ROME, October 27 (IslamOnline.net) - The Muslim community in Italy has managed to give the European country an unusually conspicuous Islamic taste during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, despite the community’s relatively short age.

Tangible touches were visible everywhere in the European country; Muslims meeting to perform prayers, especially Tarawih, in mosques, collective iftar banquets being held for all, even non-Muslims, in addition to a lot more.

Italy homes an estimated one million and 200 thousand Muslims hailing from different countries, such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, Turkey, south-east Asian countries and Balkan area.

During the dawn-to-dusk fasting month, popular areas in western Italy have been looking more like out-of-Europe places, According to IslamOnline.net correspondent.

Al-Huda mosque, known as the Islamic cultural center, is one of nine mosques built in the Italian capital, Rome.

It hosts no less than 400 Muslims who come to perform the Tarawih prayers.

The sight of veiled Muslim women going to the mosque to perform prayers or to nearby orient shops, has also become usual in Italian cities and towns this Ramadan.

“The mosque was built in 1994 in this popular area, however, it was very simple to get closer to the people in the area. Muslims and Arabs no longer face harassment from the other,” Samir Al-Khaledi, mosque imam told IslamOnline.net.

Collective iftar banquets are also usual scenes in the mosque.

Italian Muslims listen to religious lessons during the holy month

In the Italian city of Milan, around 80,000 Muslims received the dawn-to-dusk fasting month with feelings of determination to challenge racial practices against them, especially from Italian rightist powers.

Over such a Muslim flow, the four Islamic centers in the city find no enough places to receive worshippers willing to perform the Tarawih prayers.

“Expansion in building prayers halls in Milan is not an easy task as it is extremely difficult to find wider places,” said Abdul Wahab Checharellu, deputy chairman of the Islamic organizations union in Italy.

“When they know the place will be operated by an Islamic center or used to perform prayers, the hall owners refuse to hire the place. It is a normal result of some Italian media campaigns against Islam and Muslims.”

Unlike its fellow European countries such as France and Britain, the Muslim community finds it difficult to establish institutions to graduate scholars.

“The Muslim immigration to Italy is somehow new. The Muslim community needs some time to adapt to the new society and the western life before discussing the establishment of institutions to qualify imams,” Checharellu noted.

Sami Tarabulsi, an official of Jamayat Al-Jaliya mosque in Precia, agrees.

“Muslims are in need of scholars from the Arab and Islamic countries, however, this requires coordination between the mosques and the hosting centers. They must coordinate with scholars on the issues of concern to the Muslim community in Italy.”

Precia is home to 70 thousand-strong Muslim community.

It has 12 halls for performing prayers, largest of which is the Jamayat Al-Jaliya mosque which is established on a space of 7,200 meters.

The Italian government has lately promised the Muslim community to provide a 15,000-strong hall to hold the Eid El-Fitr prayers.

Italian Muslim women during a community gathering

The dawn-to-dusk fating month tastes special in northern Italy, as well.

“Ramadan traditions are a mixture of religious and cultural activities, the Islamic culture and social service,” said Mostafa Al-Tommi, secretary general of the Islamic studies and culture center in Emilia province, Romagna.

“This is attributed to the fact that the Muslim community in Italy hails from different African, Balkan and Arab nationalities.”

In a sign of cooperation between the Muslim community in the country, the Islamic societies in northern Italy have agreed to exchange scholars and imams during the fasting month to meet demands of around 30 prayer halls in the area.

Muslim women in Italy also enjoy the spiritual atmosphere of the holy month, despite backbreaking burdens.

“Muslim women in Italy bear double burdens, either the responsibility of work, home and family or having to attend the religious lessons and participate in preparing the collective iftar banquet once per week,” Latifa Bu Omul, member of the Islamic European woman association told IOL.

She added the Muslim community in the area has made remarkable achievements such as gaining the government approval to change a deserted school into a mosque.

The Muslim community, though its majority are workers, held intensive talks with government officials to show importance of the dawn-to-dusk fasting month.

“The union has set preparations for the holy month in different ways, as it held talks with the Italian officials including the president and cabinet ministers to highlight the importance of Ramada to the Muslims with the ultimate aim of enhancing interaction between the government and the Muslim community,” Mohamed Nour Dashan, chairman of the Islamic centers union in Italy told IOL.

“The union has also raised awareness of the Muslim worshippers to respect public manners such as not parking cars near the mosque or making noise.”

Such advice would yield positive results on the image of Islam and Muslims in the country, he added.

“Such advice attracts attention of the public opinion to get posted on the daily life of the Muslim family. This must be shown in a nice image to help improve the image of Islam and Muslims in the west.”

The union has also invited non-Muslims in the European country to share iftar banquets with Muslims in a bid to enhance communication between the two sides.