An end to the crucifixes in the italian classrooms

European court of human rights reached a decision on Tuesday that the italian schools should remove the crucifixes from the classroom walls, explaining that their exposure could be disturbing to the non-Christian classmates. The Strassbourg court decision will likely to provoke great disputes across Italy, profoundly attached to the Roman Catholic roots.

Italian citizen Soilea Latusi appealed to the court because of her children attending some of the schools in northern Italy having crucifixes in each and every classroom. Latusi believes this would be a sheer violation of her lawful right to provide her children a secular education, and the European Court reached a decision in her favour.

- Crucifix exposure can be encouraging for the religious children, but also very disturbing for the the children of the other religions, especially fi they're members of the region minority or even atheists, - declares the written court statement.

"The state (has to) make amends toward the imposing of the religious beliefs in the rooms where individuals have to spend their time, - states the verdict explanation adding that the public education should " encourage a development of the critical thought".

Latusi has been appointed an indemnity of five thousand Euros. Two Italian laws dating back from the 1920s, from the era of Fascist Government, declare that the crucifixes have to be publicly exposed in the schools. The laws are techically still valid even though they're not strictly subjected to its law enforcement from 1984, since the Roman Catholicism stopped being the state religion.

Adel Smith, Italian Islamic community official started a campaign in 2003 on the crucifix supression out of the Italian schools but it eventually provoked great public disturbances and a refusal. Back then even the late pope John Paul II entered the discussion saying it would be considered as non-democratic and a perilous to try to erase religious symbols, while the Italian courts have declined Smith's request.