With regard to the recent attempts to explode aircraft flying from London to the United States of America, the Maltese Muslim Community “completely and without reservations”, condemns such barbaric acts of terrorism which were intended to kill thousands of innocent people.

“We reiterate that Islam is a religion of peace, which prohibits aggression and the murdering of innocent people.

This can be proven from various verses in the Holy Qur’an, the community said in a statement.

The Maltese Muslim Community would like to completely disassociate itself from the criminals who claim to perform such shameful acts in the name of Islam. Indeed, had they been true Muslims, they would have never planned such evil, it said.

“These criminals make our life as Muslims living in non-Muslim countries very hard because they fuel the misconception that Islam is a violent religion.

We urge the authorities concerned to bring these criminals to justice and inflict upon them the punishment they deserve,” the community said.

“We show our full solidarity with the British people and urge them not to blame Islam for such deeds, and to understand that the absolute majority of Muslims, living in the UK or anywhere else, are peaceful, tolerant people, willing to live a quiet life just like everybody else.”

The Maltese Muslim Community also notes that the Muslim community in the UK has cooperated fully with the authorities in order to bring the culprits to justice.