Muslim Organizations in Contemporary Naples. a Matter of History

The first Muslim organization in Contemporary Naples was formed during the 1980s by Muslim students who had arrived in the city earlier in the decade for their university education. During this period, the Union of Muslim Students in Italy (Unione degli Studenti Musulmani in Italia - USMI), estabiloshed in Perugia in 1972, stood out as one of the most dynamic Muslim organization in Italy, with a primary emphasis on disseminating religious ideas, practices, and personnel across the country. The aim of this paper is to present finidings on the genesis of Muslim organizations in Contemporary Naples by assuming an historical perspective. Furthermore, the methodological approach will be discussed by paying attention to the Oral History and the Ethnography as the primary tools needed in absence of written source. More generally, the need to make History using sociological instruments will be a focus of the presentation.