Controversial Posters in Rome Ignite Tensions Over Women's Rights Representation

"In Europe, you have the same rights as your husband." This is the message of posters featuring the image of a young Arab woman wearing the niqab, with text in both Arabic and Italian, published in recent weeks in Rome by the League for International Women's Day on March 8th. However, this slogan and poster did not sit well with the Arab world, prompting a stern response from the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Rome expressing "deep dissatisfaction, strong criticism, and rejection" regarding the displayed posters. "In various streets of the capital, the League has launched a message that carries misleading implications about the rights of women in the Arab world, and embodies and suggests a completely incorrect and distorted image of Arab women. The poster," the note reads, "in a clear and explicit form, states that the rights of Arab women are equal to those of European women and in the Arabic language. This is considered a blatant and unprecedented transgression, and contradicts the principles of mutual respect for all cultures." The note from the Arab world: The Council of Arab Ambassadors in Italy thus believes that "the advertising poster harms and offends the dignity of Arab women and undermines the foundations of respect and mutual coexistence among different cultures, a characteristic of Italian society, in addition to being in total contradiction with the truth, as it appears to be a clear belittlement and negative discrimination against every Arab woman, and in fact seems an invitation for women to leave the Arab world for Europe." In conclusion, the Council believes "that this type of use of the poster falls within a media campaign, on the occasion of International Women's Day, which is in open contradiction with the objective of this day, which calls for strengthening all efforts to ensure the rights of all women, regardless of their culture, and choosing one group or country over another, poses no small problems. Misinformation and misleading selective handling of general issues related to human rights constitute a violation of equality rights in themselves, not based on ethnic considerations, and requires reactions that may not achieve common interests, which necessitates the removal of this advertising post as soon as possible." Salvini: "The initiative of MEP Ceccardi is correct" "The initiative of the League MEP, Susanna Ceccardi, with a message in Italian and Arabic aimed at all women forced to undergo a lifestyle that goes against freedom - Salvini wrote two days ago about the posters -. No one questions religious freedom, but this cannot lead to the denial of the fundamental values of the West. The League's battle in Brussels continues: there can be no space, in Italy and in Europe, for the extremisms of Islamic fundamentalism against the rights of women and girls."