Islam was introduced into Italy from Sicily, the city was attacked in 652 by Arab ships of Mu'aia ibn-Hodeig from Syria.

In 847, the city of Bari, from the south of Italy, had become a Saracen emirate, that is to say belonging to the great Islamic state which at that time brought together Africa, Spain and the East of the Middle Ages, It was precisely under the command of Halfun during the caliphate of al-Mutawakkil.

Muslims remain present in Italy from 828 to 1300, they will disappear for 600 years, and will not return until the 1970s, with immigrants from Somalia, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia.

Nowadays, according to the latest official censuses of the country, the Muslim community is estimated at between 960,000 and 3,500,000, which corresponds to about 1.4% and 5.7% of the total Italian population, and to 34% of the 2,400,000 foreigners living in Italy. Not to mention the 150,000 illegal immigrants who are of Muslim faith.

In 2010, the number of Italians converted to Islam is estimated at about 10,000.

The Muslim community is not concentrated in a particular region of the country, but is rather distributed in different cities from the south to the north of Italy.