Rome, Aug. 30 (Reuters): Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s attempt to convert dozens of young women to Islam during a visit to Italy led to an angry reaction from the Italian media today.

Several commentators accused Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of sacrificing principles and dignity for the sake of trade and investment ties with Libya. The mercurial Gaddafi invited a large group of young women hired by a hostess agency to an event at a Libyan cultural centre in Rome yesterday and tried to convert them to Islam.

“What would happen if a European head of state went to Libya or another Islamic country and invited everyone to convert to Christianity?” asked the daily Il Messagero. “We believe it would provoke very strong reactions across the Islamic world.”

Press reports said three women had converted. The event followed a similar reception involving some 200 women on a previous visit by Gaddafi to Rome last year. Ties between Italy and Libya have flourished since a 2008 deal in which Berlusconi agreed to pay $5 billion in reparations for Italy’s colonial rule over Libya in the early 20th century.