Removal of crucifixes ordered after offending muslim
AFP
28oct03
AN Italian court order to remove crucifixes from an infant school at the request of a Muslim activist has caused shock-waves in this traditionally Roman Catholic country.
"You cannot eliminate a symbol of a nation's religious and cultural values simply because it offends someone," said Cardinal Ersilio Tonini.
Adel Smith, 43, an Italian-Egyptian Islamic convert, obtained a ruling from a court in the central town of L'Aquila ordering the removal of all crucifixes from the walls of a playschool attended by his son.
"A decision like this will encourage a form of intolerance towards symbols of Christian faith," warned Rino Fisichella, deputy chairman of the Italian bishops' conference.
The ruling could provide a legal precedent highlighting relations between church and state in Italy, where Catholicism is the state religion and there is no separation between church and state.
Mr Smith's says the "morphology of the crucifix is nothing but a corpse that could scare children."
Two laws dating from 1924 and 1927 and still in force authorise the presence in schools of Catholic religious symbols.
Mr Smith already has a controversial reputation as a Muslim activist.
He converted to Islam in 1987 and set up the Union of Muslims in Italy two years ago. The group now claims a membership of 5300 mainly converts.
But Mr Smith does not enjoy the support of the rest of Italy's 800,000 Muslim community.
The imam of a mosque in Milan, seen as the leading authority for 70,000 Muslims in that area, has described him as an "isolated provocateur."
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