ISLAM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

233 any other subject by a teacher chosen by them, you bring back into play the Koran with all the consequences you want to avoid. I would like to suggest this com- ment to you in order to prevent future trouble; and this has nothing to do with the right or left. I am leaving for Canada to visit relatives of Egyptian origin, but I hope I can read your answer. Arabic school in Via Ventura in Milan: The school in question has taken on va- rious connotations interchangeably wi- thout realizing that Arabic and Secular, Egyptian and Islamic schools are not equivalent denominations among them- selves. Should we not determine which direction the school is heading? The fact that the majority of the immigran- ts come from North Africa should not be overlooked, because they bring with them a culture and a set of traditions and habits that are very different from those found in Western society. Therefore, when fa- milies arrive in Europe, their contact with a mentality that is completely new to them leads them to undergo a significant psychological shock. This is a risky situa- tion in which, if we do not prevent non-EU citizens from being marginalized and left to their own devices, misunderstandings and frustrating attitudes can develop. According to the Association of Moroccan Women in Italy, the largest Arab com- munity, 80% of their women in Italy are illiterate and most immigrants do not ma- ster sufficiently the language of the host country, so as to allow them to carry out independently a professional activity and a peaceful social inclusion. The creation of a Moroccan school has not been propo- sed. This incomplete cultural integration often causes lacerating conflicts within the families themselves; therefore, it is useful for families that their children attend pu- blic school because they are better able to integrate culturally and build bridges with parents who have not faced the same path of integration. The main beneficiaries will be the children themselves, our fellow citi- zens, their families and society as a whole. So I ask: what is the need to create a se- parate school?