Italy’s ruling Brothers of Italy party seeks to to ban the burqa and niqab face and body coverings in all public spaces nationwide, calling it a bill against "Islamic separatism." The bill, presented to parliament by lawmakers from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's party.
"Religious freedom is sacred, but it must be exercised in the open, in full respect of our constitution and the principles of the Italian state," said lawmaker Andrea Delmastro, one of the initiators of the planned bill, in a Facebook post last 8 October.
The burqa is a full-body garment that covers a woman from head to foot, including a mesh screen over the eyes. The niqab is a veil for the face that leaves the area around the eyes clear.
Violators would face fines of 300 to 3,000 euros (US$ 350 - US$ 3,500).
The legislation was aimed at combating "religious radicalization and religiously-motivated hatred", the introductory text said.
France was the first European country to introduce a blanket ban on wearing burqas in public in 2011.
The list has expanded significantly since, with more than 20 states around the world implementing some form of ban on the burqa and other full-face coverings in public, including Austria, Tunisia, Turkey, Sri Lanka and Switzerland.
The European Court of Human Rights has consistently upheld these bans, including in 2017, when it upheld Belgium's bar on burqas and full-face veils, ruling that states may restrict such garments to protect "living together" in society.
Regions of Italy already impose restrictions, such as the northern one of Lombardy, which imposed a ban on entering public buildings and hospitals with covered faces in late 2015.
The legislation extends beyond face coverings to impose new financial transparency requirements on religious organizations that lack formal agreements with the Italian state.
No Muslim organizations currently have such agreements, leaving Islam without the formal recognition granted to 13 other religious groups. Under the proposed law, unrecognized groups will have to disclose all funding sources, with financing restricted to entities that pose no threat to state security.
The bill also introduces several new criminal provisions, including penalties for virginity testing, while strengthening punishment for forced marriages by adding religious coercion as grounds for prosecution.
Meloni's coalition partner the League presented more limited legislation focusing on face coverings earlier this year. It is currently under review in a parliamentary commission and it was not clear if it would be merged with this new bill proposal.