The devolutionist Northern League government party on Tuesday presented a bill which would ban Muslim women from wearing the burqa, a step which other European countries are also considering. The measure, which also has the support of Premier Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PdL) party, aims at amending a 1975 law, introduced amid concern over homegrown terrorism, which forbids anyone appearing in public wearing anything which makes their identification impossible.

However, this law allows for 'justified cause' which until now has been interpreted to include religious reasons in court rulings against local bans on the burqa. The Northern League's proposal was illustrated by House whip Roberto Cota, who said its aim was to ''clarify the 1975 law in a definitive way'' and allow the ban to be extended to ''garments worn for reasons of religious affiliation''. ''We are not racist and we have nothing against Muslims, but the law must be equal for everyone,'' he added. With Cota was Carolina Lussana, a legal expert for the Northern League, who recalled that the 'justified cause' clause had sparked numerous legal disputes and that ''between safeguarding religious freedom and protecting the security of citizens, we think security should have priority''. According to PdL MP Barbara Saltamartini, responsible in her party for equal opportunities, banning the burqa could not be considered anti-Muslim because wearing it is not obligatory in Islam. ''The Imam of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the highest authority in Sunni Islam, has just stated unequivocally that Muslim women have the right to their own identity and that the burqa is not part of Muslim tradition,'' Saltamartini said.

''This position is of extreme importance not only because it dismantles false myths perpetrated by a patriarchal fundamentalism, but also because it shows how the dignity of a women is compatible with the symbols and values of Islam,'' she added. ''It would be absurd now if countries like Egypt ban this instrument of submission and we continue to avoid dealing with the question,'' Saltamartini said. The Northern League initiative was criticised by Donatella Ferranti of the opposition Democratic Party (PD) who said the measure was ''unconstitutional because it infringes on religious freedom and justifying it because of law and order is totally out of place''. ''The truth is they want to attack Muslim immigrants on issues which are most dear to them. The only effect this law would have would be to force Muslim women to stay indoors. This bad law is against immigrants and, above all, a racist law against women''.