Florence’s first mosque is born
At the same time, Elzir and a group of around 20 students and workers, all immigrants from across the Islamic world, decided that the city’s nascent Muslim community needed a place to gather and pray.

“With those 20 people, the first mosque in Florence was born in 1991,” he said. “Over time this mosque has grown, and now more than 600 people come to Friday prayers.” Every three years, the Islamic Community of Florence and Tuscany elects a “parliament” of 21 people. The leaders then choose a president who also serves as imam. Elzir was first elected to this position in 1992 and has been reconfirmed over the years.

At the same time, Elzir and a group of around 20 students and workers, all immigrants from across the Islamic world, decided that the city’s nascent Muslim community needed a place to gather and pray. “With those 20 people, the first mosque in Florence was born in 1991,” he said. “Over time this mosque has grown, and now more than 600 people come to Friday prayers.” Every three years, the Islamic Community of Florence and Tuscany elects a “parliament” of 21 people. The leaders then choose a president who also serves as imam. Elzir was first elected to this position in 1992 and has been reconfirmed over the years.

‘An Islamic contribution to fashion’
Elzir, married and a father of two, is an example of the diversified walks of life the country’s growing number of imams. Born and raised in the Palestinian city of Hebron, Elzir wanted to pursue a career in fashion after graduating from high school, but was uncertain about the decision. “I was afraid that studying fashion could contradict my faith,” he said. “I asked various Islamic scholars and they told me that absolutely wasn’t the case; they said fashion is a part of our lives, and in studying it we should try to give an Islamic contribution to fashion; and from that moment, I decided to come here.”

The use of Islamic geometric patterns would be an example of Muslim influenced design, he said, adding that hijab-style veils have also appeared on the catwalk recently, fusing Eastern and Western clothing norms.

Elzir arrived in Florence in 1991 with the economic strategy to study here and use his acquired Italian expertise to open a boutique in his Arab homeland. At the Italian Academy of Fashion and Design, he studied general men’s and women’s fashion for two years, and in his final year focussed on designing women’s underwear. “The Muslim woman wears a veil, but at her house and under her veil and clothes, she wears Western underwear,” he said.

What the hell is a western underwear???

  “But, opening a women’s underwear boutique in Palestine remains my dream for the future,” he said. It all starts with a dream … I wonder which part of Palestine he’s dreaming of opening in?