ISLAM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

166 DIALOGUE AND INTEGRATION ROTARY - pages 38-45 MUSLIMCHRISTIANSDIALOGUE FOR A BETTERWORLD The mobility of people is a right that is now considered primary in every corner of the planet, and how it involves the necessary creation of intercultural relationships is certainly one of the hottest issues of the moment; Rotary International is well awa- re of how important this issue is and ad- dresses it through the "Service for Peace. Dialoguing to live together, what rules? In order to live together in a fruitful dialogue, we need to know each other; knowledge starts with truth, respect for others, and the ability to overcome prejudices. Redi- scovering one's identity, a term that is so- metimes used inappropriately, is a funda- mental affirmation to make oneself known and understood, never to prevail, to bring one's presence and knowledge across continents. Consider the immigrant first of all as a man with his own dignity, rights and duties. This is the starting point of the small contribution to the understanding of the Arab world, an important component of immigration in Italy, to reach a real and lasting peace in the Middle East. Cultural differences give rise to clo- sures to the host society Recent events, in Italy and elsewhere, have highlighted behaviours originated by immigrants of Arab origin, not ascribable to other immigrants, behaviours which at first sight are incomprehensible, but which have their origin in the social structure of Arab countries. In fact, the Arab, whether Christian or Muslim, is accustomed to li- ving in a mono-cultural environment. Emi- gration confronts him with diverse envi- ronments; the apparent absence of God in the West frightens him and drives him to shut himself away. The Muslim Arabs re- act by turning to the Islamic centres, which have been proliferated thanks to the finan- cing of Arab countries, thanks to the eco- nomic crisis; Islam thus becomes for many young immigrants the only clear reference point both on a cultural and religious level. The same happens for Christians who turn to their churches, with the difference that their religious root is common with that of the majority of Italians. The Muslim reli- gion, because of the frustration caused by its impact with a new type of mentality, re- presents an easy opportunity for identifica- tion and strong cohesion. Despite national frontiers, the concept of the umma (com- munity of Muslims) predominates in Mu- slim philosophy "a watchword launched by some authoritative voice at the right time can compact and lead back to close unity" (Card. Martini). In this context, Italy lacks a policy of acculturation that accompanies the immigrant in his or her insertion into Western society, preparing an adequate integration policy to accept the new citi- zens. The discourse is different regarding the idea of the "Ius soli", that is, those born in Italy from foreign parents, from the citi- zenship inherited from parents to the Ita- lian citizenship automatically recognized to those born here, it is good to establish the rules of the proposed automatism. The religious factor, human rights, educational actions in countries of emigration To understand the differences in attitude of Muslim immigrants compared to others, I highlight the religious factor. In the coun- try of origin, Muslim law affects the lives of families and people. By way of example, non-Muslims are not allowed to marry a