European academy of religion annual conference. Titolo intervento: Islam in Italy between a potential conflict and islamophobia

Islam in Italy between a potential “conflict” and islamophobia The aim of this paper is to illustrate how Islamic religion has become a conflict factor in Italy for the past 20 years, in concomitance with the increase of migration from Muslim countries, that has led to public debate on how Islam as a religion is transcending the Italian society, with its values and Constitutional principles. In this narrative the Muslim population is being accused of lack of loyalty, which for many is more to their faith (and to the Islamic law, Sharia) than the State where they are living, in this case Italy and furthermore they are - according also to this view - reluctant to integrate in the society due the fact they would prefer to maintain their traditions and culture. This vision, often spread by mass-media, portraying Islam as incompatible with “Us”, strongly impacts on 2.6 million Muslim people, among which one million have Italian citizenship, which leads to increase of islamophobia at every level, and the growth of some political parties who in their agenda put as a priority the contrast of the “islamization” in Italian society. For the past 30 years Muslim associations have been founded and the following are the most important: Islamic Cultural Centre (located inside the Mosque in Rome, is one of the biggest in Europe), it was established by the diplomatic delegates of the Islamic countries; the Italian Organization of Islamic Communities-U.C.O.I.I led by the first students and migrants who arrived in the ‘90s; CO.RE.IS, founded by first Italians converted to Islam. This organizations have expressed leaderships that have tried to mediate the “conflict” and to find an agreement with the Italia State, that for non Catholic confession, is ruled by art. 8 of Constitution, however since 1990 to date, all attempts have had no success. The results is that today the second most followed religion in Italy doesn’t have a public recognition and any time a local Muslim community aims to build or obtain a license to open a new Mosque, that is under by Regional laws, has become an issue. Consequently local residents are concerned due to their “phobia” of hypotethical illegal activities that could happen inside, and most of the time Muslims opt to rent a garage in hidden locations transforming it to a place of worship (despite article 19 of Italian constitutions that states: “everyone have the right to profess their religious faith in any form).