This week, heated discussions took place on Maltese social media following a public Muslim worship gathering held in Msida next to the Parish church.
Muslims currently only have one place of worship which was built in the 70s, when the Muslim community was significantly smaller than it is today. With no alternatives, Muslims began gathering for worship in garages, as it was more convenient than travelling all the way to the Mariam Al-Batool Mosque in Paola, only to find the Mosque completely full up.
With a Christian church around almost every corner, would it really be the downfall of the Maltese islands to build a second Mosque to accommodate the Muslim community?
Many locals have taken to social media to protest the open-air worship, claiming it an "inconvenience’ and even an "insult to Christianity’ because it was held close to a Church. Many have called for a ban to public Muslim worship, as was done in France in 2011. However, the Muslim community in France — which makes up around 10% of the entire population — have enough Mosques to accommodate their beliefs.
If Christians can pray after boarding a bus, in restaurants, and all over the place during a procession, why must we confine Muslims to garages?