Italian authorities plan to hold a series of training courses for imams and other non-Catholic clerics to familiarize with the basics of the Constitution. About it reports The Local.
The program is designed for religious workers who come to Italy from countries outside the European Union. “The goal is to create an atmosphere of tolerance through the teaching of rights and responsibilities that are inherent in our democratic societies,” said Professor of the University of Bologna by Frederick Botti.
The organization of such classes is part of the plan of the Ministry of internal Affairs of the country to improve the integration of Muslims in Italy. The government hopes to establish a dialogue between religions and cultures and to avoid the radicalization of believers.
The publication notes that in 2015 from the country on suspicion of extremist propaganda were deported 134 people, including 12 imams.
The first classes will start in February in Ravenna (region of Emilia-Romano), which is the only legal mosque in the North of the country. In the future the authorities plan to implement the programme in a number of areas: Calabria, Salerno, Bari, Pisa and Florence.
In Italy there are about a million Muslims, but Islam is not recognized in the country at the official level.