“Aref Ali Nayed, a spokesman for the 138 Muslim scholars who initiated the Common Word dialogue project last October and who established the Catholic-Muslim Forum for dialogue with the Vatican in early March, said conversion is a private matter, but the very public way in which Allam was baptized appeared “deliberate and provocative.”
Coming to faith in Christ is a private but in the case of being baptized, a public decision. Mr. Ali Nayed should also be respectful of Mr. Allam’s decision as well.
They are only talking with the Vatican because they believe (and with reason) that islam will be the majority religion in Italy and Europe in the not so distant future. The talks are a way to set up lines of communication for when Sharia is implemented (look at what has happened in some African areas and in the old Eastern Empire).
By baptizing a muslim though, the Pope is basically telling them that he will not play by their rules. To a muslim, this is punishable by death. Both for the convert and for the Pope.