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A criminal investigation has been opened into an Italian Musim website which published a blacklist of "influential Jews" in Italy.

Included in the list on the Radio Islam site are several prominent journalists, intellectuals, entrepreneurs, actors, rabbis and other high-profile Jewish figures.

Among them is prominent Italian journalist and popular Arutz Sheva columnist Giulio Meotti - who, while outspokenly pro-Israel, is not in fact Jewish. Also included is another regular Arutz Sheva contributor, American-Jewish scholar and acclaimed author Professor Phyllis Chesler.

The Radio Islam site, which is awash with other viciously anti-Semitic content - including posts by known holocaust-deniers - branded them as members of the "Nazi-Jewish Mafia."

Rome's state prosecutor opened a criminal file into the site following multiple complaints, according to the Corriere della Sera news site.

Although the site operates in 22 different languages, the list was published only on the Italian-language site and appears to be aimed against journalists and other media personalities in particular - earning it harsh condemnations from both Italian-Jewish leaders and journalists' unions alike.

The President of the Jewish Community of Rome, Ruth Dureghello, "applauded" authorities for opening a file into the list, which she described as "horrifying beyond belief."

"It is an intolerable representation of anti-Semitic hate. Identifying people of Jewish religion (in such a manner) is in itself an incitement to violence," she said.

"So far, such things had only been present on neo-Nazi sites, so it is worrying to see it now on the website of Radio Islam. The Islamic world in general should distance itself from such disgraceful things," she added.

In a joint statement, the chairman and secretary general of the National Federation of Italian Press (FNSI) denounced the list in the harshest terms.

"The decision by Radio Islam to publish a list of 'influential Zionist Jews' in entertainment and media in Italy is a squalid, racist and intolerable initiative," Giuseppe Giulietti and Raffaele Lorusso said. "It firstly offends Muslims that have chosen a path of dialogue and respect. These lists reminiscent of the dark ages and walls we should all break down."

According to the International Business Times, Radio Islam is operated by Moroccan-born Arab living in Stockholm, Sweden, named Ahmed Rami. It was taken off the airwaves after its license was revoked in the 1990s after being found guilty of two counts of hate speech - one of which resulted in a six-month prison term for its founder.

Since then it has moved totally online and - ironically given its shockingly hateful content - claims to oppose "racism, hate and violence."