Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni said that there is a problem of ‘compatibility’ between Islamic culture and the values and rights of European civilization.
“I believe that there is a problem of compatibility between Islamic culture and the values and rights of our civilization,” Meloni said.
“The Islamic cultural centres in Italy are financed by Saudi Arabia where Sharia is in force. In Europe there is a very Islamization process distant from the values of our civilization!” she added.
According to the Bridge Initiative, a research project on Islamophobia at Georgetown University, Meloni has frequently promoted the far-right conspiracy theory about a supposed “Islamization” of Europe, which claims that Muslims in Europe seek to forcibly change the culture of the continent.
Recently, Meloni’s party, which is part of a coalition government with the League and Forza Italia, has also proposed a bill to ban the use of garages and industrial warehouses as mosques, arguing that they trigger social conflicts.
Her comments come after the Italian Prime Minister hosted a political festival organized by her party- the Brothers of Italy- in Rome which was also attended by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Sunak expressed support for Meloni’s comments, advocating for global reforms to the asylum system, while warning that the growing number of refugees could ‘overwhelm’ parts of Europe. He said that some enemies were deliberately “driving people to our shores to try and destabilize our societies”.
“If we do not tackle this problem, the numbers will only grow. It will overwhelm our countries and our capacity to help those who actually need our help the most,” the British PM said, adding, “If that requires us to update our laws and lead an international conversation to amend the post-war frameworks around asylum, then we must do that.”
Meloni, the current Prime Minister of Italy, is the co-founder of the neo-fascist party, Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy). Her political views are considered to be far-right and nationalist, with a focus on Christian identity, family values, and Italian ultra-nationalism. She has been accused of promoting Islamophobic policies and conspiracy theories about the Islamisation of Europe.
