Venice mosque dispute escalates as Bengali community threatens strike

Rome— A bitter dispute over the construction of a new mosque in Mestre has escalated after Venice's Bengali community threatened to organise a strike, warning that shipbuilding and the city's tourism industry could face serious disruption if the council continues to refuse planning approval.

The controversy centres on an 8,000 square metre site near Mestre railway station, where the association Giovani per l'Umanità hopes to build a mosque and Islamic cultural centre. The land, formerly an abandoned sawmill, has already been purchased by the community through a €150,000 deposit on a property worth €1.5 million, with the entire project set to be privately funded.

Despite years of negotiations, the development has stalled following the election of Venice's new centre right mayor, Simone Venturini, who has ruled out opening formal talks. The land is currently designated for commercial use and requires a planning variation from the municipality before construction can begin.

Venturini said the “conditions are not yet mature” for discussing a new mosque, arguing that greater efforts towards integration must come first. Speaking about the issue, he pointed to concerns over women's rights, the increasing visibility of full face veils, limited knowledge of the Italian language among some residents and problems relating to waste disposal in neighbourhoods with large Bengali populations.

His position represents a significant shift from the previous administration led by Luigi Brugnaro, which had entered discussions with community representatives and was reportedly working towards adapting the project to meet planning requirements.

The decision has been met with outrage by Venice's Bengali community, which numbers more than 10,000 people. Many work at Fincantieri's shipyard in nearby Marghera, while thousands more are employed in the restaurants, hotels and cafés that sustain Venice's tourism economy.

Prince Howlader, president of Giovani per l'Umanità, accused the new administration of abandoning commitments made by its predecessor. He said the site had originally been identified in agreement with Brugnaro's council and that several meetings had already taken place to refine the proposal.

Howlader has also appealed directly to President Sergio Mattarella, asking him to uphold the constitutional right to freedom of worship.

“We are asking whether Italy is still a state governed by the rule of law,” he said.

Community leaders say a large demonstration or strike will be announced in the coming days if the municipality continues to reject the project. Although no date has been confirmed, organisers insist the protest would highlight the essential contribution made by Bengali workers to Venice's economy.

The dispute also reflects a wider regional debate. Veneto is home to around 119 Islamic cultural centres operating in converted buildings, yet it has virtually no purpose built mosques, largely because of a 2016 regional planning law that imposed strict conditions on new places of worship and was widely criticised as an “anti mosque” measure.

As tensions rise, the Mestre mosque has become more than a local planning issue, emerging as a test of religious freedom, integration and political leadership in one of Italy's most multicultural cities.

PS