Ali Rashid, the spokesman of the Palestinian community in Italy and a candidate for the Refounded Communist party, says a truly secular state "is the only guarantee for the freedom of citizens, even in religious matters."
Though he stressed that "as a new citizen" he didn't want to offend Italian nationals, Rashid argued that "religion should not invade areas where it doesn't belong."
Indeed Bassam Saleh, a Palestinian who has been in Italy for 35 years, says "the Catholic Church influences Italian politics considerably." A candidate for another small left wing group, the Party of Italian Communists, Saleh thinks the "Church should be separate from the state."
Nevertheless, he warns that immigrants should integrate in Italian society "and not try to bring a piece of their country here."
"I remember how difficult it was at the beginning for me, but foreigners should try and integrate culturally in a new country, it's essential in a multi-ethnic society."
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