting Foreigners

Giorgia Meloni wants to ban face-covering garments —niqab and burka— in Italian schools and limit the number of foreign students per classroom. She announced this at a youth rally for her party, with an eye on upcoming elections. The inconvenient detail is that she did not explain how she intends to enforce it.

School principals have had a circular for two years advising against exceeding 30% foreign students per classroom. In neighborhoods with a majority migrant population, this is a dead letter: a minor cannot be denied enrollment. The teaching staff itself warns of this.

What is Banned: Niqab and Burqa, Not the Hijab

It is important not to mix up garments. As described in the debate, the burqa covers every inch of skin; the niqab leaves only the eyes visible. The hijab, the headscarf that covers the hair, would not be included in the ban, according to one participant's interpretation. Part of the debate focuses on identification: you cannot tell who is who. This leads to an argument that sounds like a practical test: how to prevent someone unknown from taking a test in your place.

Some argue that the package is Sarracinophobia and racism. In response, another participant states bluntly: banning the burqa is not racism, and precedents like France are cited.

The Precedent Cited: The French Abaya and the RN

The debate mentions that France banned the abaya, the ankle-length robe worn by girls aged 13 or 14, in educational institutions years ago. It did not cover the face, yet it was banned, according to that account. Did anything happen? Isolated protests and little else, adds the same participant. Now, Marine Le Pen's RN would have proposed a more ambitious measure: banning the veil in public spaces, as mentioned in the thread. There, it is warned, the clash could be of a different magnitude.