Islamic terrorism in Italy

Prof. Leonardo Losito Foreign and the Security Policy of Italy CC 2012

Introduction During last 20 years, Italy has become an immigrant country. ra!ids economic

de"elo!ment has increased a significant demand for foreign labor, resulting in the a!!earance of the minority grou!s #ith the substantial number of $uslims #ho are no# the second largest religious community in Italy. Italian $uslims came from different !arts of the #orld, use different languages, they belong to different ethnic grou!s #ith different social bac%ground and legal status. $uslim communities in Italy are s!read out throughout the country from Sicily to Lombardi and it is Islam #ho &uite often 'oin them.1 ccording to the recent statistics they are a!!ro(imately )00,000 $uslims li"ing in the country #ith *0,000 of them #ho are Italian citi+ens. !!ro(imately ,00,000 ha"e the legal right to reside and #or% in Italy and the rest are -illegal immigrants..2 Concentrated in the ma'or urban areas, religious, social and cultural centers #ere !rimarily financed by Saudi rabia #hat !artly resulted in !o!ulari+ation of an orthodo( /ahhabi0Salafi inter!retation of Islam #ithin those communities. Some of the smaller grou!s ha"e ado!ted Salafi01ihadi !rinci!les and transformed themsel"es into a militant cells.2 Islamic terrorist networks in Italy 3he !rocess of radicali+ation and the recruiting for Islamic terrorist net#or%s started #ith some urban mos&ues en"ironment #here militant imams #ere attracting follo#ers and !resenting them clear and sim!le messages, !laying on their emotions, guiding them through the #orld full of cons!iracy theories. 4ecently, because of the antiterrorist actions underta%en by the Italian authorities, the agitation, recruitment and follo# u! acti"ities mo"ed to the !ro"incial to#ns #here small communities and less !olice could co"er u! for their actions.5 lthough Italian la# grants an e&ual status to all !eo!le, one can easily find the !roof of discrimination under the la# is often addressed to $uslims. 6ne of the substantial e(am!le is
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1% of the total population and 36% of the total immigrant community, at www.euro-islam.info/pages/Italy.html Muslim ear!oo" In #urope $ol. 1, 2%%& www.memri.org/!in/articles.cgi

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(limpo, )uido, *Italy and Islamic Militancy+ ,rom -ogistic !ase to .otential target/, 0errorism Monitor $ol. 3, 22 1eptem!er 2%%2

em!loyment discrimination as $uslims are usually offered a lo#7s%illed !ositions des!ite enough !rofessional and language &ualifications. Some of the research indicated that immigrants are usually charged higher a"erage rents than nati"es. Studies also sho# that ma'ority of Italians are accusing $uslims of being fanatic fundamentalists su!!orting terrorism. Some !ercentage of Italians consider $uslims as -religious fundamentalists and fanatics. #ho li"e under the -cruel and barbaric la#s..* Some of those beliefs are su!!orted by res!ectable anti7$uslim intellectuals, li%e 6riana Fallaci, #riter and !olitical inter"ie#er. $any Italians share her !oint of "ie# #ith regard to Islam and although she #as con"icted in the court for incitement to hatred in Italy, her boo% #as sold in 1,* million co!ies., Some of the !oliticians from the ruling coalition !arties #ere trying to introduce a ban on building of ne# mos&ues and raising a &uestion of bur%as #earing. 3he e"ents of 8011 and the bombings in $adrid and London had an immense im!act on Italian legislation and ha"e s!ar%ed a !olitical discourse on ho# to confront the threat of terrorism. 3he ne# la#s of 200202002 9:ossi7Fini La#; #idely critici+ed by $uslim organi+ations, ha"e added a ne# im!ulse to the acts of discrimination and intolerance against $uslims in the country. 3he lac% of trust and increased hostilities might create an atmos!here of radicali+ation of ne# $uslim generation.) lthough it is difficult to !recisely determine the causes of the emergence of Islamist terrorism in Italy, some social !re7conditions li%e identity crisis, racism and stigmati+ation of $uslims along #ith e(ternal triggers 9arm struggles in :osnia, Chechnya, fghanistan and Ira&; may hel! to understand the attractions of Islamic radical doctrines.< /hen Italian authorities began to sus!ect Islamic terrorist to set u! a net#or% in the country, they soon disco"ered that $ilanese cell, !rimarily consisted of the fled =gy!tians, has ra!idly e(!anded com!rising much more >orth fricans 9 lgerians and $oroccans mainly;. :eing in constant touch #ith terrorists li%e yman al7?a#ahiri 9second in7command in l7@aeda net#or%; they #ere !rofiting from ItalyAs geogra!hical !osition, fle(ible immigration la#s, !ossibilities to ta%e u! a 'ob #ithout !ro!er credentials to set u! an
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0he 3etwor" on comparati4e research on Islam and Muslims In #urope, at www.euro-islam.info/pages/Italy.html i!id 6orera, )ordon, *Marginali7ed Muslims cause concern/, 11 March 2%%2, at http+//news.!!c.co.u"/2/hi/europe/'3'%312.stm 9i"torowic7, :uintan, *;adical Islam ;ising+ Muslim #<tremism In the 9est/, ;owman = -ittlefield, 2%%2

o!erational attracti"e logistic base. 3he Italian intelligence agencies disco"ered soon that the recruitment !rocess and the !roduction of false documents for the net#or%s rose &uic%ly and that the Islamic terrorist cells in Italy #ere connected #ith other terrorist net#or%s in =uro!e 9Bermany and CD;. 3herefore, Italian !olice began to react in force arresting the most dangerous sus!ects, ta%ing them to the court and gi"ing !rison sentences. From this moment on, the recruitment !rocess for terrorist cam!s in >orthern Ira& initiated after 8011 has slo# do#n. From the terrorist !oint of "ie#, Italy is a "ery attracti"e target. successful attac% could not only threaten the country stability but #ould !ush the Italians go"ernment to reconsider the !rinci!les of its foreign !olicy and to !ut Italy into a conflicting !osition against CS, its close ally. ctually, 12,000 identified targets are !ermanently safeguarded by more than 20 thousand !olice officers and soldiers all o"er the country 9embassies, military bases, historic landmar%s etc.;. 8 Italian Islamic terrorist cells are loosely organi+ed #ith a core staff of a fe# !eo!le #ho lin%ed them to other indi"iduals in the country and abroad. Csually those cells are associated #ith a larger terrorist organi+ation and they consist e(clusi"ely of the immigrants from $=> region 93unisian, $oroccan and lgerian; #hich is a uni&ue situation in =uro!e. 3hose members are male only, coming into the country as immigrants 9both legal and illegal; usually #ithout families and being relati"ely young 92*72* years old;. 3hey ha"e chosen Italy as an entry !oint because of its strategic location in =uro!e and much more tighten immigration la#s in France, CD and S!ain. 3hey #ere o!erating in Italy out of created -fortress +ones. #here a net#or% of reliable loo%7out #as !rotecting the area near the safe houses.10 Initially the radical Islamist net#or%s #ere financed countries in the $iddle =ast, mainly Saudi rabia and the Cnited rab =mirates channeled through $= ban%s and charities. Since 8011 Islamists ha"e changed tactics and all those donations are brought in !arts by couriers. t the same time Italian cells started the fund raising on their o#n and became the ban%ers for the rest of =uro!ean net#or%s. 3hey ha"e got in"ol"ed into illegal and criminal acti"ities in order to secure additional financing for their o#n o!erations 9smuggling !eo!le into the country and beyond, drug dealing, robberies, sale of counterfeit goods;. nother source of financing has been the !roduction and distribution of forged documents such as I.D. cards,
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www.euro-islam.info/pages/Italy.html 3esser, .eter, *.rofiles of >ihadist 0errorists In #urope/, ;?3@ Initiati4e on Middle #astern outh, 1eptem!er 2%%2

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!ass!orts, "isas, #hich #ere su!!lied to Islamist o!erati"es throughout =uro!e and #orld#ide. Some of those documents #ere later reco"ered from militants %illed in security o!erations in Ira&, fghanistan, $orocco and $alaysia.11 3he !rinci!al radical Islamic grou!s o!erating in0from Italy are the follo#ingE F $oroccan Islamic Combatant Brou! F nsar al7Islam 9Durdish; F 3he rmed Islamic Brou! F l7@aeda in the $aghreb F 3he =gy!tian BamaAa F 3he =gy!tian 1ihad F Gi+b ut73ahir F lgeriaAs Salafist Brou! for Preaching and Combat 9BSPC; F lgerian Islamic Liberation Front 3hey are all loosely organi+ed net#or%s, coo!erating #ith terrorist cells in other countries. $ost of them are in"ol"ed in su!!ort for terrorist o!erations in other countries by !ro"iding recruits and fund in Italy. lthough, some li%e BSPC, the most dangerous one, are !lanning terrorist o!erations in Italy. 3he general relationshi! bet#een BSPC net#or% in Italy and other radical o!erati"es in =uro!e is used in 'oint logistical su!!ort, #ea!on mo"ement, communications and !ro!aganda issues, enabling terrorists cells to !lan acti"e o!erations in the countries of their residence.12 6ne of the #ays to recruit follo#ers is the use of the situation in Italian !risons, #here the acti"ities of radical fundamentalists leads to the radicali+ation of the $uslim inmates, &uite often by embracing fundamentalist Islamic beliefs. Se"eral studies indicate that !risons are becoming uni"ersities for terrorists. 6fficial statistics sho# that more than 20 !ercent of the Italian !rison !o!ulation are foreigners and $uslims stand for a large !ercentage. >umber of $uslims im!risoned !ro"ide a !otential recruiting ground for radical imams and hard7core

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(limpo, )uido, *Italy and Islamic Militancy+ ,rom -ogistic !ase to .otential target/, 0errorism Monitor $ol. 3, 22 1eptem!er 2%%2
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Aaahr-#scolano, Bathryn, *)1.6 In Italy. 0he ,orward Case of >ihad in #urope/, >amestown ,oundation, 0errorism Monitor, ,e!ruary 2%%6

militants. It is clearly understood that today, !risons are a !erfect !lace for initial recruitment and radicali+ation of ne# members. 12 3he Italian terrorist net#or%s, similar to other countries are ma%ing an e(tensi"e use of the internet resources for indoctrination and !ro!aganda. 3he do#nloaded materials 9audio and "ideo files, sermons, communi&uHs, !oetry, songs, martyrAs testimonies, Doranic readings, recorded suicide bombings from different countries; is than used in order to recruit ne# belie"ers and for radicali+ation !ur!oses. $any of those files called for a destruction of Israel, others attac%ed 1e#s and Christians, more as%ed follo#ers to stage a hole #ar against infidels. 3here #ere also files com!rising of "ery detailed technical instructions on ho# to built e(!losi"e suitcases and e&ui!ment meant for suicide attac%s. Some of the materials reco"ered by the Italian !olice re"ealed a bomb ma%ing manuals and radical Islamic !ro!aganda intended to 'ustify the 1ihad and to encourage $uslims to 'oin the acti"ely fighting grou!s and to su!!ort brothers held in Italian !risons.15 Counter-terrorism measures lthough, Italy is !roud of its historical record of fighting domestic terrorism, as #ell as the organi+ed crime, it can hel! to counter the ne# challenges !resented by Islamic radical terrorism. It re&uires from the Italian authorities to coo!erate both bilaterally and internationally #ith similar la# enforcement agencies #orld#ide and maintaining an initiati"e against locally based terrorist net#or%s. ItalyAs counter7terrorism agenda consists of the follo#ing elementsE F >e# anti7terrorism la# F Cse of sur"eillance and ne# technology tools in collecting the intelligence data on recruitment o!erations F Pre7em!ti"e raids on a large scale F tougher stance against radical imams F Im!ro"ed international coo!eration against terrorism In addition to these o!erational measures, the authorities ha"e recogni+ed the im!ortance of
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9il"inson, 0racy, DIn a .risonEs Aell. ? 6all to Islam/, -? 0imes, (cto!er 2%%2 Cordonaro, ,rederico, DItalian 1ecurity and .otencial 0errorist 0argets/, 0errorism Monitor, $ol. 3, 1eptem!er 2%%2

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the role of dialogue bet#een $uslims and the Italian !o!ulation in order to increase the mutual understanding 9both social and cultural; using this #ay to limit the chances for radical Islam to !romote its !ro!aganda and to recruit the follo#ers.1* Conclusion In Italy the gro#ing !o!ulation of $uslims has to fight #ith the discrimination and hatred as they are not and !robably ne"er #ill be entirely assimilated. 3he fact that Italian go"ernment is constantly searching for terrorist sus!ect is only increasing the discontent and feeling of re'ection among $uslim communities thereby increasing the !ossibility of the need of re"enge. It might also !ush many $uslims into the hands of radical organi+ation as they might be feeling that the go"ernment actions are for#arder against the #hole $uslim community in Italy. Such a rough a!!roach raises &uestions among $uslims #hether collaborating #ith the authorities is not fighting against their o#n !eo!le. $oreo"er, the de!ortation !rocess of !ossible radical Islamic terrorist does not change their ideals and only ma%es it easier for them to carry out their !lans abroad. lso, if sus!ects ne"er intended to become terrorists and are #rongly accused, then it might only increase their hatred for Italy and !ossibly !ush them to 'oin an e(tremist Islamic organi+ation. Italy is still young in the field of fighting terrorism and many ideas ha"e to be ad'usted. 3he balance bet#een indi"idual freedom and national security needs to be %e!t in order to #in the #ar #ith the terrorists. It is too early to say #hether Italy is effecti"e enough to #in this #ar, but it is e"ident that the threat is real and there is no time left for mista%es.

Bibliography: Books:
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http+//www.esteri.it/M?#/#3/.oliticaF#stera/0emiF)lo!ali/-ottaF0errorismo/

1. :ordonaro, Frederico, -Italian Security and Potencial 3errorist 3argets., 3errorism $onitor, Iol. 2, Se!tember 200* 2. Gaahr7=scolano, Dathryn, JBSPC In Italy. 3he For#ard :ase of 1ihad in =uro!e., 1amesto#n Foundation, 3errorism $onitor, February 200, 2. $uslim Kearboo% In =uro!e Iol. 1, 2008 5. >esser, Peter, JProfiles of 1ihadist 3errorists In =uro!e., 4 >D Initiati"e on $iddle =astern Kouth, Se!tember 200* *. 6lim!o, Buido, JItaly and Islamic $ilitancyE From Logistic base to Potential target., 3errorism $onitor Iol. 2, 22 Se!tember 200* ,. /i%toro#ic+, @uintan, J4adical Islam 4isingE $uslim =(tremism In the /est., 4o#man L Littlefield, 200* ). /il%inson, 3racy, -In a PrisonAs Gell. Websites: 1. Corera, Bordon, J$arginali+ed $uslims cause concern., 11 $arch 200*, at htt!E00ne#s.bbc.co.u%020hi0euro!e0525021*.stm 2. htt!E00###.esteri.it0$ =0=>0PoliticaM=stera03emiMBlobali0LottaM3errorismo0 2. ###.euro7islam.info0!ages0Italy.html 5. ###.memri.org0bin0articles.cgi Call to Islam., L 3imes, 6ctober 200*