'Immune Italy' is a safety valve for Europe

Italy is an important frontier in southern Europe. It receives a large number of migrants who search for a life better than the one they used to lead back home. A large number of students from North Africa and Asia also travel to Italy for study.

All this makes Italy more vulnerable to the terrorist threat. The Italian government took a number of precautionary measures as a result. It passed a series of legislation to tighten the noose around suspected terrorists.

The same measures are paying off, which is why Italy enjoys more security than other European states do. Italy was also the scene of the smallest number of terrorist attacks.

Brotherhood in Italy

Islamist presence started to be made in Italy as of the 1970s. This presence also started to assume an institutionalized form through student federations. The first Muslim student federation appeared in the city of Perugia which receives the largest number of foreign students.

Italy passed a law by the end of the 1980s that allowed migrants and foreigners to live and work in the country. Muslim Brotherhood members started to immigrate to Italy in Large numbers after the 192 revolution in Egypt. It formed its first branch in Rome then. The branch was called "the Union of Communities and Islamic Organizations in Italy".  

Like it did everywhere else in Europe, the Brotherhood tried to impose its will on the Muslim community in Italy.

Muslim Brotherhood leaders especially escaped Egypt after the group was accused of masterminding an attempt on the life of revolutionary leader Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1954. Most of these leaders headed to the Arab Gulf and Europe.

The International Organization of the Muslim Brotherhood established its headquarters in Germany. The organization then established branches in most European states.

Union of Communities and Islamic Organizations in Italy

The Federation of Islamic Organizations established a branch in Italy in 1990. The new entity was called "the Union of Communities and Islamic Organizations in Italy". It controlled most of Italy's mosques. The new body was headed by Syrian national Mohamed Nour Dashan.

The union branches that looked much like the mother Muslim Brotherhood organization in Egypt, especially when it comes to internal organization. The new branches had sections for women and others for youth. The union had more than 100 societies operating under its umbrella.

Shiite organizations

Iran's attempts to spread the Shiite faith worldwide increased after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Italy was among the countries where Iran tried to spread this faith. Shiites opened the Al al-Bait Islamic Society in the same year the Union of Communities and Islamic Organizations in Italy was established. Ammar De Martino, an Italian national who converted to Shiite Islam, was instrumental in the founding of the Shiite society. The new society established several branches under the name "Ayatollah al-Mahdi". These branches were dedicated for spreading the principles of the Iranian revolution.

The Islamic European Center, which is run by the Iranian embassy, is headquartered in Rome. The center is responsible for coordinating the affairs of the Shiite faith in Italy. It publishes a magazine, called "New World". It also issues several other publications about the Shiite faith.

Jihadist thinking

In drawing in recruits to found its presumed caliphate, the terrorist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) organization especially focused on sympathizers in Europe. ISIS also called on its sympathizers to stage lone-wolf attacks in Europe, in its bid to move its battles out of Iraq and Syria. By these attacks, the organization sought to prove its universal appeal.

Some ISIS followers launched terrorist attacks in Rome, the center of Catholic Christianity. ISIS also worked to use Muslim migrants in executing attacks. Nonetheless, the proficiency of Italian security and intelligence agencies made them capable of sabotaging many of the attacks. These agencies acquired this proficiency over years of action.

Preventive measures

Italian authorities issued a number of judiciary decisions that succeeded in tightening the noose around suspected terrorists. These measures had paid off and caused Italy to be immune from terrorist attacks.

In October 2001, the Italian government adopted tough anti-terrorist legislation. The issuance of this legislation followed the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington. It allowed Italian authorities to eavesdrop on phone conversations for the first time. It also allowed the authorities to arrest those who promote or found terrorist organizations.

In February 2015, the Italian issued a new law that sought to curb the flow of foreign fighters. The law criminalized participation in conflicts outside Italy by Italian nationals.

In March 2017, Italian authorities formed a special group to closely examine the files of suspected individuals, using the internet in promoting terrorist ideas.

Combating terrorism funding

Soon after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, the Italian government formed a financial security panel at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs. The panel works to prevent financing for terrorist organizations from outside Italy.

Italy also is active in a number of international organizations whose main job is to combat terrorism funding.