Bangladeshi residents and others in Monfalcone say decisions to prohibit worship at cultural centres and banning burkinis at the beach is part of anti-Islam agenda

Bangladeshi residents and others in Monfalcone say decisions to prohibit worship at cultural centres and banning burkinis at the beach is part of anti-Islam agenda

The envelope containing two partially burned pages of the Qur’an came as a shock. Until then, Muslim residents in the Adriatic port town of Monfalcone had lived relatively peacefully for more than 20 years.

Addressed to the Darus Salaam Muslim cultural association on Via Duca d’Aosta, the envelope was received soon after Monfalcone’s far-right mayor, Anna Maria Cisint, banned prayers on the premises.

“It was hurtful, a serious insult we never expected,” said Bou Konate, the association’s president. “But it was not a coincidence. The letter was a threat, generated by a campaign of hate that has stoked toxicity.”

Monfalcone’s population recently passed 30,000. Such a positive demographic trend would ordinarily spell good news in a country grappling with a rapidly declining birthrate, but in Monfalcone, where Cisint has been nurturing an anti-Islam agenda since winning her first mandate in 2016, the rise has not been welcomed.

  • @[email protected]English
    10•9 months ago

    As an Italian, I would say that’s not the case, not “a lot of Italians are racist”. I’ve had interactions with a few racist people of older generations, but I would say that they are the exception, thankfully.

    • @[email protected]English
      58•9 months ago

      Frankly, that’s kind of hard to believe when your country has an openly fascist government

      • @[email protected]English
        7•9 months ago

        Fascism is not exclusively about racism. It’s a government style were the first victims are the citizens themselves. Racism is a component of it.

      • CakeEnglish
        4•9 months ago

        Damn, you must not live there, even in the south, were people are mostly ignorant, all I hear is complains about giorgia meloni and how shitty her government is 🥶🙏

        • @laughterlaughterEnglish
          9•9 months ago

          But why did she win if not because of the majority of voting Italians wanted her? (which could be just half+1, I concede)

          This is why Trump won in 2016. Complacency. “Everyone in my state hates his guts. He must not be popular, then. I don’t even need to vote since Clinton will clearly win!”

          • CakeEnglish
            2•9 months ago

            Replied to the other person about this!

        • @[email protected]English
          5•9 months ago

          I don’t live in Italy, that’s correct. But if nobody likes the fascists, who voted for them, then?

          • CakeEnglish
            4•9 months ago

            The most likely reason is that most of the young people did not vote, leaving the vote to old people and middle aged ones.

            Though, by living in the south, I may have a different view of it, as most politicians hate our southern asses, including the meloni

            Edit: so, excluding most younger people, it leaves most of the northerns individuals ( who usually have more money invested in their infrastructure by governments ) and old people who are likely to vote for her. But it is still weird as literally anyone I talk to, not friends, just random people,vsay that they have not voted for her, even including some oldies that I know personally

            Edit 2: no but like seriously, literally no one likes her, especially after the shitshow she has been making with the bonuses

            • @laughterlaughterEnglish
              1•9 months ago

              Just because they’re not young, doesn’t mean they don’t count. Doesn’t Europe have an aging population anyway? So if “old people” voted for her, and she won, then yes, Italians voted for her, period.

              But it is still weird as literally anyone I talk to, not friends, just random people,vsay that they have not voted for her, even including some oldies that I know personally

              Nope, not weird at all. That’s pretty much the definition of “living in a bubble.” I’m not saying this to insult you, OP. It’s just that that’s exactly what it is.

              I saw it in Venezuela. People thinking that Chavez was never going to win. Hell, even all the media was projecting the other candidate to win (they were all biased.) Oh, but who are these people? Middle class. If all you do is talk to other middle class people (because god forbid you talk to poor people!), then all you’ll hear is that no one will vote for Chavez. Except that the middle class is (was) just the 20% of the population, and the majority of people, 80% of them, were all in for Chavez. Chavez wins, and people like you get a surprised pikachu face.

    • @ABCDEEnglish
      27•9 months ago

      You don’t have votes the way you do without endemic racism. Football still has a massive problem too.