>The Sword of Islam (Arabic: سيف الإسلام, romanized: Sayf al-Islām; Italian: Spada dell'Islam) was a ceremonial weapon given in 1937 to Benito Mussolini, who was pronounced as the Protector of Islam

>On 18 March 1937, in the outskirts of Tripoli, Mussolini received the Sword of Islam from Iusuf Kerisc, a leading Berber supporter of the Italian occupation against the Libyan resistance, during a lavish ceremony.[5][6][7] After entering Tripoli among salutes of cannons and at the head of a rank of 2,600 cavalrymen, Mussolini reaffirmed his closeness to the Muslim population, guaranteeing "peace, justice, wellness and respect for the laws of the Prophet".

>In spite of the approval from the media of the regime, the ceremony provoked hilarity among the Italian people because of its absurd and paradoxical connotations.[8][9]

>One of the photographs of the event, depicting Mussolini on the saddle of a horse held by the halter by a groom, in his official version was retouched and published deleting the groom, in order to make it appear that Mussolini was able to ride his own mount without anyone's help.[10]

>The sword, decorated in arabesque, equipped with a double-edged straight blade and with a hilt and solid gold friezes, had been achieved from the art firm Picchiani e Barlacchi di Firenze on the order of Mussolini himself.[citation needed] After 1937, it was no longer used and was guarded in a small glass reliquary at Rocca delle Caminate, summer residence of Mussolini. There were no more signs of the precious object after 25 July 1943, when Rocca delle Caminate was ravaged and plundered by the Italian resistance.[13]

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>The Sword of Islam (Arabic: سيف الإسلام, romanized: Sayf al-Islām; Italian: Spada dell'Islam) was a ceremonial weapon given in 1937 to Benito…