Controversy over the visit of children and teachers from the Santa Maria delle Vittorie parish nursery school in Ponte della Priula to an Islamic center in Susegana, in the Treviso area.
The scandal erupted over a photo showing children kneeling in the direction of Mecca while praying with the imam.
"Images that make the blood run cold" is the lapidary judgment of Alberto Villanova, leader of the Lega in the Veneto Regional Council, echoed by the provincial secretary of the Treviso Democratic Party, Giovanni Zorzi who, while highlighting the importance of interreligious dialogue , would have "chosen more secular forms to finally address the dutiful message of peace".
The visit, which had the parents' consent, was "a truly emotional experience," the school wrote on social media, later describing how the meeting with the imam took place, who explained the Muslim religion and what cornerstones it is based on.
"This is not about education, but about pure fundamentalism, with an Imam who has not missed the opportunity to "catechize" the young students - said the MEP of the League Anna Maria Cisint - And the worst is the attitude of the teaching staff, who allowed all this: who knows if they had the courage to ask him why women must wear the full veil or marry at a young age. Do they want to remove crucifixes and religion class to indoctrinate us in Islam? The suspicion is more than legitimate: children taken to a mosque, most likely an irregular one, forced to kneel towards Mecca".
The Regional School Office for Veneto specifies that it is "a non-state school, registered with the Italian Federation of Nursery Schools". "While waiting for the details of the incident to be better defined, on behalf of the central offices of the Ministry of Education and Merit, the USR for Veneto has started the appropriate investigations, aimed in particular at verifying whether, among other things, the rules on school equality have been respected - explains a note -. It is recalled that also for this institution, as for all state and private schools, The teachers and the school coordinator must adhere to this educational project, as required by Law no. 62/2000 on school equality, for every type of project activity".
