Rome, August 17 - Interior Minister Angelino Alfano told Italian daily Corriere della Sera in an interview published Wednesday that the country would not be following in the footsteps of French cities that have banned the burkini, a full-body Islamic swimming garment, in order to avoid attracting attacks from Islamic extremists. "The interior ministry has a rationale to ensure security and choose the level of harshness of response. The latter, however," he said, "must never reach the level of provocation that could attract attacks." "The French model does not seem to have worked," he added drily. "My approach is constitutional, since our Constitution guarantees freedom of religion for all; liberal, because there is a natural right that comes before laws and constitutions; pragmatic, because there are a million and a half Muslims in Italy that I certainly cannot consider terrorists or terrorism supporters; and severe, since I have expelled nine imams due to (their misunderstanding of) the difference between praying and praising hatred and violence," he stressed.