Chants of « Allahu akbar » rang out Saturday at a solemn Catholic state funeral in the Italian city of Genoa for the victims of a bridge collapse, who included two Albanian Muslims. They were among at least 38 people to have died in Tuesday’s tragedy.
Chants of « Allahu akbar » rang out Saturday at a solemn Catholic state funeral in the Italian city of Genoa for the victims of a bridge collapse, who included two Albanian Muslims.
They were among at least 38 people to have died in Tuesday’s tragedy.
An imam was invited to the ceremony, a particularly poignant move in a staunchly Catholic country, where the far-right is now in power and which has seen a rise in the number of attacks against foreigners and Muslims.
He led several minutes of silent prayers — punctuated by four resonant chants of « Allahu akbar » (God is greatest) — in the presence of Italy’s top dignitaries including President Sergio Mattarella and premier Giuseppe Conte.
The ceremony was also attended by Interior Minister Matteo Salvini whose far-right League party is in a ruling coalition with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement.
A relative of an Albanian victim kisses the flag covering his coffin
Piero CRUCIATTI, AFP
« The Muslim communities of Genoa, Liguria and the whole of Italy pray that peace will be with you all, » the imam said in front of thousands of mourners gathered inside the flower-filled exhibition hall where 19 coffins were lined up.
« We are close to you all, » he added as loud applause erupted inside the makeshift chapel.
« Genoa will be able to pick itself back up again. Our Genoa, which in Arabic means ‘the beautiful’. »
The number of dead is expected to rise as rescuers pulled more bodies from a car shortly before the state funeral began.
