Adel Smith

Adel Smith (March 9, 1960 – August 22, 2014 ), born Emilio Smith in Alexandria, Egypt, was an Italian Muslim known for his radical stances and often accused of fundamentalism. He was 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 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 village 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, where his son was 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 attempted to sue author Oriana Fallaci in April 2004, saying that her book The Force of Reason was offensive to Islam.

Mainstream Italian Muslim organizations expressed discomfort over the fact that Smith was treated by the Italian media as if he had been a genuine Muslim leader.

In 2011 he was sentenced to five years in prison for fraud and forgery of checks.

Smith died on August 22, 2014, at the age of 54 in L'Aquila.

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