Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will not like this at all: Muslim students in Italy are now calling for the suspension of lectures during the festival of breaking the fast (Eid al-Fitr) on April 10 as a “gesture of respect and integration that recognises and values cultural and religious diversity”.The association of Muslim students at Milan Polytechnic justified its move in a letter by stating that the Muslim proportion at universities “is now very large” and that lecture halls would therefore remain “empty” anyway.
“The demand for the suspension of lectures on religious occasions not only promotes social cohesion, but also mutual respect and intercultural understanding, the cornerstones of a democratic and pluralistic society,” the letter states.
In Italy, the role of religion in the state school system is the subject of fierce debate. Despite pressure from the right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the head of a school in Pioltello near Milan is insisting on the decision to give his pupils a day off school at the end of the Muslim month of fasting.
The headmaster of the school in the city to the east of the financial metropolis argues that in previous years, most Muslim pupils did not come to school on the day after the end of Ramadan and that it was therefore a lost school day. 40 per cent of the pupils at the educational institution, which consists of a kindergarten, primary and secondary school, are Muslim. The headmaster used a school holiday for the Muslim festival. Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara ordered an inspection of the school to investigate possible irregularities in the school management’s decision. The latter did not back down and confirmed the closure that day on the 10th of April.
Neuer Eklat vorprogrammiert: Muslimische Studenten fordern freien Tag zu Ramadan-Ende | Exxpress