Prayer canceled in Turin, the Imam: “Scandalous and unconstitutional decision”

(LaPresse) “Today a police commissioner banned a prayer and this is scandalous”, these are the words of Imam Brahim Baya, after the decision of the Police Headquarters of the Piedmontese capital to ban the Muslim prayer scheduled for Friday at the Polytechnic. “Isn’t there a space in which one can pray? This is the issue. We don’t want a mosque inside the Polytechnic, just a recognized space in which to pray”, explained Baya, who then, to those who asked him if Jews could also pray inside the university, he replied: “Of course, the Jews are our brothers. I have never had any problem with them, but we all have a problem with the ongoing massacre and we don’t want the Government to remain silent. Today I would not have spoken neither of Palestine nor of Israel”. The Imam then clarified the reason why he did not sign the rector’s warning: “I am not the organizer. I was called to officiate at a prayer as a guest and, as such, I am not the person responsible “. “The problem is the Islamophobia that lives in this country, in my country, because I have lived here for 30 years and I consider Italy my country – added Baya, who then concluded: “Secularism means religious freedom for all, as articles 19 and 20 of the Constitution say. As Muslims we are the second religion in Italy, with around 3 million believers, half of whom are Italian citizens. Despite this, we still do not have the dignity of being recognized as full citizens from a religious point of view.”