The increasing presence of immigrants in Italy has brought to the so called melting pot. But is our country tolerant? Being tolerant means allowing the other people to profess different religious, ethical and political principles. Tolerance allows the existence of a plurality of positions and therefore opinions in several fields; this can bring to cultural enrichment and can not only be good!

Most of the boys who have been interviewed knows the right definition of tolerance, 68%, even if 9% of them think that tolerance means that the others should adapt to our culture. The remaining think that we should help and respect the other people's costumes. In spite of this, many people do not accept foreigners, consider them "different" and don't want to have any relationship with them. From our point of view, this is wrong: we should know and develop new cultures and traditions to improve and question ourselves without hiding behind a wall of indifference and superiority.

How do young people of our age acquaint with those who have different ideas, religions or opinions? Their opinions about this, are rather varied: nobody avoids them, or this is what they say , however 20% are indifferent. The others believe that exchanging opinions is possible and useful and generally accept them. As far as religion is concerned tolerance is necessary: in the last years a lot of foreigners have immigrated to our country bringing different religions sometimes even contrasting with each other. This leads to unilateral conflicts and discussions in which the

foreign people do not change their opinions, thinking they are right; moreover they try to impose their traditions even if in contrast with ours. In our opinion, immigrants should be let free to express their opinions without forcing Italians to subscribe them. 73% of the interviewed has supported our thesis while the remaining 27% do not agree with us.

Thinking about it, if we went to a foreign country, for example a Muslim one, how would we be treated? What could expect from those people?

From our point of view, if we went to these countries we would be forced, being girls, obey the laws of their religion, wearing a vial and hiding from men; in addition we wouldn't be allowed to express our opinions freely to do what our faith states, otherwise we'll be prosecuted. Young people believe that, if they had been foreigners in Italy they would have found: first of all understanding (63%), then help (16%) and indifference (14%), finally only few believe that they would have been marginalized (7%).

A very interesting example concerns the "case of Ofena": the president of Italy's Muslim Association, Adel Smith, asked the teacher of a school in the province of Aquila (Abruzzo), where two of his children are attending, to remove the Cross or to put a symbol of Islam next to it. The teacher accepted the second request, putting a small picture with a sentence from the Coran next to the cross; the Headmaster took it off considering the complaints of the pupils' parents. Soon after Adel Smith addressed the court of Aquila to assert his claim. The judge's decision to remove any religious symbol from the classroom, underlining Italian laicity, has split the country. Politicians and the clergy have expressed their opinions about it, reporting what the Italians think. Also the students have expressed their disagreement, an example of which is the declaration of the students' union; according this "both cultural integration with people of different religions and simple religious tolerance have been attacked. We are for a school which should teach cultural openness and spect for the others under every aspect.

We know that this value are tightly linked to the Catholic religion". From an interview to the students who are attending our school we learn that 59% wouldn't accept other symbols next to the Cross because they believe that, being our country a Catholic one, only the presence of the Cross is right, while 41% haven't got any problems to accept them, supporting the freedom of cult which is stated by Constitution too.

Some of its articles in fact it is stated that "the various religious confessions different from the catholic have the right to organize themselves according to their statutes, if they do not contrast with the Italian legal rules" and "everyone has the right to profess his/her own religious faith with no restrictions and in whatever way"; they do not specify Catholicism is the only state religion, in fact the Italian state is open to the cult of other confessions. We think that public places such as the school, should be considered lay places, because they could be attended by people with different religions who therefore would feel denigrated.