The Muslims in European Prisons: Religious Instances, Management of Diversity and Prevention Policies of Radicalization in Italian Penitentiary Institutes

It cannot be denied that religious assistance is ordinarily practiced in European prisons and spaces are granted for prayer to all, whatever their beliefs. However - this also applies to other state agencies - when a new religion like Islam is a candidate to find a place in the life of the institutions, the answer tends not to be that of an effective availability to question the rules of the game. It may be asked whether, questioning the model of diversity management by its very presence and claiming stance, Islam does not usefully contribute to highlight the limits of policies that operate only through narrow adjustments, often subordinating the specific of the prison to the effects of security concerns and narratives, spread in the media as well as in political rhetoric, that associate Islam and terrorism. In light of this question, the essay intends to reconstruct, starting from the results of a multi-year research, the characteristics of the Muslim presence in Italian prisons, aiming to illustrate the current state of religious assistance and the role of the Muslim associations of the territory. We will also analyze the effects induced on the prison organization by negotiations between Muslim prisoners and the penitentiary institution and by the latter's speeches and interventions on the issue of prevention and combating violent radicalization and jihadist proselytism.