According to Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, there is a “compatibility problem” between Islamic culture and European civilization’s values and rights. Meloni made the controversial remark at an event hosted by her right-wing, ultra-conservative Brothers of Italy party, which also included UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and billionaire Elon Musk.
Meloni also chastised Saudi Arabia’s strict Sharia law, which makes apostasy and homosexuality criminal offenses. Sharia law, also known as Islamic law, is a set of principles and regulations based on the Quran and Hadith, the foundational religious texts of Islam.
“I believe there is a problem of compatibility between Islamic culture, or a certain interpretation of Islamic culture, and the rights and values of our civilization,” she said. “It does not escape my mind that most of the Islamic cultural centers in Italy are financed by Saudi Arabia.”
“Sharia means lapidation for adultery and the death penalty for apostasy and homosexuality. I believe that these should be raised, which does not mean generalizing about Islam. It means raising the problem that there is a process of Islamization in Europe that is very distant from the values of our civilization,” she said.
Sunak supported Meloni’s migration strategy during his visit to Rome. Sunak’s contentious plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda has been met with a slew of legal challenges and allegations of inhumane treatment. Meloni, on the other hand, has come under fire for attempting to restrict the activities of charity rescue ships operating in the Mediterranean Sea.
“If we do not tackle this problem, the numbers will only grow. It will overwhelm our countries and our capacity to help those who need our help the most,” he said. “Making that deterrent credible will mean doing things differently, breaking from consensus. And both Giorgia and I are prepared to do that.”
In addition, the two leaders met with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to discuss migration.