Why are some Italians still viewed as white?

Ask any Italian if they are white and they will say yes. Even Sicilians. I'm English and have never thought that Italians are anything other than white. There are paler people in Afghanistan, but they are not Christians and would not class themselves as "white" simply because in their culture such a concept doesn't exist. Nor does it exist in many caucasian tribal cultures that exist between the Ural mountains and the border with China. Not all "white" people have a Western idea of what race is. Usually, if somebody shares their culture then that is good enough for them.