For Islam, Italian Style

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ITALY Over the past decade, Islam has become Italy's second-largest religion — yet it has never achieved official government recognition. But now Italian Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu is launching negotiations with Muslim leaders that would sanction religious holidays, schools, weddings and the right to receive state funding. In an interview with TIME, Pisanu revealed plans to convene an "Islamic Italian Council" of Muslim leaders, echoing recent efforts in France. Though Islam is Italy's fastest-growing religion, the vast majority of the country's 1 million-plus Muslims are immigrants, and only about 50,000 can vote.

Pisanu wants to reduce the influence of Arab and North African nations in Italy's Islamic community. "We want an Italian Islam," he told Time, "not an amalgam of mosques that operate as centers of prayer and political propaganda, and often depend on financing from foreign countries." Though most Islamic leaders back the initiative, Hamza Piccardo, a prominent Italian convert, is suspicious. "We would be coming from a position of weakness," he said. "There is no unifying voice, and our electoral weight is still not strong enough." That could position Pisanu as arguably the most powerful voice in Italy's Islamic affairs. — By Jeff Israely/Rome