In 1982 a group of Italian converts to Islam and Muslim
immigrants living in Naples felt the need to create an
organization that could shape the Italian branch of the Islamic
Ummah and grant its fidelity to the 'aqidah of Ahl as-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah. During that period, in Italy there was no regular
organization that could help reaching such a goal, since the only
groups that claimed to be "Islamic" were depending on
bid'ah holder foreign sects, like Wahhabis and
Ikhwanu-l-Muslimun. After studying the milieu and getting
informed about the Italian acts dealing with cultural and
non-profit organizations, this group of Muslims decided to found
the "Italian Muslim Association". Its original legal seat was
in Naples, but was moved to Rome in 1985. The founders
unanimously decide to elect Shaykh 'Ali Mo'allim Hussen as
President. Shaykh 'Ali Mo'allim Hussen is an Italian citizen
coming from Somalia, a Qadi and Qari descending from Ahmad
al-Badawi as-Siddiqi and retired official of the Italian Army.
In 1986 the AMI Board of Governors was invited for hajj in
Saudi Arabia, and met the local "mufti" 'Abd al-'Aziz
Bin Baz. The Saudi Dar al-Ifta' suggested that AMI be registered
as a member of the organization called Rabitah al-'Alam
al-Islami, but the Board rejected such a proposal as contrary to
the interests of the Italian Muslims. Since the Rabitah is
notoriously a Wahhabi organization, the Board chose to be
completely independent from it, as well as from other foreign
governments or international Islamic organizations. The decision
was approved by the 1st General Assembly, held in Naples in 1984.
During this Assembly, Shaykh 'Ali presented a wide plan of
activities, and clarified - with Allah's help - that the AMI will
inspire its programs to moderateness and tolerance, and oppose
fanaticism and chauvinism. "Those who try to abuse religion
for political goals or for justifying sedition - he says - will
never find space among us". From the beginning, it was clear
that the formation and development of an Italian Muslim minority
would face problems like integration, differences in cultural
backgrounds etc.
While opposing those who claim that Islam and Western
civilization are self-contradictory, AMI thinks that the Western
world owes many of its peculiar features to an Islamic influence,
passing through the Latin translations of books by al-Ghazali,
Ibn Khaldun, Ibn Sina and Ibn Rushd. It also teaches that Western
democracies, implying the principle of neutrality of the State in
front of the religions and freedom for all sects, are the milieu
that better grant an integral practice of Islam. In conformity
with the doctrine of Ahl as-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah, AMI wanted its
member to strictly abide by the Italian civil and penal law, and
sponsors an increase in interfaith dialogue and cooperation with
the People of the Book. It has always been in good relations with
the Catholic Church, the Federation of the Italian Evangelical
Churches and the Italian Jewish Community.
In 1991, some AMI members founded in Rome the Cultural
Institute of the Italian Islamic Community (ICCII) whose goal is
to increase knowledge of Islamic sciences in Italy. On April 3,
1993 the AMI Board and the ICCII Direction assembled and decided
to unify the two organizations under a single set of articles. The two organizations have been cooperating
from the beginning, and also has common members; this decision of
unification was nevertheless accepted out of a request coming
from the Italian Government after the proposal of an agreement
between the State and the Islamic Community. A single
representation in front of the State was regarded as a necessary
step toward the preparation of bill on rights of Islam in Italy.
Art. 8 of the Italian Constitution says, "Religions are
equally free in front of the Law. Non-Catholic denominations can
ask for an agreement with the State". That means that, in
the Italian legal system, there is a basic difference between
"religion with an agreement" and "religion without
agreement". Apart from Catholicism, whose status is
regulated by Art. 7 and by a special act, the only denominations
having an agreement with the State are Protestantism and Judaism.
Religions without agreement are dealt under an act dating back to
the Fascist regime (1929) and are only granted the right of
"publicly or privately practice their rituals, on condition
they do not interfere with social morality or public order".
Islam in Italy is now the second largest religion in terms of
number of adherents, and AMI is interested in reaching an
agreement with the State as the only solution to granting Muslims
the rights they deserve. In 1993 it was decided to form a
"Commission for the agreement", who worked in
cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior to prepare the
text of a bill for the agreement.
During 1997 an AMI delegation introduced this text to the
Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic, Dr. Gaetano
Gifuni. The main activities realized by AMI and ICCII are:
conversions to Islam, marriages according to the Shari'ah,
reconciliation between husbands and wives, circumcisions, burial
services, courses of Arabic, courses on Islamic sciences and Quranic recitation, courses in spoken Italian for foreigners. The
two organizations cooperate in realizing radio and TV programs,
and actively participate in academic and interfaith conferences
and congresses, in Italy and abroad.
During the
summer of 2003, Shaykh 'Ali Hussen became affected by a serious form of diabetes
and his health weakened to the point he was not able to manage the Association.
Consequently, on August 9, 2003 he resigned from President of the Italian Muslim
Association. A certain Mr. Danilo Speranza, former New Age guru New Age of Maya
Association and self-proclaimed "psychologist", "politician" and "great
friend of Somalia" tried to benefit from the situation caused by Shaykh Hussen's
sickness. He joined the Association, published an "Essay on Islam" which only
proves his lack of competence, and arranged a meeting during which - against the
Statutes of the Association - he claimed to have become its new "President".
Acting beyond the back of the Secretary General and of most of the members of
the Board of Governors, he tried to change the traditional line of the
Association from support for the United Sates, for Israel and for democracy into
support form the mullahcracy of Iran. In order to separate their
responsibility from a person who was acting as a propagandist of a supposed
"democratic development" of the Iranian regime, the Secretary General and other
members of the Board decided to cut any possible relation with Mr. Speranza, and
resigned from the Association. On February 16, 2004 they met to establish a new
organization, the Italian Muslim Assembly, which immediately proclaimed its
solidarity with the oppressed people of Iran struggling against Khamene'i's and
Khatami's dictatorship, its fidelity to the original line of the Association and
its support to interfaith dialogue with adequate Jewish and Christian
counterparts.
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