[TOD4wDTQ]

11) How is the interest of the general public in Islam?

It varies much according to individuals: on one extreme we have people who have completely left
Islam and/or don't care at all; on the other side, we have people with genuine interest in Islam, but
unfortunately, they are not offered reliable sources and references to which adhere and from which
benefit, and thus big misunderstandings and innovations are able to spread with almost no opposition.
The main sources offered to the general Muslim public are:

-Ikhwani-laxist da'wah (al-Qaradawy, Sayyd Sabiq, etc.): by far the most successful, especially
due to the fact that the Muslim “leaderships” in Italy are linked to that manhaj, and thus have
pushed towards the translation of their own books; instructions and lessons given in their
Islamic centers are according to this manhaj, and the most famous Islamic personalities in Italy
come from this background and can thus popularize their peculiar stances as “normal Islam”.
Further, in the last years this methodology is very often and more and more contaminated by
modernist reformism (Tariq Ramadan, etc.) and rationalism, with very, very dangerous results.

-Salafi da'wah (Saudi-Salafi brand: al-Albani, Ibn Baz, Ibn 'Uthaymeen): they are more
radicated amongst those who want practise Islam “more and better” and aren't satisfied by the
laxism and violations of Shari'ah committed by the first group; not having any other alternative,
usually those who wanna follow Islam “at the utmost”, end up being Salafis; the Salafi brothers
are quite active in Da'wah and make many efforts to translate material and especially to call
people to their own understanding of Islam, but on the long-run, we know how these things
go..

-Extremely deviated Tasawwuf (Perennialists, Sh. Nazim's Haqqanis, Tahir al-Qadri, and many
others): the more spiritual-oriented as well as the “more intellectual” converts, being generally
interested in “Tasawwuf”, attach themselves to one of those groups, again due to the
inexistence of local legitimate alternatives.

And also most of the converts end up in one of these three groups, mostly according to their
psychological disposition, and again the lack of alternatives offered them.

Then, there exists even Ithna Ash'ari Shi'ah, Isma'ili, Qadiyani communities, which generally do a lot
of da'wah and can rely on large financial resources and backing from the outside, may Allah destroy
their efforts.