Benedict XVI baptises Italy’s most prominent Muslim at Easter service in Vatican

ITALY’S most prominent Muslim, an iconoclastic writer who condemned Islamic extremism and defended Israel, has converted to Catholicism in a baptism carried out by the Pope at a Vatican Easter service.

An Egyptian-born, non-practising Muslim who is married to a Catholic, Magdi Allam infuriated some Muslims with his books and columns in the newspaper Corriere della Sera newspaper, where he is a deputy editor. He titled one book Long Live Israel.

As a choir sang, Pope Benedict XVI poured holy water over Mr Allam’s head and said a brief prayer in Latin.