A court ruling ordering the removal of the crucifix from a classroom has triggered an uproar in Italy, writes Samia Nkrumah from Rome Only a few decades ago, it would have been impossible to imagine that a court in a small town in central Italy would rule that the crucifix displayed in a classroom must be removed because its "presence communicates an implicit adherence to values that in reality are not the shared heritage of all citizens". The hailstorm of criticism in response to this ruling reveals the extent to which Italy, despite the advance of secularism, culturally is still a staunchly Catholic nation. Its people, even many die-hard secularists, are largely unwilling to part with their traditions, whether they have religious significance or not. The ruling by the court of L'Aquila immediately drew angry protests from government officials and a harsh rebuke from the Roman Catholic Church. The Vatican's newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, published a warning comment by the pontiff made a few years ago in which he had said, "We will not allow the cross as a sign of salvation to be excluded from public life." Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi argued that "the cross is not only a religious symbol, but a representation of Italian values." Even the outspoken leftist leader of the Communist Re-Foundation Party, Fausto Bertinotti, drew a line between his firmly held belief that religion and education should be kept separate and the need to respect the cultural aspect of the cross. Complicating the issue further, the lawsuit was not brought about by secularist forces, but by a maverick Muslim activist, Adel Smith. A well-known figure, he is actively disliked by many Italians and unpopular with most of the Muslim community. Born of an Italian father of Scottish origin and an Egyptian mother, Smith is an Italian citizen whose children attend kindergarten and primary school in the town of Ofena, 100 km away from Rome. Interestingly, rather than inflaming religious and racial tension, this incident has turned into an occasion for Muslim groups to express solidarity with the Church. There has been a virtually unanimous reaction from Christians and Muslims alike criticising the controversial ruling. Mainstream Muslim groups have reacted with consternation and sought to distance themselves from Smith. Abdallah Radwan, secretary-general of the Islamic Cultural Centre in Rome told Al-Ahram Weekly that his organisation had completely disassociated itself from Adel Smith. "Initiatives like the one undertaken by Adel Smith seriously damage the image of Islam in the Western world and deserve to be condemned without reservation," Radwan asserted. Islam in Italy is closely associated with immigrants as the majority of Muslims in the country, estimated at around one million, are first-generation Italians, most commonly from Morocco. The country's modest but growing Muslim immigrant population has been politically moderate and has shown a keen interest in integrating into Italian society. High-profile confrontations sparking racial and religious tensions is the last thing most immigrants want. Understandably, the general impression gauged from talking to Muslims, particularly those of Arab origin, is that they are embarrassed of Adel Smith's provocative move, weary of the backlash from his case and reluctant to become embroiled in the debate. Abdallah Radwan believes that while Smith might have gained a "victory" for himself by gaining attention in the mass media, he lost a battle of positive integration for Muslims in Italian society. "He has damaged the interests of the Muslim community living in Italy. Many Italian personalities, politicians and intellectuals, who in the past expressed their sympathy for the Muslim community and an understanding for its needs, have expressed their deep regret for what has happened. Therefore, the Muslim community lost many of its Italian friends," he said. The number of members in Smith's organisation, the Union of Muslims, is difficult to verify, though he has said that they are on the verge of becoming an official political party. Radwan disputes Smith's figures, believing him to be unknown or unpopular with the vast majority of Italian Muslims. "I believe that his claim of having a following of 5,000 is false. You can form a party with only three people in Italy so that doesn't mean anything," he added. Mario Scialoja, a World Muslim League representative and a former Italian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, concurred. He told Vatican Radio that the ruling in question was "unfortunate" and that Smith "represents himself and perhaps two or three other people only". Smith has recently become associated with trouble and negative publicity. Earlier in the year he was embroiled in two disastrous incidents on live television. On the first occasion he exchanged blows with another guest. Just a week later, a group of young neo-fascists stormed into another live show and assaulted Smith and his Italian associate, Massimo Zucchi. The fact that Smith was not the instigator of violence in both incidents did not seem to matter as many Italians consider his exaggerated and sometimes extremist views highly provocative. The crucifix controversy comes at a time when the country is grappling with the immigration question and the sensitive identity issues it raises. The latest estimates indicate a rise in the immigrant population up to 4.2 per cent of the total population of 57 million. The last few months saw an influx of immigrants making the perilous journey in overcrowded, unsafe smugglers' boats, trying to reach the southern Italian shores, with some drowning in rough seas before reaching the coast. In good weather, up to 3000 immigrants may arrive in Italy illegally in one month. While business leaders and some politicians are now openly conceding that Italy needs immigrants given its declining birth rate and ageing population, these are still early days for a multicultural Italy. A few weeks ago, a row erupted between two of the governing coalition parties over the suggestion by the rightist National Alliance for Immigrants to have limited voting rights as long as they work and pay taxes in the country. The Northern League, a right-wing party with more xenophobic tendencies, threatened to walk out of the coalition. While the Adel Smith case unfolded, Italy was host to a EU conference on inter-religious dialogue last week to promote peace between religions and address multiculturalism. Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders met with top EU officials to address issues like combating terrorism and integrating immigrants. In a message to the convening EU ministers, the Pope said that the religious traditions of a people and the symbols associated with them must be allowed legal recognition, in apparent reference to the crucifix case. The pontiff also cautioned that the fragmentation of today's multi-ethnic and multicultural society could destabilise the nation. If the crucifix ruling touched on immigration, it goes to the heart of another national debate, namely the connection between education and religion. The judges of the case in question made a controversial judgement flying in the face of public sentiment. Last week's warning was without precedent. While Catholicism stopped being the state's religion by law almost two decades ago, a 1923 law saying that the crucifix must be displayed in schools had never been challenged before now. At the same time, many Italians are worried about the current centre-right government's education reform plans, including encouraging parents to opt for private education. Recently, the education minister has called for financial compensation to parents who want out of state schools. Most private schools in Italy tend to be religious or funded by the Church. Concern is not only over the fact that they will be the main beneficiaries, but that decentralising control of the schools will chip away at the secular character of the education system as a whole. For now, the crucifix is still in its traditional place. Nationalist and religious sentiment rekindled by Smith's move, the citizens of Ofena have gone on the counter-offensive. They have decided to erect a larger crucifix in front of the school, while a move to rename the street where Smith lives "Holy Cross Street" is underway.
