La moschea, i giovani, le baracche. Note etnografiche sulla presenza musulmana a Messina

In common discourses as well as in much part of scientific literature, the presence of Islam in Sicily is generally evoked in relation to the Islamic rule over the island occurred between the VIII th and the XI th century. Until recent times, less attention has been payed to achieve an accurate understanding of current Muslim presence in the region. Islam in Sicily represents a heterogeneous, stratified and dynamic phenomenon, undergoing tangible transformations during the last years. In this article I will focus on the city of Messina, place of transit between Sicily and the rest of Europe. As elsewhere in the island, the old Maghrebi communities – strongly characterizing mosques, prayer halls and Islamic cultural centers in ethno-national terms – have been recently joined by people and groups coming from West Africa and Asia. Since 2013 the Islamic Center of Messina, the heart of Muslim presence in the urban space, is located in an historical liberty villa purchased by the Messina’s Muslim community. The Center is situated in a peripheral district of the city, where shacks and “illegal” houses dating back to the post-1908 earthquake reconstruction are present. Furthermore, the Center is equipped with land used for burying Muslims – this is in fact the only Islamic cemetery in Sicily. Starting with ethnographic stuff collected by means of participant observation and interviews, the main focus of this article is on daily religious experience as lived by Muslims attending the Islamic Center in Messina. In particular, I will address my attention to the social representations concerning religious identity shared among young Muslims born or raised in Messina. Furthermore, I will enquire the relations connecting the Muslim community, local political institutions and the urban public space, trying to understand how roles, knowledge and authority within the religious community have been changing over time. Finally, I will examine whether and how the recent arrivals of Muslim faithful from South Asia affect ritual practices, in both formal and informal religious contexts.