Adel Smith
Encyclopedia
Adel Smith, born in 1960 as Emilio Smith in Alexandria
, Egypt
, is an Italian
Muslim
known for his radical stances and often accused of fundamentalism
. He is the son of a Naples
-born Italian architect
of Scottish
descent and an Egyptian woman. Smith relocated to Italy as a child and later made a living as a translator
for Arabic-speaking tourists in Rome
. Raised as a Roman Catholic
, he eventually converted to Islam
. He later relocated to Albania
, where he worked as a printer
, before coming back to Italy and settling in the central town of Ofena
.
Adel Smith founded the Union of Italian Muslims (Unione dei musulmani d'Italia), claiming it to be the most representative Italian Muslim association. Critics of Smith, however, contend that his association numbers very few members. He came to preeminence in the Italian media when he requested that a crucifix
be removed from Ofena's elementary school
, of which his son is a student. He was subsequently a regular guest on Italian media venues, where he vehemently attacked Western civilization and Christianity
. In 2001, he founded the Italian Islamic Party (Partito Islamico Italiano).
He attracted more media attention by demanding that crucifixes in public places (i.e., schools, hospitals, and government offices) be removed, and throwing a crucifix out of the window of his mother's hospital room after authorities refused to remove it. The Italian Council of State
, with the sentence number 556 of 13 February 2006, upheld the display of the crucifix in government-sponsored spaces. Smith was subsequently charged with defaming the Catholic religion in 2006 and sentenced to eight months in prison.
Mainstream Italian Muslim organizations have expressed discomfort over the fact that Smith, whose few followers are reported to be for the most part Albanian immigrants, is treated by the Italian media as if he were a genuine Muslim leader.
In 2011 he was sentenced to five years in prison for fraud and forgery of checks.
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, is an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Muslim
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
known for his radical stances and often accused of fundamentalism
Fundamentalism
Fundamentalism is strict adherence to specific theological doctrines usually understood as a reaction against Modernist theology. The term "fundamentalism" was originally coined by its supporters to describe a specific package of theological beliefs that developed into a movement within the...
. He is the son of a Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
-born Italian architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
of Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
descent and an Egyptian woman. Smith relocated to Italy as a child and later made a living as a translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
for Arabic-speaking tourists in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Raised as a Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, he eventually converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. He later relocated to Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, where he worked as a printer
Printer (publisher)
In publishing, printers are both companies providing printing services and individuals who directly operate printing presses. With the invention of the moveable type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg around 1450, printing—and printers—proliferated throughout Europe.Today, printers are found...
, before coming back to Italy and settling in the central town of Ofena
Ofena
Ofena is a comune and town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is located in the natural park known as the "Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park"....
.
Adel Smith founded the Union of Italian Muslims (Unione dei musulmani d'Italia), claiming it to be the most representative Italian Muslim association. Critics of Smith, however, contend that his association numbers very few members. He came to preeminence in the Italian media when he requested that a crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
be removed from Ofena's elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
, of which his son is a student. He was subsequently a regular guest on Italian media venues, where he vehemently attacked Western civilization and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. In 2001, he founded the Italian Islamic Party (Partito Islamico Italiano).
He attracted more media attention by demanding that crucifixes in public places (i.e., schools, hospitals, and government offices) be removed, and throwing a crucifix out of the window of his mother's hospital room after authorities refused to remove it. The Italian Council of State
Italian Council of State
The Consiglio di Stato is a legal-administrative consultative body and ensures the legality of public administration in Italy. The council has jurisdiction on acts of all administrative authorities, except when these authorities lack discretionary power, in which case the dispute is considered to...
, with the sentence number 556 of 13 February 2006, upheld the display of the crucifix in government-sponsored spaces. Smith was subsequently charged with defaming the Catholic religion in 2006 and sentenced to eight months in prison.
Mainstream Italian Muslim organizations have expressed discomfort over the fact that Smith, whose few followers are reported to be for the most part Albanian immigrants, is treated by the Italian media as if he were a genuine Muslim leader.
In 2011 he was sentenced to five years in prison for fraud and forgery of checks.