ISLAM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

69 ISLAM: OBJECTIVE ITALY For Giuseppe Samir Eid, Egyptian, in Milan for many years, there is a specific plan out there with the objective of Islamizing our country. Giuseppe Samir Eid, born in Egypt to parents of Syrian-Lebanese origin, has lived in Italy for forty years. His story is a singular one: he married a Marzotto of Val- dagno, he is a business management con- sultant, collaborates with the Ambrosian Centre of Documentation for Reli- gions and has published several volumes including Christians and Muslims towards 2000 (Pauline) and Islam: History, Faith and Culture (The School). "I met my wife Clotilde, from Veneto, in London, where I was specialising in the economic control of companies, whilst she was perfecting the lan- guage. After the first ye- ars of falling in love, the main issue we had was that of cultural and mentality difference: she was financially independent and had a strong personality, which hardly fits the education once recei- ve in an Arab country. There was no re- ligious problem, however, since we were both Catholics. Has the contribution of non-EU workers become indispensable for the Italian eco- nomy? Samir Eid: Considering the social cost of immigration, without socio-economic planning and a clear strategy, in the long term, I believe that it is more convenient for Italy to make a policy that encourages the Italian unemployed to take on the jobs delegated to others. Furthermore, bearing in mind that the immigrant comes from a poor state and through their work contri- butes to enriching a richer state, the ove- rall result is an increase in the economic gap between rich and poor countries. In your opinion, is Islam willing to integrate? Islamic immigration in Italy represen- ts about a third of the legal immigrants. Islamic centres could play a fundamen- tal role in improving in- tegration in the country of adoption and act as a bridge between the two shores of the Mediterra- nean; instead, some of them are an expression of fundamentalism. They declare the superiority of the Muslim religion over all the others and have a project for Italy: to intro- duce Islam in the country. Kabul is not that far; it is only 6 thousand kilome- tres away from Italy: a small Kabul is already inside our cities. Habits and customs im- ported from the Middle East, outdated and now abandoned in the great cities of the Arab world, are presented as cultural and religious foundations. The ignorance and perhaps the excess of protection of civil liberties of our opinion makers make such habits and customs accepted under the cover of religious freedom. Could Europe's freedom of opinion and choice present an opportunity for Muslims to reflect and debate in order to put inner conversion before prohibition? It is an opportunity for Christians and Muslims of mutual spiritual enrichment.