Intrigue Italian-Style

The scent of fragrant North African oils sweetens an otherwise drab, poorly lit room of wood-paneled walls and carpeted floors. As arrivals at Italy?s Islamic Cultural Institute perform traditional pre-prayer handwashings, three young men lounge on a nearby stretch of carpet, leaning in toward each other to speak in hushed voices.

Abdel Hamid Shaari, president of the institute and meeting place, motions with his head toward the trio — one with a long dark beard, the other two without — huddled in conversation. "Look at those three," said Shaari, an affable Libyan-born architect. "They might be talking about...