If Italian Islam is to be discussed, then let converted Italians do it, always with the support of our foreign brothers. This is Yazan Villani’s statement, President of Italian Muslim National Association (ANMI) which includes converted Italians and mixed couples. The Association thinks that the time has come for an Italian Islam to come into being, managed by converted Italians that have a different point of view from a Muslim immigrant.
Therefore, the Association requires that the dialogue with State and Society is conducted by Muslim Italians based on diverse considerations on cultural and social background, with the support of Muslims of foreign origins.
As per the date of the Association, the vast majority of Mosques and Islamic Cultural Centers in Italy are managed by Muslims of foreign origins and the support of converted Italians is often simply formal and a matter of image. Actually, small and big names (except some rare cases) do not mention Italian names in their Executive Boards. This, the President concludes, prevents a linear developing of Italian Islam, while inclusion more than integration would be the most natural path, “travelling” with Muslims of the second generation that don’t usually have the same cultural distances of first generation immigrants, that on their side are still affected by their cultural background.
He states at the end of his declaration that being Muslim does not mean “getting arabised”. Our culture must not be repressed or put aside, because Islam does not destroy the cultures in the world but, on the contrary, includes them as a consistent part of itself in order to reach a better understanding among people and societies.
