TURIN, Italy (LifeSiteNews) — A Muslim imam accused by Italy’s Interior Ministry of posing a concrete threat to national security — and defended by a Catholic bishop — has been released from an immigration detention center.
On December 15 the Turin Court of Appeal ordered the immediate release of Mohamed Shahin, a 47-year-old imam of the San Salvario mosque, from the Caltanissetta Repatriation Detention Center, ruling that there was no evidence of a “concrete and current dangerousness.”
However, the court left in place an expulsion order issued by the Interior Ministry on public security grounds following statements Shahin made about Hamas during a pro-Palestinian demonstration.
In late November, during Shahin’s detention, Bishop Derio Olivero of Pinerolo had posted a video message defending the imam and decrying his expulsion order.
“Mohamed Shahin has been in Italy for 21 years, has no criminal record, and has always worked seriously for dialogue and cooperation in Turin,” Olivero said. “It seems strange and absurd that he now risks expulsion for opinions: in Italy there is freedom of opinion.”
Since then, the bishop has continued to double down. In a recent interview, Olivero claimed there was “no evidence” against Shahin and warned that expelling him could have counterproductive effects. “The risk is radicalization,” he said.
Shahin, born in Egypt in 1978, has lived in Turin for about two decades and serves as imam of the mosque in the San Salvario district. A married father of two children born in the city, according to his supporters, he has publicly criticized the government of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a position they say could expose him to imprisonment and torture if returned to his native country.
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The case originated after a demonstration held in Turin during a temporary ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. During the march, organized in support of the Palestinian population, Shahin addressed the crowd using a megaphone. According to authorities, he described the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel as an act of “resistance, not violence.” The Interior Ministry interpreted this language as potentially apologetic of terrorism and therefore dangerous to public order and state security.
The imam defended himself by saying that “October 7 was the natural outcome of 11 wars waged against the Palestinians.”
Following that episode, the case moved from a political controversy to a national security issue. The Interior Ministry revoked Shahin’s residence permit and issued an expulsion decree, arguing that his presence constituted a threat to public security. On November 23, he was placed in administrative detention at the Caltanissetta CPR as a preparatory measure for deportation.
In an initial ruling the Turin Court of Appeal validated the detention, stating that, based on documentation available at the time, the imam’s alleged dangerousness justified the measure.
Shahin’s detention prompted protests and campaigns by activist networks and associations, including the group “Torino per Gaza,” which argued that his confinement amounted to a political detention disguised as an administrative procedure. The climate activism group “Ultima Generazione” (Last Generation) carried out a nighttime protest at Piazza Cavour in Turin, chaining a sign reading “Deported, Free Mohamed Shahin” to a historic statue of the city to draw attention to what they called an unjust detention.
The decision of December 15 marked a turning point. Judge Ludovico Morello accepted one of Shahin’s appeals and ordered the termination of his detention, citing new elements that excluded the existence of a concrete and current danger. As a result, Shahin was immediately released from the CPR and is now formally in the position of an asylum seeker.
In a rare move reflecting the political sensitivity of the case, the presidency of the Turin Court of Appeal issued an official statement stressing that the ruling was not ideological but “based on new information that emerged after the initial detention order.”
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sharply criticized the ruling, warning that judicial decisions were undermining government security measures. She questioned how the executive could protect Italians if actions taken in the name of national security were repeatedly overturned by the courts.
According to an investigation published by the newspaper Il Giornale, reporters visited the San Salvario mosque shortly before Shahin’s release and, citing statements attributed to his collaborators, reported claims that polygamy was discussed within the community and that the possibility of creating an Italian political representation inspired by Islamic sharia was on the agenda. According to the same Italian news outlet, Shahin was a frequent associate of individuals linked to jihadist movements.
