Islam: Sources, Principles and Fundamentals

From a historical point of view, we can speak of a relative re-emergence of Islām in Italy in modern times, following the migratory flows from various countries of the Islamic world – in particular from the 1970s onwards. Today it is the second religion in almost all European countries. If initially migration was primarily linked to a study and/or the job search, with the consolidation of an Islamic presence and the establishment of families, the need to express and make visible one’s Islamic identity in the public space, together with the need to transmit cultural and religious values to the second generations, has become increasingly common. The contribution, therefore, will seek to illustrate – alongside the historical-contextual and doctrinal aspects – some distinctive elements of a civilisation that all too often is exclusively linked with precarious political situations, and even with endemic conflict. At the same time, considering the role that religions are returning to play in the public arena and the discussions related to this phenomenon, an approach is proposed which brings us closer to the essential core of the Muslim faith and how this belief is lived and manifested in the daily lives of the faithful. The aim is also to enhance the intercultural and inter-religious aspects that the interaction and relationship with the “other” entails, in a discussion that respects differences, based on dialogue and mutual understanding.