A Shiite Ashura procession held on Sunday, July 6th, near Milan’s central station has sparked fierce public backlash over the treatment of women participants.
Approximately 1,300 Shiite Muslims marched from Piazza Repubblica to Stazione Centrale on Ashura, a day of commemoration in Islam.
While the ritual included men engaging in chest beating and ritual self-flagellation, it was the segregation of veiled women behind a cordon that triggered the uproar.
Right-wing Lega MEP Silvia Sardone called it “a clear sign of how, in many Islamic communities, women are considered.” She accused Italian authorities of being “unable to defend our identity and traditions,” warning of a dangerous “Islamization” creeping into European public spaces.
Fratelli d’Italia MP Mauro Malaguti said: “After centuries of struggle for women’s emancipation…it’s troubling that such segregation was allowed in Milan, while feminists and the Left remained silent.”
