Italy.. Ramadan atmosphere breathes a sigh of relief after the decline of “Corona”

Muslims in Italy celebrate Ramadan this year in an atmosphere in which they breathe a sigh of relief after easing the strict precautionary restrictions imposed by the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus in the past two years, so prayers have returned to mosques and group Iftar sessions with the obligation to wear masks.

Estimates indicate that the number of Italian Muslims ranges between two million and six hundred thousand, to two million and eight hundred thousand, and they come from 60 or more countries, including about one million and 300 thousand who obtained Italian citizenship.

Muslims are concentrated in Italy in northern cities, especially industrial areas, and Rome, the capital, includes 100,000 Muslims.

In the capital, Rome, there is the Great Mosque, which is the largest in Italy, with an area of ​​more than 30,000 square metres, and includes a cultural center.
Regarding the life of Muslims in Italy, Sheikh Hamza Piccardo said that their society is “very diverse, with people from more than 60 countries, but their rituals in Ramadan are not much different from some of them or from the rest of the Muslims of the world.”

With regard to Ramadan after the Corona crisis receded, Picardo told Sky News Arabia: “We spent Ramadan during the year 2020 in a state of complete closure, and therefore one could not even go to the mosque. In 2021 we were able to go, but with the presence of distance, We thank God that this year there is no longer a problem of distance, and mosques have returned to normal and are filled with people, and this is in light of the necessary security measures.”
One of the positive aspects of Ramadan, according to Piccardo, is that “the life of the Muslim family changes in that it meets more frequently, not everyone eats alone, but everyone breaks the fast and breaks the fast together, and family and friends gather, and communication between Muslims is renewed.”

Ramadan in Italy usually witnesses collective iftar sessions in squares and streets, the most famous of which is what the city of Turin witnesses, including what was described as the largest group breakfast, and it was prepared by agreement between the city’s mosques and Islamic associations, and it accommodated hundreds of people, including those who pass by in the street.
In turn, a member of the Islamic community in Milan, Omar Abdel Aziz, spoke to Sky News Arabia, describing the Ramadan atmosphere in Italy, saying: “Muslims spend the month of Ramadan at work as usual, and in the evening we meet in the mosque to pray, and we share supplications and spirituality specific to the holy month, which creates rapprochement between friends. and relatives.”

Abdel Aziz indicated that in Italy, “there are no manifestations in the streets that express the month of Ramadan, but mosques are decorated, as in Arab countries, in addition to reading the Qur’an and praying Tarawih, so that those who approach them feel the joyful atmosphere.”