Islamic demonstration in Italy

Joaquin Navarro-Valls, long-time director of the Vatican's press office, stresses in a commentary the importance of a climate of religious freedom which underlies the demonstrations by Italian Muslims against Israel's offensive in Gaza. "The use of the public prayer for political purposes must not be equated with combining religion and terrorism. On the contrary: the wish to seek a political and cultural identity in traditional faith is no outpost of terrorism, but a remedy for it. ... We must understand that the freedom of which we in Europe are so proud - one politically and legally sanctioned on very few other continents - is always based on the religious freedom of others. ... Seeing that Muslims in Italy may practise their faith in front of the cathedrals will certainly inspire many Muslims elsewhere in the world to grant similar rights to Christian and Jewish minorities."

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