Italian Muslims are praying in warehouses, parking lots, garages and even a former sex shop due to the lack of official mosques in the country – and they are not happy about it.

With just two mosques in the entire country, Muslims in Italy have had to find spots in warehouses, garages, parking lots, garages and even a former sex shops to offer their prayers, either individually or in congregations.



There are some 1.5 million Muslims in Italy, however, there are only two purpose-built mosques which are recognised by the government – in Rome and Milan.



Though there are a further five facilities that resemble mosques, but these are in fact cultural associations, said Nicoló Degiorgis, an Italian photographer who observed Muslims praying in the north-east for years. His efforts to document the travails of Muslims in Italy led to the creation of the award-winning photobook “Hidden Islam”.



Interestingly, this is in stark contrast to other European countries. For instance, Germany has 140 mosques possessing minarets and domes. The UK has around 200 purpose-built mosques.



While Judaism, Buddhism, Catholicism and Mormonism is formally recognised in Italy, Islam, which is the country’s second largest religion, does not enjoy similar status.



The furore over an art installation at the recent Venice Biennale saw a disused Catholic church transformed into a mosque, points towards the degree of apathy towards Muslims in Italy.



In April, Venice’s Santa Maria della Misericordia church, located in the Cannaregio district, was turned into a mosque. The artist behind it was Christoph Büchel, possessing Swiss and Icelandic nationality with an aim to use the controversial installation to show that no less than 2 million Muslims –living on the outskirts of the city – did not have a mosque of their own.



Causing uproar, the art piece compelled Venetian authorities to threaten to close down the facility. Fratelli d’Italia, a right-wing party, also protested outside the church-turned-mosque.



“I didn’t realise Muslims were using all these different kinds of spaces, it was surprising,” Degiorgis says, adding, “it caused Muslims great sadness and frustration”.



Pointing out the condition of the mosques, Imam Yahya Pallavicini, vice-president of the Islamic Religious Community in Italy, said: “We have just a few official mosques in the country and hundreds of Islamic centres, but many of these centres do not have the dignity or quality of an official place of worship. This is the reality.”



While Pallavicini admired the art piece, he also said that it gave an impression as if Muslims were not respectful of Italian culture.



“We need to find a solution which does not amplify people’s fears about Muslims,” he stressed.



It is noteworthy that in Venice, relations between the Muslim community and city’s authorities reportedly are good. But there can be no denying to the fact that Muslims have no choice but to pray in their flats or garages. The ‘nearest’ main Islamic centre in Marghera, situated on the mainland, is more than 10 kilometres away.



“We want our own place to pray,” articulated President of the Islamic Community of Venice, Mohamed Amin Al Ahdab. “Every day, Muslims come from all over the world to see Venice and they ask ‘Why don’t you have a mosque?”







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