School closed for Islam, the Democratic Party defends Ramadan and doesn’t care about the Nativity scene –

Pietro De Leo

March 20, 2024

But how much double standards, how much double standards! The left, as in many other issues, also applies the “do it yourself” criterion to secularism. A concept to be applied ultra faithfully when it comes to Catholic things, it is forgotten when it comes to defending the closure of the Pioltello school on the last day of Ramadan. Even yesterday, the political debate continued to heat up. And it also saw the intervention of the President of the Senate Ignazio La Russa, who sided with the decision of Minister Valditara, who stigmatized the initiative, to delegate the evaluation of the school director’s decision to the competent offices of the ministry: « I spoke with the minister who I met by pure chance on the plane – said La Russa – he explained to me that the rules stipulate that it is not up to the school to set new holidays. The school can slightly modify the calendar for educational reasons, without establishing new rules, otherwise there would be a celebration of Hindus, of these, of those. He told me that this rule is peaceful, I think the minister is right.”

Instead, from the left, the cavalry charge continued (as on Monday) to defend the decision to close. According to Marwa Mahmoud, head of Participation at the PD secretariat, it is a choice “of civility and inclusion”, while “the words of Minister Valditara who demonstrate little respect for school autonomy are worrying”. According to Elisabetta Piccolotti, of Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra, closing the school is a “sign of respect and integration”. From the 5 Star Movement, Stefania Ascari accuses minister Valditara: «He interferes and condemns the decision of the Pioltello school to close at the end of Ramadan». Obviously, the initiative is welcomed favorably by the President of the Union of Islamic Communities in Italy, Yassine Lafram: that of the principal, he said in conversation with the Dire agency, is “an act of civility”. Therefore, the political debate is very heated. The ministry offices will then say whether the choice to close was legitimate or not. But what stands out on a political-cultural level is the attitude of the left. In fact, it is not the first time that the religious factor has impacted the debate around educational policies.

It happens every time (and there is an endless diary regarding it) a play with a Nativity theme is canceled at school, or the parties before the Christmas holidays, a tradition rooted almost everywhere, are replaced by a more neutral “celebration of ‘Winter”. On other occasions, then, it happened that the word Jesus was replaced in the themed songs, always close to Christmas.

There are those who have put the term “Peru” or “cucù” in its place. All with the zealous intention of not offending non-Catholic students. As if there is some overpowering in the image of a child being born. If anything, the abuse is depriving those Catholic children of the magic that has always surrounded the wait for Christmas and that it is right to experience even at school. However, when these deprivations occur, no defense line arises from the left. At most a few haggard, more courageous voices. For Ramadan all united, for Christmas the “I’ll be right back” sign. Alternating current secularism.