Italy to close 'unregulated' mosques, worship centers
Italy is to shut down “unregulated” mosques and worship centers amid fears they might be misused as breeding grounds for terrorism, says the interior ministry.
“In Italy, we have four mosques and over 800 places of Muslim worship. We are going to close the clandestine and unregulated places, not to hamper the religion but so that it can be practiced in places which are in order,” Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said on Friday.
The minister, who was speaking at a meeting in the southern town of Lecce about terrorism, added that some of these secret and underground places of worship were erected after attempts to set up a mosque through the proper channels were thwarted, mainly due to opposition mounted from the local officials.
Alfano’s remarks came after Italy said it would allocate €1 billion ($1.06 billion) for extra security measures, following the Paris deadly terror attacks on November 13, claimed by the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.
“Nowhere in the world enjoys zero risk. This has been demonstrated by the dramatic timeline of terrorism from 2001 to today,” he further said.
There are about 1.6 million Muslims in Italy, forming 2.6 percent of the country's population. Although Islam is the second-most prevalent religion in the country, after Christianity, it has not been recognized by the Italian government.
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