Born in 1930, Scialoja reverted to Islam in 1988 when he was Italy’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.
Paying tributes to his role in promoting inter-faith dialogue, Italy’s Jews have mourned a leading Muslim leader, who passed away earlier this week as reported by JTA News today.
“A sincere friend with whom we shared genuine dialogue initiatives has left us,” Riccardo Pacifici, president of the Rome Jewish community, was quoted as saying by JTA News.
“He (Mario Scialoja) always demonstrated he knew how to maintain the level of dialogue and respect, Even in moments of tension.”
Scialoja, a Muslim convert and a retired Italian diplomat, passed away on Monday, July 24, in Rome at the age of 82.
As he retired in 1996 after serving as Italy’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Scialoja dedicated his life to serving the Muslim minority in Italy.