The UCOII was founded in Ancona January 1990 with the intent to provide the community and the Muslims a range of services:
Uniqueness of representation in the front of state institutions
In this respect, we have already developed since 1990 a draft agreement pursuant to art. 8 of the Italian Constitution and we have submitted in the same year and resubmitted in 1992 an official request to that effect.
Orientation technical, legal and administrative
Almost all the Islamic communities that have organized on the territory and given legal form to their presence and activities have requested and obtained the help of UCOII; Most of the statutes under which they are composed have been drawn from the advice that UCOII has provided them. UCOII leaders attended in dozens and dozens of cases in which legal difficulties or administrative problems made arduous a correct and satisfactory local organization.
To harmonize the management of the centres associated with the technical Italian tax legislation, the Union has developed and managed two national courses for local leaders.
The, now stable, presence of Muslims has made necessary an activity that tends to get the availability of Islamically lawful food and appropriate cemeteries. In both cases, the Union has provided legal advice and technical information to meet these two necessities.
Special care has been taken to establish and work for better relations with State Institutions, both at national and local level and with the Italian civil society.
Organization of common cultural activities and cultural mediation.
Courses for foreigners of Italian language and civic education were organised in order to promote the integration of Muslim immigrants in our social-cultural context.
Congresses, conferences and camps
Continuing the work started by U.S.M.I. (Union of Muslim students in Italy) and we held each year at least one major national conference and a summer camp of study. These activities are aimed to the continuous learning and organisational updating of Muslims in Italy, with the participation of many thousands of people. On the other hand UCOII executives have participated in recent years to hundreds of conventions, conferences, roundtables, radio and television to broadcast the Italian public a true picture of Islam and of the community that it is inspired to Islam in his choices of material and spiritual life.
Collection and distribution of information
Our community is largely made out of migrants from dozens of different countries, this fact has brought us to face the need of providing our coreligionists of technical and legal assistance in front of the state institutions. With this in mind we have done an important work of information at the time of taking actions for the regularization of the position of many immigrants.
Social and humanitarian activities
The emergency of the refugees originating from the Bosnian war has seen us in the front line, to alleviate moral and material suffering of those who had to leave their country to escape the horrors of ethnic cleansing. Even Albanian immigrants that in hundreds asked support to our centres could get help and guidance in search of a decent job.
Many dozens of doctors linked with U.CO.II and its representatives in the territories have made an extraordinary assistance and guidance to health care and prevention.
Production and distribution of printed materials and audio-visual
The UCOII has sponsored the work of a committee of experts who carried out the full translation into Italian of the meanings of the Qur’an. Currently have already been published in three editions for a total of 53,000 copies.
Between 1990 and 1996 UCOII has sponsored in collaboration with some adhering members five texts that were distributed throughout the national territory. These are texts of religious jurisprudence, Islamic history, prayer books of prayers and invocations to the Almighty.
In 1993 UCOII inspired the publication of “the Muslim” monthly multilingual communication inside and outside the Islamic community in Italy. The magazine was published until the end of 1994 when financial difficulties led to its suspension.
Audio-video material mostly realized during the lessons and lectures at conferences and annual camping is regularly distributed to all the territorial organization
Study, development of programs and general proposals in the traditional areas of education, technical and professional training
The study commissions set up by the Union have played an ongoing activity of analysis and proposal. In addition, UCOII operated as the transmission belt of experiences associated by promoting the circulation of knowledge acquired.
Economic relations between the Italian productive world and Islamic countries
The Italian position at the centre of the Mediterranean and the different reality of our community came together in the economic field and, in this context, without carrying out directly any activity of import-export, we have certainly contributed to encouraging the meeting among businessmen of the two banks.
Conclusions
With the history of more than a quarter century of Islamic activity behind, our Union makes a continuous, irreplaceable work to promote the integration of Muslims in the socio-cultural reality of the country, playing an indispensable work in order to raise the moral and material level and make faster and more profitable their integration into the socio-cultural network of our country.
In conclusion we point out that our whole activity is finalised to contribute in a patient and continuous building of a cohesive Italian Islamic Community, which carries out its full civil and religious function in complete independence from any external force, country or ideology.
This project, which has its grandeur and ambition, under the present conditions of our community, is a human intent of good will consistently submissive to the will of God that requires us to be, we Muslims, messengers of peace and progress for all of humanity