ROME,
December 28 (IslamOnline.net) – Despite right-wingers and
xenophobes, the year 2004 can be dubbed as the “year of
integration” for the Muslim community in Italy, though they
desperately need a recognized union to unite their efforts against
daunting challenges ahead.
It
is also partly thanks to several positive stances taken by the Italian
government of Silvio Berlusconi, who has been keen on making no room
for religious discrimination or bigotry, in addition to encouraging
the Muslim integration into society as the best way to nib
“radicalism” in the bud.
The
teaching of Islam in state-run schools has been a welcome addition
that gave the country a bit more atmosphere.
Hijab
is in no way an odd thing to wear on the streets of Italy, unlike many
other European countries, France in particular.
Interior
Minister Giuseppe Pisanu always cites the story of his veiled mother,
who insisted on taking on the headscarf till her death, when the issue
of hijab-donned Muslim women is raised.
More
and more, the number of mosques in the capital Rome has risen to some
400 in 2004 and halal slaughterhouses and restaurants have increased
across the Catholic country.
Islam,
however, has not been yet recognized as one of the official religions
like Judaism and Buddhism.
Zero
Tolerance
The
government, on the other hand, adopted a zero tolerance with imams it
dubs “radical”, deporting those who it regards a mouthpiece of
violence or religious hatred.
Senegalese-born
imam Abdel Qadir Fadlallah Mamour had been deported “for disturbing
public order and being a “danger to state security” after
expecting attacks on Italian troops serving in Iraq.
On
December 12, an Italian court has invalidated the “illegal”
deportation of Mamour, saying his statements merely represented
personal views.
In
April, Italian authorities expelled an Algerian teacher after leading
worshippers in a funeral prayer in absentia for Hamas spiritual leader
Sheik Ahmad Yassin, who was assassinated by an Israeli missile attack
a month earlier.
Abdul
Karim Al-Tibsi, a teacher of Arabic and Islam at the Islamic Center in
Rome, had told IslamOnline.net that he was ordered to leave the
country despite being a legal resident for 12 years.
Until
December, six imams have been deported to their motherlands for
failing to “eschew violence and terrorism.”
Muslim
Voice
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The
grand mosque in Rome.
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The
Muslim community has, in effect, made their voices heard in key
events, though they do not speak in unison.
The
one million Muslims in Italy are in need of an umbrella organization
to streamline their efforts and enthusiasm to stand up to xenophobic
ideologues, according to observers.
The
government has taken the initiative and formed a Muslim consultative
panel to discuss the affairs of the community to the outrage of the
right-wingers, who criticized the cabinet for its “lenient”
stances toward “Muslim terrorists.”
Muslim
leaders, however, never crawled into their shell but rather countered
such extremist calls with mass rallies in Rome to denounce terrorism
in the third anniversary of the 9/11 deadly attacks on the United
States, according to IOL correspondent.
Muslims,
in their capacity as Italian citizens, have also strongly opposed
their government support of the US-led occupation of Iraq.
All
in all, the right-wing anti-Muslim bids have failed to dampen the
integrationist policy of the government, which came to realize the
fact that all Muslims cannot be placed in one basket.
In
2005, Italian Muslims could find themselves in a better position to
integrate more if they managed to close their ranks and appear more
unified as a community.
Read
Also…
2004
“Year of Islam” in France
