Italian justice minister says he would fine women wearing the Islamic burka

Herald Sun:

Roberto Castelli said an Italian law banning the covering of a person's face in public would be applied to women wearing the full-length religious robe that hides the head and face. "To go around with your face covered is a crime, you can't do it," Mr Castelli said.

"Women who do so must be reported to the police and fined."

Mr Castelli's outburst is the latest in a series to make headlines as overwhelmingly Catholic Italy comes to grips with a growing Muslim population some see as a blessing for the economy and others as a threat.

Islam is a fast growing religion in Italy:

Italy, with a population of 57 million, is home to an estimated one million officially registered Muslims, making Islam the country's second-largest religion. But social services groups say the number is much higher and growing.

Some fear the nascent multiculturalism is already being met by a backlash, prompted in part by attacks against Italian troops and aid workers deployed in Iraq.

A judge last month ordered celebrated Italian writer and journalist Oriana Fallaci to stand trial on charges of defaming Islam in a recent trilogy written in response to the September 11 attacks on US cities.

In the books, which sold more than one million copies in Italy, Ms Fallaci complained that Muslim immigrants had "multiplied like rats".

Mr Castelli said Ms Fallaci, who lives in New York, would not be found guilty because the government would change the defamation law to clear her, local news agencies ANSA and AGI reported.

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