Public Policies, Family Capital and Social Stratification in the Civic Engagement of Young Muslims in Italy

Since at least the 1980s and more concretely since the 1990s, Islamic organisations in Italy have sprung up mainly thanks to the commitment of the first generations of immigrants, especially from the Maghreb, the Middle East and Bangladesh. Over time, their activities have diversified: integration of newcomers, spiritual assistance, care of community relations and places of worship, interreligious and inter-institutional dialogue. However, with the transition of second generations to adolescence and adulthood, the needs have changed. Religious, cultural and linguistic transmission in the diaspora is now a widespread concern among Islamic communities born of migration.

Local case studies suggest that an open associative climate and public policies of recognition and inclusion can facilitate a virtuous process of youth civic and religious engagement, thereby generating social capital for the benefit of the wider community. However, this new cohort of engaged youth seems to involve above all the more affluent and established segments of the population, those who could rely on family cultural, social, and economic capitals. They represent a religiously and civically aware élite, raised in a cosmopolitan, tolerant and plural context and today fully integrated into the professional world, from arts to entrepreneurship and politics.

Besides this generational leadership, and despite their efforts and investments, Islamic FBOs in Italy do not seem to succeed in involving young people from the most marginalised neighbourhoods or social strata, who are among the most exposed to the effects of social disintegration and to the risks of religious or political radicalisation, and therefore most in need of intervention.