The Federation of Islamic Organizations of Europe reported on plans by the Federation of Islamic Associations in Italy (Unione delle Comunità e Organizzazioni Islamiche in Italia) for its 39th annual conference which was held at the end of last December. According to the report:
The Federation of Islamic Associations in Italy is organizing its 39th conference this month from December 25th to December 27th 2009. The conference will be attended by a number of scholars and renowned intellectuals including Sheikh Akrama Al Sabry, who will be giving a lecture on Islam and the West, and Dr. Essam Al Bashir, the Head of the International Center for Moderation who will give a lecture titled “What Islam Gave the West”, and Dr. Mohamed Tolaby the Manager of the Al Forqan magazine and a member of the executive office of the Movement for Unity and Reform who will present two lectures, the first being “The Effect of Muslims in Promoting Human Rights in the Modern West” and the second “How Islam is Participating in Reforming the Infrastructure of Western Civilization Today”.
Essam Al Bashir (aka Issam Al-Bashir) has many ties to the global Muslim Brotherhood and the Movement for Unity and Reform is a Moroccan Islamist group identified in a NEFA Foundation report as a member of the Union of Good, a coalition of charities supporting Hamas and headed by global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qartadaw.
The Unione delle Comunità e Organizzazioni Islamiche in Italia is generally is thought to represent the Muslim Brotherhood in Italy and is probably a member of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE), the EU-level Islamic organization claiming to represent the Muslims of Europe, although it is not listed as the FIOE contact organization in that country. A post from last September discussed the Bologna mosque project which was postponed at that time.
For background on the UCOII, go here.