Gendered Islamophobia in Italy: The Case of Silvia Aisha Romano

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate gendered Islamophobia in Italy through a significant case study: the hate campaign that affected Silvia Aisha Romano, a 24-year-old aid worker kidnapped in Kenya by a group linked to Shabab, who chose to convert to Islam. On May 10, 2020, after 18 months of detention, Silvia landed in Rome wearing a light green jilbab. The initial joy for her release was followed by very violent Islamophobic and misogynist insults, by both right-wing and left-wing politicians, newspapers, and opinion leaders, including some feminists. This paper will carry out a discourse analysis on this debate, focusing on some pivotal aspects: the roots of contemporary gender Islamophobia in colonial Orientalism and epistemic Eurocentrism; the contemporary debate on Muslims and Islam in Italy, and the media’s role in reproducing stereotypes and discrimination; the political convergence between very different actors in the systematic attack against Italian Muslim women.