ISLAM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

175 eking parallel solutions in the countries of origin of the immigrants. In the immediate future, the integration of a short or long stay is not yet known. Reception centres In Italy the majority of the centres are run by Christian-inspired associations, in the belief that these structures can be- come a living laboratory, where the co- existence of different faiths and cultures under one roof is an important opportu- nity for mutual understanding. The rap- prochement between different cultural worlds, made possible by the reception centres, would make it easier for young immigrants to live together and integra- te into our society. Setting an example of mutual respect and freedom of religious practice on an equal footing could help to blunt the religious fanaticism present in Muslim-majority countries, making an important contribution to the freedom of the Churches of the Middle East Those responsible for the centres It emerges what a moral and historical re- sponsibility lies with those who run immi- grant shelters. They have the important commitment to carry out their task to the end, in full awareness of the consequen- ces of their activity. But for this to happen it is necessary to consider the immigrant as a person, as a whole. If this is under- stood, then it becomes important to of- fer material assistance to those in need. But all this must not make us forget the primary purpose of reception: to provide spiritual help, to ensure that love and fra- ternity reign in communities, to give a wi- tness of humanity to one's guests, to seek opportunities for conversation in which to communicate to those who have been welcomed the reasons for what is being done and the aims of the reception cen- tre. Cultural integration cannot be consi- dered a secondary problem to that of ma- terial assistance. The two aspects must be co-presented, otherwise there is a risk that refugees will falsely think that the re- ception centres are welfare agencies as places which, in return for the assistance provided, actually aim at proselytism. Cultural integration The question of dialogue between diffe- rent civilizations and mentalities cannot, however, be left exclusively to volunteers. Faced with this urgency, the institutions must also play their part. At the political level, attention is paid to the problems arising from the increase in the flow of migrants, while little or nothing is done for the cultural integration of the immigrant refugee into our society. An erroneous conception of the secularity of the state leads us not to touch upon arguments that have to do with religion in the public sphe- re. On the contrary, the religious aspect represents for every Arab, in this case I am thinking of the Syrians, a natural di- mension of life, it is an integral part of his identity, whether he professes the Chri- stian faith or belongs to the Muslim com- munity. To deny those who come to our country from such distant cultural back- grounds minimal information about this Western culture is tantamount to promo- ting a one-sided insertion into our society. The importance of an action that makes immigrants aware of the foundations on which European societies are founded would then be accentuated by the pos- sibility of becoming the spark capable of triggering the process of opening up the watertight compartments that exist to- day between Europe and the Arab world, between Christians and Muslims and, at the same time, could represent a strong incentive for concrete measures to be taken capable to blunt the phenomenon of religious fanaticism that is fed today by some Islamic institutional seats. Gre- ater vigilance in this sense seems more