The Egyptian-born commentator who renounced Islam and converted to Roman Catholicism with a baptism by Pope Benedict XVI has built his career crusading against what he calls the “inherent” violence in Islam and championing Israel’s existence.

Magdi Allam, a deputy editor at the Milan newspaper Corriere della Sera who has been honored for encouraging tolerance between cultures, angered some in the Muslim world Monday with his high-profile conversion in an Easter vigil service led by Benedict in St. Peter’s Basilica.

“The pope provokes the indignation of Muslims by baptizing an Egyptian journalist who attacks Islam and defends Israel,” read a headline in the newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi. The Arabic-language newspaper said Allam is known as a “Zionist Muslim.”

Allam has credited the pope, who himself has been criticized by some Muslims, as being instrumental in his decision to become a Catholic at age 55 and after spending his adult life in predominantly Catholic Italy.

A frequent commentator on Islamic issues and terrorism on Italian TV, Allam says he is “passionate” about coexistence in the West of “national identity and democracy, immigration and integration, Islam and terrorism”

An Italian citizen since 1986, Allam has lived in Italy for 35 years, after attending a Catholic school in Cairo. He says he has never been a practicing Muslim.

Books he has authored include “Viva Israel. From the ideology of death to the civilization of life: my story,” which was published in Italy last year.

Allam told an interviewer for the conservative Milan newspaper Il Giornale in December that he wrote the book because “I discovered that at the origin of the ideology of hatred, violence and death is discrimination against Israel.”

He also published “Conquering Fear. My life against Islamic terrorism and the unconsciousness of the West” in 2005 and “Kamikaze made in Europe. Will the West defeat Islamic terrorists?” in 2004.

Allam filled nearly a whole page of Corriere della Sera on Sunday explaining his conversion.

He said he reflected that even beyond “the phenomenon of the extremists and of Islamic terrorism on a worldwide level, the root of the evil is inherent in an Islam that is physiologically violent and historically conflictual.”

The conversion freed him “from the shadows of a preaching where hate and intolerance toward he who is different, toward he who is condemned as an ‘enemy,’” he said.

In an interview on Italian private TV Canale 5 Monday evening, Allam said he felt “stronger” and “great joy” because of his conversion.

He dismissed the suggestion that Benedict, in baptizing him, might put at risk the lives of Christian minorities in Islamic nations.

Benedict “wanted to give a signal to the church throughout the world that whoever” wants to join will be accepted, Allam said.

Allam could not be reached for more comment Monday. His cell phone was answered Monday by an Italian identifying himself as part of a security escort provided to the editor by the Italian government.

Allam told Il Giornale last year that he believed he had been “condemned to death” by an Italian Muslim group, UCOII, which he called Hamas’ “reference point” in Italy.

Il Giornale quoted Allam as saying an Italian intelligence official in 2003 said there was information that Hamas had “singled me out as an enemy to physically eliminate for my repeated criticisms of Palestinian terrorism.”

Hamas officials in Gaza on Monday declined to comment on Allam’s contention.

UCOII, the Union of Islamic Communities in Italy, described Allam’s baptism as a personal choice.

Two years ago, Allam was awarded the Tel Aviv University-based Dan David Prize, which recognizes outstanding contributions to humanity, honoring him for his “ceaseless work in fostering understanding and tolerance between cultures.”

Dan David, a Rome-based entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the annual prize, said in a phone interview Monday that Allam was honored because he has “fought for freedom of expression” at the risk of his life.

David said he spoke to Allam on Sunday and praised him for his courage in converting in such a visible way.

Allam wrote in Corriere that with his conversion he took the name “Cristiano” (Christian in Italian) as his middle name.

Benedict baptized Allam just days after an audio message from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden accused the pontiff of playing a role in what he called a “new Crusade” against Islam. The Vatican called the accusation baseless.

The Vatican is still trying to repair relations with the Muslim world after Benedict in a 2006 speech about faith and reason cited a medieval text that described some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as “evil and inhuman,” particularly the command to spread the faith “by the sword.”

The pope later expressed regret his remarks angered Muslims and stressed that the medieval text didn’t reflect his own opinion.

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On the Net:

Corriere della Sera: http://www.corriere.it

Dan David Prize: http://www.dandavidprize.org

Magdi Allam’s Site: http://www.magdiallam.it