The Iranian “Imam Mahdi Center” in Rome and the regime’s propaganda machine in Italian

by Giovanni Giacalone and Adrian Calamel

The Iranian “Imam Mahdi Center” in Rome and the regime’s propaganda machine in Italian

The Muslim population in Italy is overwhelmingly Sunni. Estimates suggest that about 98% of Muslims in Italy are Sunni, while around 2% are Shia or belong to other minority Islamic sects. With roughly 1.5–1.7 million Muslims living in the country, this means that only a small minority—tens of thousands—identify as Shia, while the vast majority follow Sunni Islam. The Sunni dominance reflects immigration patterns, since most Muslims in Italy originate from predominantly Sunni countries such as Morocco, Albania, Tunisia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

While not all Muslims favor the intermingling of religion and politics, there are numerous Islamic centers that are active in ideological and political propaganda within both Sunni and Shiite circles. This was seen during the so-called Arab Spring, the Syrian civil war, and also in the conflict between Israel and the Iranian regime.

Within the Sunni sphere, the most active political-religious area is by far that linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, particularly the Egyptian and Turkish branches.

Following the fall of the Islamist government led by Mohamed Morsi in the summer of 2012, Egyptian Islamist circles mobilized widely in both Rome and Milan, with the latter repeatedly described by Morsi’s Italian supporters as the “European base of resistance” (to al-Sisi).

Within the Italy-based Shia milieu, an important role is played by converts who, in the Italian context, act as the main drivers of an ideology that seeks to appeal both to the far right—several founders of the Imam Mahdi Center, for example, come from that background—and to the far left, always framed within an “anti-imperialist” and “anti-Zionist” narrative.

This brief report examines some of the main activities of the Shia Imam Mahdi Center, the pro-Tehran propaganda, its key figures, and its connections with other pro-regime actors. The findings presented here represent only a starting point for further research into the Shia network in Italy and across Europe, which is widespread and active but has received limited investigative attention.

Given the current situation regarding the conflict in the Middle East between the United States and Israel on the one hand and Iran on the other, it is interesting to examine the internal dynamics of the militant Shia area on Italian soil, considering Italy’s longstanding relations with Iran.

The Imam Mahdi Islamic Center

The Rome-based Islamic center, founded in the second decade of the 2000s by Italian converts to Shiite Islam, has been playing a leading role in the dissemination of Khomeinist propaganda in Italian.

Located in Rome’s Tuscolano neighborhood, with a double entrance located at Via Norcia no. 12 and Via Spello no. 5, the Shia Islamic center “Imam Mahdi” in Rome was officially inaugurated in May 2018, but the association, carrying the same name, was born in 2004. Over the following 13 years, thanks to contributions and donations from Shia communities around the world, the founders were able to raise the funds needed to purchase the new center. [i]

Rome’s Imam Mahdi Center location with the double entrance on both roads

According to the Italian intelligence magazine “Gnosis”, published by the Italian Internal Intelligence Agency AISI, the Imam al Mahdi Center was born from an internal split within the Italian branch of the Khomeinist “Ahl Al Bait” network, which was founded by former members of the Italian far-right:

“Or the activities of Neapolitan Luigi De Martino, another former Ordine Nuovo militant who converted in 1985 under the name Ammar, founder and inspiration of the Shiite-Islamic Association “Ahl Al Bait” (House of the People). Established in Naples in the wake of interest sparked by the Khomeini revolution, Ahl Al Bait is linked to the international network of the same name based in Tehran. Close to the positions of Hezbollah and Hamas, the organization, which is primarily dedicated to proselytism and cultural dissemination, has a distinctly anti-Zionist and anti-Western outlook. It has attracted many groups of the “converted” Italian far-right. The Roman association “Imam al Mahdi” itself was recently formed from an internal split within Ahl Al Bait and is also inspired by another former right-wing militant who converted to Islam, Marco “Hussein” Morelli.” [ii]

As indicated in the local media and in an article from a retrieved article on the website Ijtihadnet, people and delegations from London, India, Madagascar, France and Austria attended the inauguration on May 5, 2018, in Rome:

“Amongst the most honoured guests, was the Molou family of Madagascar, especially Fazle Molou who, in collaboration with Shaykh Mustafa Jaffer of Orison Charitable Trust in London – represented in Rome by Shaykh Mujahid Ali Sheriff for the occasion-, significantly helped and made possible the final purchase of the Centre.”[iii]

Sheikh Mujahidali Sheriff, is currently the Trustee of the Orison Charitable Trust – a UK-registered charity working primarily for the advancement of Islamic Shia religion and for the advancement of education and relief of poverty – and Executive Councillor of the Council of European Jamaats (CoEJ), which is the umbrella body for Shia Ithna-Asheri communities in Europe. [iv] [v] [vi]

Among the Italian converts present at the event were journalist Pierangelo ‘Jafar’ Buttafuoco, Gabriele ‘Ibrahim’ Iungo—a Turin-based Sunni scholar—and Damiano ‘Abbas’ Di Palma, the latter being the first Italian to specialize in traditional Islamic sciences within the Shiite tradition. He received the title of Hujjat al-Islam after completing his studies at theological institutions in London, Damascus, and Qom.”[vii]

2. Imam Mahdi Center’s key individuals and activists

Damiano ‘Abbas’ Di Palma

Marco ‘Hussein’ Morelli, secretary and spokesperson, prior to his conversion, he had ties to far-right political circles in Italy, with positions described as anti-Atlanticist (anti-NATO/US influence) and sympathetic to causes aligning with Islam. His conversion is framed in interviews as a personal spiritual and ideological choice, rejecting Western secularism and finding alignment in Shia principles of justice, resistance, and anti-imperialism.[ix] [x] [xi] [xii]

Marco ‘Hussein’ Morelli

Nicola ‘Hasan’ Di Cola, a convert of western Sicilian origin who followed his father’s path of conversion to Shia Islam. In 2025 Di Cola published the book “La cupola d’oro. Viaggio in Iraq sulla via dei Martiri (Edizioni La Vela, Viareggio; 120 pages, ISBN 979-12-80920-65-2). This is a first-person travel diary/narrative recounting his participation in the Arba‘in pilgrimage — the massive Shia commemoration 40 days after Ashura. Starting from Sicily, he traveled through Baghdad, Najaf, Karbala (the Golden Dome of Imam Husayn), Samarra, Balad, and Kazimiyya. The book was officially launched on 3 May 2025 at the Imam Mahdi Center in Rome alongside the documentary La via dei Martiri by Puria Nabati.[xiii] [xiv] [xv] [xvi]

Nicola ‘Hasan’ Di Cola

Paolo Jafar Rada, Director of Centro Studi Internazionale “Dimore della Sapienza”, a center that organizes conferences, conventions, and cultural activities, often focusing on figures of traditional thought such as Julius Evola and René Guénon.[xvii] [xviii] [xix]

Originally from the Bergamo province and a convert to Shia Islam, he appeared in several initiatives speaking on behalf of the Imam Mahdi center and is frequently present on its website.[xx] [xxi] [xxii] [xxiii]

In September 2023 he released an interview to the Iranian IRIB regarding “The Holy defense of Iran” and the Iran-Iraq war anniversary. [xxiv]

Paolo ‘Jafar’ Rada

3. Some activities and collaborations

Since its opening, the “Imam Mahdi” Center has been involved in various initiatives such as:

• A 2015 conference with Hezbollah MP Nawar al-Sahili.

• A 2023 event on the “Liberation of south Lebanon” and Hezbollah, with guest speaker Hassane Assi, president of the association “Amici del Libano” (Friends of Lebanon) and an activist for the 5-Star-Movement party. Among the other speakers, Maurizio Falessi, a former Unità Comuniste Combattenti militant who was a fugitive in Lebanon for many years before being located and arrested in 2004 by the Italian authorities. [xxv]

Assi (in the middle) next to Morelli and Falessi

Assi in Lebanon posing near a Hezbollah flag and a banner of him for the 5-Star-Movement

• In October 2024, the Center hosted an event in memory of former Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

• In December 2024, the Center sponsored an event, held at Rome’s “Cavour Centro Congressi”, presenting the autobiography of Ali Khamenei: “Cella n.14. I Semi della Rivoluzione” (Cell no.14. The Seeds of Revolution).

• Every year, the center celebrates “al-Quds Day”.

• In 2023, the center published a book entitled “Qasem Soleimani un combattente di Dio” (Qasem Soleimani, a combatant of God). The book was presented at the Milan-based Shia Islamic Center “Imam Ali” at the presence of Imam Mahdi Center’s Morelli, Di Palma and the Iranian consul Dr. Sowlat. [xxvi]

In October 2025, the Imam Mahdi Center hosted an event on ethics of the Quran with Hassan Khorrami Arani, a Hujjatulislam (the Shia title for an authority on Islam) holding a teaching position in Qom. [xxvii]

4. The president of the Imam Mahdi Center, Hujjatulislam Damiano ‘Abbas’ Di Palma, and the connections to the Al-Mustafa University

The President of the Imam Mahdi Center, Damiano ‘Abbas’ di Palma (1980), originally from the Florence province, is a convert to Shia Islam who obtained the recognition of “Hujjatulislam” at theological schools in London, Damascus and Qom.

After completing his foundational studies in London (BA/MA in Islamic Sciences at Middlesex University / Islamic College / Hawza Ilmiyya London, plus teaching roles) and Damascus (hawza studies + Arabic certifications at Damascus University), Di Palma moved to Qom for advanced training. Iranian media reported in March 2011 that he was actively studying at Al-Mustafa International University in Qom while already serving as director of the Imam Mahdi Center in Rome (indicating he may have balanced or returned periodically). He personally stated in a 2015 Italian interview that he spent three years in Qom, describing it as part of his sequential studies (1 year focused in London, 1 year in Damascus, 3 years in Qom). By late 2014 he was already publicly referred to as Hujjat al-Islam in connection with scholarly events linked to Qom (e.g., the International Conference on the Dangers of Takfirism held there in November 2014). He later returned primarily to Italy to resume full-time leadership of the national Shia community, though he has maintained ongoing scholarly ties (including continued teaching in London). Di Palma held a teaching position at the London-based Islamic College, and at the Hawza Ilmiyya (currently Al-Hikma Seminary), as indicated in his biography. [xxviii]

In March 2023 the Islamic College was accused of having links to Iran’s Al-Mustafa International University, which is currently under US counter-terrorism sanctions for allegedly recruiting students to join the IRGC, as reported by The Telegraph. [xxix]

As reported in the December 2020 press statement published by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC):

“Iran-based Al-Mustafa International University, which claims branches in over 50 countries, enables IRGC-QF intelligence operations by allowing its student body, which includes large numbers of foreign and American students, to serve as an international recruitment network.

The IRGC-QF uses Al-Mustafa University to develop student exchanges with foreign universities for the purposes of indoctrinating and recruiting foreign sources. Al-Mustafa has facilitated unwitting tourists from western countries to come to Iran, from whom IRGC-QF members sought to collect intelligence.

Recruits from Al-Mustafa International University have been sent to Syria to fight on behalf of IRGC-QF-led militias. The IRGC-QF established the Fatemiyoun Division, an Iranian-led Shia militia composed of primarily ethnic Afghan residents in Iran, as well as the Zaynabiyoun Brigade, a militia group composed of Pakistani Shia, as expeditionary forces to fight in Syria. The IRGC-QF has used Al-Mustafa as cover for its recruitment of Afghans. The IRGC-QF has used Al-Mustafa’s campus in Qom, Iran as a recruitment ground for Pakistani students to join the Zaynabiyoun Brigades. Multiple students from the university have been killed fighting in Syria. The Fatemiyoun Division and Zaynabiyoun Brigade are both designated under counterterrorism and human rights authorities. Al-Mustafa International University is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the IRGC-QF.”[xxx]

The Qom-based Al-Mustafa University was established in 2007 by Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who oversaw its operations and served as its highest authority. In 2016, the Iranian government allocated about $74 million to the institution in its national budget. The university is also believed to receive additional financial support from the Office of the Supreme Leader as well as from the extensive business and charitable networks associated with him.[xxxi]

From 2008 until 2018 Alireza Arafi was the chairmain of the al-Mustafa University before joining the Guardian Council of the Revolution in 2019 and being appointed as a member of the Interim Leadership Council on March 1, 2026, following the elimination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in an Israeli air strike.[xxxii]

As reported by the website United Against Nuclear Iran: “Al-Mustafa offers a generous package of financial incentives to entice students, in effect buying their loyalty to the Islamic Republic and the Supreme Leader. The majority of students pay no tuition and are given enough money for them and their families to travel to Qom for their studies. Al-Mustafa’s Farsi website states that, “students in its Iran campuses receive monthly stipends and are provided with free housing, home loans, health care for the students and their families and child care for children. It offers financial support for families, school for children, professional education and job for spouses as well as summer camps for them. In foreign branches, students also receive a wide range of financial assistance…Al-Mustafa University indoctrinates its student body by way of anti-Semitic and anti-American curriculums, prompting concerns that the Zainabiyoun and Fatemiyoun Brigades could be mobilized against Israeli or U.S. interests in the region.”[xxxiii]

The website of al-Mustafa University’s Italian branch, which is currently offline, offered the possibility to take part in organized trips featuring sightseeing and cultural and religious insights in Qom, Tehran, Yazd, Isfahan, Mashhad, Tabriz, and Shiraz.[xxxiv]

The specific program indicated on the website is as follows:

1- Places of tourist and cultural interest:

Holy city of Qom: Mausoleum of Fatimah al-Ma’sumah, Jamkaran Mosque, Library of Ayatollah Mar’ashi Najafi, the house of Imam Khomeini; possible visit to some important scholars.

Yazd: Jami Mosque, Dolat Abad Garden, Amir Chakhmagh Square.

Isfahan: Imam Mosque, Siaseh Pol, Vank Church, Palace of the 40 Columns, Jami Mosque, Ali Qapu.

Holy city of Mashhad: Mausoleum of Imam Reza, Mausoleum Museums; possible meeting with some important scholars (perhaps Raisi).

Tabriz: Kuh-e ‘Eyn-e Ali, Kabud Mosque, Kandovan, Monastery of St. Stephen.

Tehran: Mausoleum of Imam Khomeini, Jamaran, Museum of the Sacred Defense, Assyrian Church.

Shiraz: Persepolis, Pasargadae, Tomb of Hafez, Nasir al-Molk Mosque.

2- Topics to be explored during the trip:

The Islamic Republic of Iran
Human rights from an Islamic perspective
Themes of common interest among religions
Introduction to the Islamic religious seminary
Introduction to the Jamiat al-Mustafa University.[xxxv]

Damiano ‘Abbas’ Di Palma appeared as a teacher of Quranic Sciences and Hadith at the Italian branch of the Al-Mustafa University, which is directed by Hanieh Tarkian who is married to the Iranian cleric Abolfazl Emami, also based in Italy and a Doctor of Islamic Political Law and International Relations at the Al-Mustafa University in Iran, as well as a jurist at La Hawza – religious school – in Qom.[xxxvi] [xxxvii]

Interestingly, in a September 2016 article published by Parstoday (Italian version) Emami is cited as “director of the Imam Mahdi Islamic Cultural Association”.[xxxviii]

In June 2025, Di Palma, Tarkian, and Emami participated in an event held in the city of Rimini titled “Gnosis and Islam: Paths of Inner Knowledge.” The event was organized in collaboration with the European Identity Association and Edizioni Il Cerchio. It also featured contributions from Dr. Seyed Majid Emami, Director of the Iranian Cultural Institute in Rome, and H.E. Mohammad Reza Sabouri, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Rome. During the event, the ambassador praised the figure of Ayatollah Khomeini and the 1979 Revolution, describing it as the “first postmodern revolution,” born from spirituality and popular participation, which he said inspired liberation movements from Asia to Africa.[xxxix]

Hanieh Tarkian and Abolfazl Emami

Hanieh Tarkian serves as the primary academic representative and operational head (coordinatrice) for Al-Mustafa International University’s educational activities in Italy through the Istituto di Studi Islamici Al-Mustafa in Rome.

Hanieh Tarkian

On October 15th 2022 the Al-Mustafa’s Italian branch and the Imam Mahdi Center organized an event on the Iranian revolt, obviously with a pro-regime perspective. Among the speaker, Hanieh Tarkian and Marco ‘Hussein’ Morelli, secretary of the Imam Mahdi Center.

Hanieh Tarkian’s new Facebook account (the previous one had been closed by the administrators) has been sharing an impressive amount of pro-regime content.

On March 4, 2026, the Iranians celebrating the attacks against the regime were pointed out as “traitors” and in another post,

The following day, she shared a funerary post with the comment: “The blood poured by the just is never in vain”. Referring to the death of Ali Khamenei.

On March 4, 2026, Tarkian also shared a post with indications for those who wished to sign the book of condolences for Ali Khamenei at the Iranian Embassy in Rome.

5. The statement regarding the death of Ali Khamenei

On March 11, 2026, the Imam Mahdi Center posted a statement regarding Ali Khamenei’s death and the alleged succession of his son Mojtaba, once again providing evidence of the Islamic center’s close relation with the Iranian regime and its extremist ideology:

“The cowardly and criminal assassination, at the hands of the United States and Israel, of the eminent religious authority and Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Grand Ayatullah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, has inflicted a profound wound of pain and dismay not only on the Iranian people and every true Muslim, but also on all those noble and free men who saw in him a beacon of spiritual, political, and moral rectitude.

We are not interested here in denouncing the countless violations of international law or so-called human rights, nor in once again condemning the bloody policies of death and plunder that, since their inception, have characterized the United States and the Zionist regime. However, we remain firm in our condemnation of the Israeli-American aggression and barbarity against Iran.

For Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, as for all those souls who, until their last breath, remained faithful to their pact with God, martyrdom is nothing other than the holy crowning and sublime reward of a life that—in the celestial shadow of the Holy Quran and Islam—was totally consecrated to the Almighty and to the service of the Iranian people, the Islamic Ummah, and all the oppressed throughout the world.

And as we congratulate the Assembly of Experts on the wise appointment of Ayatollah Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Leader of the Revolution, we pray to Almighty God that He may keep him on the same shining path, blazed by his predecessors with tears, joy, and blood, and that His strong hand may never tire of holding aloft the banner of Faith, Truth, and Justice throughout the world.”[xl]

In conclusion

This brief report presents only a very limited overview focused on the Islamic center which is considered particularly interesting due to the activity of converts and the strong ideological imprint that connects Islamism to the far-right, and its relationship with the Iranian diplomatic mission in Italy.

Its pro-Tehran activities are evident and even more pronounced following the conflict that broke out on February 28, 2026, between the United States and Israel on one side and the Iranian regime on the other.

The common denominator that unites Khomeinist narratives and propaganda with far-right, and far-left ideology is hostility toward the United States, Israel, and the West more generally. Furthermore, the ideological closeness between Khomeinism and the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood movement should not be overlooked.

Of particular interest is the proximity between the Imam Mahdi Center and Al-Mustafa University, sanctioned in 2020 by the United States but still active in Italy.

The Imam Mahdi Center is indeed a central actor and part of a broader Shiite Khomeinist network of centers which includes Iranian nationals, Pakistanis, and Italian converts. These actors make extensive use of social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram to spread the narrative and publicize the events.

It should also be noted that both Sunni and Shia Islam are in most cases incapable of separating the religious from the political, to the point of dragging geopolitical issues and political problems of non-EU countries into European (in this case, Italian) places of worship.

In the case of the Imam Mahdi Center, the very fact that the place of worship was founded by former far-right figures, as previously highlighted by the Italian intelligence magazine, Gnosis, makes the Center’s heavy-handed ideological and political stance unsurprising.

[i] https://islamshia.org/chi-siamo/

[ii] https://gnosis.aisi.gov.it/gnosis/rivista9.nsf/servnavig/7

[iii] https://web.archive.org/web/20191213155552/http:/ijtihadnet.com/imam-mahdi-islamic-association-of-rome-opens-in-italy/

[iv] https://www.africafederation.org/post/visit-by-dr-murtadha-alidina-and-sheikh-mujahidali-sheriff-to-bilal-hawza-dar-es-salaam

[v] https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/?p_p_id=uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=maximized&p_p_mode=view&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_regId=1098822&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_subId=0

[vi] https://www.coej.org/

[vii] https://iric.org/imam-mahdi-islamic-association-of-rome/

[viii] https://shaykh.altervista.org/index.php/biografia

[ix] https://islamshia.org/intervista-al-segretario-h-morelli-sulla-mezzaluna-sciita-ofcs-report/

[x] https://agenziastampaitalia.it/radio-e-tv/interviste/2362-qintervista-ad-hosseyn-morelli-portavoce-dellassociazione-islamica-imam-mahdjq

[xi] https://islamshia.org/la-natura-islamica-della-rivoluzione-islamica-in-iran-del-1979-m-h-morelli/

[xii] https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/nazionale/centro-islamico-roma-conferma-lomaggio-nasrallah-leader-2375925.html