Perception and reality of the Muslims presence and Islamophobia in Italy.

1. Comparing and Contrasting
Attitudes and Local Contexts:
Muslims and Islamophobia in Italy
Viviana Premazzi
Indipendent Researcher
Former Academic Director UCM and Research Fellow University of Turin

2. Objective of the paper
The paper has tried to answer the question whether
the rise of the Islamic fundamentalism in the world has
resulted in new forms of Islamophobia and
discrimination in the Italian society and if and how
Islamic communities have reacted to that,
considering the differences between the national and
the local level.

3. Muslims in
Europe
2016-2050
Muslims in Europe

4. Muslim migrants in Europe
*** The number of Muslim asylum seekers in legal limbo – i.e., those who already
have had or are expected to have their applications for asylum rejected – varies
substantially from country to country, largely because of differences in policies on
asylum, variation in the number of applications received and differing origins of
those migrants ***

5. One Islam, many groups
Ø Different national groups in different countries
Ø Different ways of living and practicing Islam based on
national origin, culture and traditions
Ø Different doctrinal schools
Ø Different social groups (new arrivals, asylum seekers, refugees;
First generation; Second generation; converts)

6. Perception vs reality

7. Muslim refugees as a major threat
´ Germany has been the primary
destination country for asylum seekers
from the Middle East between mid-2010
and mid-2016. Yet the share of people in
Germany who say “large numbers of
refugees from countries such as Iraq and
Syria” pose a “major threat” is among
the lowest of all European countries
surveyed (28%).
´ By contrast, majorities of the public in
Greece (67%), Italy (65%) and Poland
(60%) say large numbers of refugees
from countries such as Iraq and Syria
represent a “major threat,” even though
there are relatively few such asylum
seekers in these countries.

8. Stop migration from Muslim countries!

9. Islamophobia and anti-Muslim attitudes in
the European and Italian public opinion
• “Immigration and Insecurity” (Demos, 2017): 46% of interviewees “strongly
agree and/or agree” with the statement that “Immigrants are a threat for
public order and security.”
• Research by Voxdiritti on Twitter (2016) ranked Muslims as the fourth most
targeted group (6% of tweets) for intolerance. Epithets collected reflect the
classic negative image of Muslim: “Terrorists,” “Bedouin,” “Abdullah”,
“Moroccan” and “Vu cumprà.”
“compared to the pre-2001 period, when the social stigma would target
mainly the status of foreigner-immigrant, today direct target is becoming the
religious identity: in fact, immigrants end up crushed on their (presumed)
Muslim religious identity which is strictly linked to terroristic membership.” (Jo
Cox Ministerial Commission on Racism, 2017)

10. What is the reality?
3 big issues to be considered
´ Persistent effects of the economic crisis in Southern European
countries (unemployment, low salaries, expenditure cuts
affecting public services)
´ Terrorist attacks
´ “Refugee crisis”

12. Reactions of the Islamic communities
´ Exasperation and frustration
´ Public statements and initiatives to condemn violent
extremism (especially after the proclamation of the Islamic
State and the terrorist attacks in Europe)
´ Judge us here and now! (as individuals and associations)
´ Effective risk of radicalization (reactive identities to
islamophobia and discrimination and limbo for Muslim
asylum seekers)
´ Increasing collaboration at local level between religious
organizations, CSOs and local government

13. No to terrorism! Islam
is a peaceful religion
Official visit of the president of the
House of Representatives, Laura
Boldrini, to the mosque of Rome, on 17
October 2014.
Public statements condemning
extremism and dissociation of Islam
by violence

14. Initiatives at local level: Milan and Turin

15. Among the most affected by this
situation: Muslim Second Generations
Perception
´ Terrorist
´ No invasion
´ No ethnic/religious replacement
Reality
´ Still waiting for the reform of
citizenship
´ Still suffering discrimination at
school, in the job market, in the
society
´ Still waiting for Intesa (agreement
between Islam and Italian State,
“recognition of Islam”)

17. We against the Others, but who are We?
WE
Second
Generation
Muslims

18. Lack of citizenship, double standard,
islamophobia, discrimination… and then?
´ Emigration ´ Reactive identities, radicalization

19. Thank You!
Viviana Premazzi
e. viviana.premazzi@gmail.com
t. @VivianaPremazzi