The Islamic Centre this morning said it was not consulted on the venue for Friday prayers by Muslims, neither before nor after Muslims openly prayed in front of the Msida church and were later urged to say their prayers in Floriana.

In a statement, the Islamic Centre in Malta said it followed with attention and concern the events following the MEPA decision to close down the Msida Muslim place of worship, which prompted a Muslim congregation to resort to perform Friday Prayers for three times consecutively at the Msida public gardens opposite the Msida Parish church after obtaining the necessary legal permit to do so.

This action preoccupied the Maltese public in general and stirred up a public debate where some expressed their sympathy and others showed resentment, the centre said.

“The Islamic Centre observed the developments of this issue and did not intervene because we were not consulted beforehand nor after this incident, neither by those opting to hold the Friday prayers in a public place nor by the Maltese authorities. However we received many enquiries and requests from various bodies to take a position or express our opinion on this issue,” the centre said.

Due to the fact that this issue generated various misunderstandings and misconceptions we felt the need to state the following:

1.     While we were displeased with the great inconvenience brought about with the closure of the Msida and Sta. Venera praying places and request the Authorities to please keep them open to continue their important spiritual services, the Islamic Centre and the majority of Muslims were not content with the holding of Friday prayers in public places especially in close proximity to the Msida church as this act may create hatred and fear against same Muslims.

2.     While we believe that our brothers who held the Friday prayers near the Msida church did not aim to provoke the spiritual sentiments of anybody but only intended to attract the attention of the authorities and the Maltese general public to help them to secure an alternate adequate place of worship, we at the Islamic Centre on behalf of the Muslim community would like to apologize to anyone who felt offended by such actions.

3.     We hereby confirm that the Paola mosque is no longer able to accommodate the increasing number of Muslims attending Friday prayers because of its limited space and it cannot serve all the Muslims dispersed on the Island because of its distance from other localities where other Muslims live. Therefore we acknowledge that the Muslim community is in a dire and genuine need for the present places of worship and kindly request the Maltese authorities to keep them open to continue their educational and spiritual services.

4.     We believe that the solution for the problem of opening other places of worship and meeting other needs of the Muslim community can be achieved through dialogue and negotiations with the concerned Maltese authorities. The Muslim community has the impression that MEPA may close down all the other Muslim places of worship one after the other, therefore a Government policy regarding these places is highly required to put the minds of the community members at rest.

5.     While we appreciate and thank the Maltese authorities for granting a temporary place of worship to our Muslim brothers at Floriana we are looking forward for a permanent solution to this problem by providing assistance to the community to acquire the MEPA permissions of change of use, or granting these places temporary permissions to function legally or suggest other legalized alternative places.

6.     The recent events concerning the Muslim places of worship emphasize the urgent need for building another mosque for the Muslim community to contribute to solving the space problem in a legal adequate way. We appeal to the government to indicate a site on which the community can build a new mosque.

7.     The recent events show the need for confirming the Islamic Centre as the major representative of the Muslim community on the basis of its recognized legal status, itspast proven experiences, its long and valuable services to the community, its important achievements for the benefit of the community, its excellent relations with the Government, political parties, the Church and the Public and its wise moderate approach which has gained the respect and trust of all.

8.     While we express our gratitude to the Government, the political parties, the Church and the Maltese public for their sympathy and solidarity with the Muslim community we affirm our keenness to strengthen the good relation and friendship with the authorities and the public in general and our sincere desire to enhance the mutual understanding and respect and to maintain the social peace and harmony within the society.