A recent decision by the Italian Supreme Court (C. of Cassation, I, n. 24084/2017) has sparked a new strand of discussion on the relationship between liberty of religion, security, democracy, and cultural integration. The Court held an Indian national liable for criminal offence for carrying in his belt a Kirpan, the sacred cutter of Sikhism. Much criticism has attracted the reference in the decision to the “values of Western world” which an immigrant would be obliged to comply with. If multi-ethnicity is a necessity, the Court purports, this does not imply that the Constitutions welcomes 'cultural archipelagos'. This intimation of 'values' as a sort of overarching constitutional provisions is ambiguous to say the least. It invites, anyhow, a new reflection on what sort of constitutional 'principles' European societies share regarding citizenship, pointing either at one that ends up hinging on the opposition majority/minority or at a truly intercultural one
We look forward to welcoming you on July 4-6, 2022 for our Annual Conference on Global Problems and Prospects in Public Law.
Check out the preliminary program and register your participation by June 11!