A prominent Italian newspaper editor has appealed to Muslims to visit Marian shrines in Italy. Reminding his readers that the Qu'ran devotes an entire sura to Mary, and that Muslims and Christians jointly venerate Marian shrines in Muslim countries, Magdi Allam is puzzled why more Muslims do not visit shrines in Christian countries. Allam, an Egyptian Muslim, is deputy director of Il Corriere della Sera, a large daily newspaper based in Rome.

In a recent interview with Zenit.org, Allam asked "if this happens in Muslim countries, why can't it happen in a Christian country, especially in a historical phase in which we need to define symbols, values, and figures that unite religions, spiritualities, and cultures?" ... Read the complete Zenit article.