Muslim woman fined €30,000 for not removing burqa in Italy

The woman refused to remove her niqab despite the town's mayor repeatedly asking her to do so

A Muslim woman in Italy has been fined €30,000 for wearing a niqab inside a town hall.

The 40-year-old Italian citizen wore the full-body veil during a youth parliament meeting in Pordenone, northeast Italy last month.

According to reports, the woman refused to remove the niqab despite the town's mayor repeatedly asking her to do so. She was asked to remove the veil so that authorities could identify her as she watched her son participate in the event.

The woman was reportedly made to leave the meeting by a police officer, soon after which she returned. A tribunal initially sentenced the woman to four months' detention and a fine worth €600, however, the penalty was later converted to €30,600 fine but no jail time.

With over 1.6 million Muslims, Italy is home to the fourth largest Muslim population in Europe, yet it has only eight mosques.

With Islamophobia growing at an exponential rate, the number of cases pertaining to Muslims in the west are also on the rise. Last month, a Muslim woman’s hijab was pulled down on a busy street in north London.

The woman was approached from behind by two men, as they crossed the road by The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London.The Metropolitan Police said one of them pulled down the hijab she was wearing before both made off towards Pelham Road.



France and the United Kingdom (UK), which have a Muslim population over twice as much as Italy, have 2,200 and 1,500 mosques, respectively. Whereas Italy has a total of eight mosques which have elements like a minaret and an area solely dedicated to prayer.

This article originally appeared on Mail Online.