Kisah Torquato Cardilli (First European Ambassador to Islam while in office)
About eight years ago, the Italian public was startled by the announcement of a staff of its embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Their ambassador, Torquato Cardilli, declare themselves as Muslims. Before Cardilli, actually existing European state officials who converted to Islam, namely the German Ambassador to Morocco, Murad Wilfried Hofmaan, and the United States Ambassador to Fiji, Nauru, Tonga, Tuvalu, Osman Siddique. However, they are converted to Islam before becoming ambassador, while Cardilli converted to Islam while serving as ambassador.
Not only the Italian public, Muslim communities in European countries were shocked. A number of international mass media at that time preaching Islam Cardilli. CNN and Reuters, for example, reported that Torquato Cardilli, a diplomat who was serving as Italy's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, revealed his decision to embrace Islam to Saudi newspapers. Cardilli Recognition were presented to coincide with the birthday-59.
In news that was launched on 26 November 2001, CNN and Reuters mentions, it is the second time that happened in the last seven years, in which a government emissary of Rome to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia moved to the religious beliefs of Islam. Previously, Cardilli colleague who was also the Italian ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the period 1994-1995, Mario Scialoja, declare Islam. Scialoja now serves as chairman of the Islamic Cultural Center of Italy.
According to CNN and Reuters, Cardilli officially converted to Islam on 16 November 2001. However, Arab News said that the Italian ambassador to Islam precisely on 15 November 2001, the day before the coming of the holy month of Ramadan.
Islamic studies classes Prior to Islam, men born in L'Aquila, 24 November 1942, is known to often follow Islamic studies classes organized by the Batha Center, an agency that handles the prospective converts. "He (Cardilli-Red) often follow the Koran study classes and the study of Islamic culture," says Nouh bin Nasser, director of The Batha Center, told the French news agency AFP.
At the agency coaching converts, Cardilli expressed his desire to convert to Islam and read two sentences before the creed management and members of The Batha Center. "There, he read fluently creed as it was already known since a long time," he said. Nouh explained, Cardilli converted to Islam with sincerity and conscience without coercion from any quarter. "There is no compulsion at all. He converted to Islam with his own consciousness. Islam never force anyone to embrace Islam, "he explained.
Nouh revealed that on average three to four people a day come to The Batha Center to convey his desire to convert to Islam. That amount, according to him, rose up to five people during Ramadan. Arab News reported, as many as 20 similar institutions are also operating in Riyadh and other cities in the territory of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Cardilli the graduate faculty of language and cultural studies east of Naples University has spent most of his diplomatic career in Muslim countries. It is also the possibility of him being close to Islamic teachings and culture.
Cardilli who is fluent in Arabic began his diplomatic career in 1967. He has been assigned as a diplomat for several Middle Eastern countries, including Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Tanzania, and Albania. Since 2000, he was appointed Italy's ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
In its official statement, the father of two children's expressed his happiness after becoming a Muslim. Conversion, he said, he decided with confidence and without pressure and coercion from anyone. He felt the sanctity of the womb are often read the Koran when he was still embraced the Catholic religion. "I feel this is the religion right and straight. Quran is very amazing and no one could doubt it. The contents is truly awesome, "he explained.
Perhaps, in the three countries that a significant number of Muslims, such as Germany, Britain, and France, public figures who converted to Islam more and more common. However, Italy has its own sensitivity value, especially because in Italy there is a center of world Catholicism, the Vatican. Therefore, natural that a number of alarming Islamic preacher Cardilli would be a bad precedent for the country.
Today, Muslims recorded the second largest religion in Italy. Italy last official statistics, namely in 2005, mentions that the number of Muslims living in Italy is estimated at between 960 thousand to 1 million people. About 40 thousand to 60 thousand of whom are Italian nationals.
Inauguration of the 1973 Islamic Center is an important event for the creation of dialogue between Muslims and non-Muslims in Italy. In 1999, then established Islamic Council. No less than four thousand mosques have stood there, including former church building. Of course, the biggest is the Great Mosque of Rome
