A Silent Quest for New Shīʿa Religious Leaders in Italy

Abstract

The special tie between Shīʿas and their religious authority ignites curiosity about the probable evolution of this relationship in a non-Islamic milieu. This paper aims to analyse why the conventional forms of the Shīʿa authority does not suit the life condition in Italy and why there is an implicit demand for new Shīʿa leaders. The answer is given through a two-year empirical research on the Shīʿas’ life in the peninsula. Two factors are deemed responsible of this inadequacy: first, the definition and expectations of the Italian society of the Islamic authority, and second, the Shīʿas’ exigencies that are not met in their relations with the traditional authority.

When Space Is to Be Shared

“…Herbert has argued that publicisation leads to a structural transformation of religious authority. It has been claimed that transnational aspects of conventional Shiʿa authority have impeded relations with non-Muslim society, thereby creating a demand for new types of Shiʿa leaders (Mirshahvalad, 2020). In Denmark, this development is evident in the Imam Ali Mosque, which has a leadership of three: Sayyid M. Khademi, who is the overall leader of the mosque and who (unlike many other Muslim leaders in Denmark) is salaried and has a permanent residence permit.…”